The Hole In The Fence

• Charlotte McEnearney, Grade 6, St Mary's School
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

I was puzzled. Things just kept disappearing from our garden. At first it was just small things, like my toy car, then larger things began to go missing. Dad's lawnmower vanished. Mum's favourite plant pot with her favourite plants in. Gone!
My parents kept saying that there were thieves on our street. I believed them. Of course, I believed them! Why wouldn't I believe them, they're my parents?! Sneakily, I got into the habit of looking out of my bedroom window with my camera, in the hope that I would catch a snapshot of the crooks in action.
One afternoon, after I had got in from school and done my homework, I stood at my bedroom window. I was ready. I had my camera in hand. I then watched in amazement and shock as the giant oak tree, that had stood in our garden since before I was born, was dramatically wrenched from the ground by an unseen force. Its great branches and straggling roots and shaking, green leaves began to be pulled towards a hole, the size of a pound coin, in our garden fence. I watched as the tree began to be squeezed, again by this unseen force, through the hole in the fence.
A minute later I was standing with my camera at the ready, peering through the hole in the fence, desperate to find out what had happened to all the things from our garden. Then... I felt it... My eye began to feel as if it was being squeezed. My head felt as if it was being pulled towards the fence. My whole body seemed to be moving. Suddenly... Pop!
I felt my body shudder as I looked around. It was magical! There were millions of oak trees and mushrooms everywhere! I looked up to see the mysterious oak tree looking back down at me. It was the weirdest feeling looking at a tree that was looking back at you. He started saying some stuff that I couldn't understand. I was so confused!? I felt like I was in the Smurfs or something!
Out of nowhere a flash of light flew past my face followed by a rush of wind then more light. I was so startled I fell back. I landed in something soft and smooth. I turned around to find a mermaid holding me! I needed to get out of here.
Suddenly I heard a car pull up. It was Dad coming home from work! I needed to get back, but how? I looked up at the tree with a confused look, I think he knew what I was thinking because he smiled back at me. Suddenly everything was black.
I opened my eyes to see a galaxy. Wait, that's not a galaxy that's the roof of my room! I sat up a fast as a bullet and looked around. It was my room! My dad walked through the door and asked me how school was, I was speechless. Was it real or just a dream?