HEARTBEAT

• Caitlin Southall, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2018

I felt my heart. It was beating 5 times a second. I was trapped, I heard the sirens of the police. All I could remember was something knocking me over the head. I don’t know what it was…

‘Georgia, you're awake!’ shouted mum. I sat up.
‘The hospital? Umm, mum, why is everyone staring at me?!’ I asked.
‘We will tell you later. Let's get home.’ My family all took turns to tell me the story. I was shocked, amazed and I guess happy. This is my story so please pay attention.

‘Psst, Georgia,’ whispered Charlotte.
‘What?’ I whispered.
‘Let’s get out of detention first before you tell me anything.’
‘Ok,’ whispered Charlotte.
‘Girls at the back, QUIET!’ yelled Mrs Kook. Charlotte was a great artist so she drew some fake blood on my face and her face. We told Mrs Kook that Joe got angry and punched us.
‘Ha, now that she is gone to get the doctor we can go,’ Charlotte whispered in a cheeky voice. Joe knew he would get in trouble so he asked us, ‘Hey girls, can I come too?’ I looked at Charlotte and she looked at me.
‘Ok,’ we both said together.

We climbed out the window and we were heading to the tree house when a man wearing all black stopped us. ‘Kids, get in the van NOW!’
‘HUH, what if we don’t tough guy?’ I yelled. He pulled out a gun.
‘Have you changed your mind,’ he grinned. We got in the car and the man drove us to an abandoned, old wooden house. He dragged us to the top and tied us up. ‘Ha, now what are you going to do?’ he said as he tied a knot with a chain. There was something in his pocket. MATCHES! I froze. Everything in me stopped, except my heart. I thought, this house is wooden and wood burns! The matches fell out of his pocket. ‘Oh, and about these...’ He got a match, lit it and threw it on the house. He did it many times. ‘Hahaha, now I have to run!’

I knew my friends and I were gone. My heart was beating 5 times a second. I was trapped! There was no escape! I heard the sirens of the police and the fire brigade. I looked at Joe and Charlotte. A figure was behind them. The figure had a bat. It knocked them over the head. I screamed. THUMP! I got knocked over the head too.

I woke up in hospital and everything was all good. Mum told me that the man wearing all black was arrested. I was so happy to go back to school with all my friends.