Army Life

• Lucinda Hanrahan, Grade 5, Hartwell Primary School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

There is no way I would get away with this, I am doomed. ‘Maybe I could run away, nah, they’d track me down, there is no getting out of what I have done’. I started walking back home making sure not to be seen. If anyone saw me they would probably beat me up.

As I approached the front door I prepared myself for what was about to happen. Cautiously, I knocked on the door. I wait. Finally, someone opened the door, I looked up, my mum stared down at me in disbelief. “Disgraceful” she yelled, “after everything this family has done for you Josh, this is what you do in return”. Not daring to meet her gaze, I stared down at my feet in ashamed embarrassment. “Get in the car” mum demanded. Obediently I followed.

It was a long car trip and by the time we got there it was already dark. “Where are we?” I asked. “Well” mum hesitated, ”me and your father agreed that this is the last straw, and, well we thought it was best that we sent you someone more strict, somewhere where you’ll finally learn how to behave, like here, the army”. “What!” I exclaimed “No! I am only 13, you have to be 18 to join”. Yes, we know, but we talked to the head commander and he agreed you should join” mum proposed. I was so angry I could feel a flood of rage threatening my bones. Outraged I finally replied “Fine, I don’t care, I don’t even like it at our house”. I ran through the gates, a sad feeling of loss plundering over me.

I woke the next morning at 5am to the sound of an ear piercing alarm and various shouts of commands. That day was what I had thought would be the toughest day of my life but I was far from wrong. Everyday we do a drill called slaughter, which in my opinion was the worst game ever. Every second I get yelled at and every minute I get threatened with punishment. Every night I try to plot an escape plan but it never works and every night I cry myself to sleep wishing of the life I could have had. Years passed and I became one of the best soldiers in the army, I grew tougher and stronger and their was no pain I hadn’t experienced but still I was a life away from being happy here.

On my 18th birthday I decided it was time I get out of here. For the last 9 month’s I’d been slowly chipping away at the fence and now I’ve got a hole big enough for me to crawl through. ‘This is the dream I deserve’.
Tonight was the night. Slowly I unlocked the door and creeped out into the dark sneaking sleekly under the fence gate and running out past the army base into the dull shadows of the night, ready for my new life.