One Foamy Mess

• Ella Korsman, Grade 6, St Mary's School
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

BOOM! Foam oozed everywhere, and sparks shot out form the Bunsen burner.
"I shouldn't have done that," I sighed... I head to the back of my lab to grab a cloth, but when I get back to my table, everything was gone... Suddenly the door swings open with crack and small foamy footsteps exit my lab. I grab my notebook, pen and bag and race out the door. I hurried up the stairs and saw mum crying in the kitchen, the foamy footsteps trodden everywhere.
"Mum?! What happened?" I ask, pretending to be confused.
"I don't know Layla, the footsteps have trodden all through my new carpet!" My mum wails. I pat her on the back and grab her a glass of water. I give her a hug and follow the footsteps, it could be anywhere by now.
I ran down the street, passing Jillian's house who came running after me, she was my best friend ever, while we were running, she asked what I was doing.
"I- am- running-after-a crazy-mon-ster-I-created!" I panted she nodded then pulled away.
"GOOD LUCK!" she yelled after me. As I kept running, I started seeing different clues all around me. Foam was everywhere! All over porches and freshly mowed lawns.
Families of all sorts were out the front looking puzzled and confused. I kept running, following the foam, I kept going until I was at a little corner store, it looked run down and old, I pulled out my notebook and wrote down what I had done and what clues I had found. I opened the door and a little bell rung, inside was like traveling back in time. The little counter had a radio, in which jazz music played. The little bell next to the radio looked rusted and old. I ventured towards it and tapped the little knob.
Suddenly a little old lady came out from the side of the store, holding a tray of cookies, her huge magnified glasses stared into my soul.
"Hello dearie, what can I help you with today?" She remarked "I'm Mavis, what's your name?"
"Hi, I'm Layla. Umm, I was wondering if you have encountered any foamy footsteps in your store lately?" She stood there, it looked like she was thinking hard. Then she started nodding.
"Why yes I have actually... He's in my kitchen now, do you want to see him?"
"You can see him? I'd live to come take a look! You see, I accidentally create him in my lab and he escaped so... " I explained, she nodded then opened up the swinging door to let me in. As I went around the corner, a little fluffy dog sat there in the middle of the kitchen, foam was all over his little feet, and then it hit me, I was trying to make an invisibility potion in the first place! It must've worked, the foam must have dropped onto the dog's feet when he snuck into my house! I hugged Mavis and ran back to my house, I flopped down on my couch and sighed.
"Another day over, another job done." I giggled.