Feathers On The Stone

• Tarris Thiedecke, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2018

Timothy was lost. No, not just lost, but hopelessly lost. He was slumped against a thick tree trunk, in the thick foggy woods, his green singlet saturated with sweat. He reached into his pocket for his inhaler and inhaled deeply he shook the inhaler and realised that it was his last shot. As he sat there he thought of what he had left behind. The many hours of playing with bottle tops in the dusty street. The cruel beatings and the sharp pangs of hunger. A screech brought him back to the present as a large bird flapped off through the trees. He suddenly remembered the rumour about the legendary Gedonyer. It was a giant scaled birdlike creature the size of a horse that spits a poison that corrodes all substances. He stood up to keep moving. His life would not be worth living if he was caught by his parents. He stumbled through the undergrowth trying to get a better view of what was ahead of him. Suddenly a pillar loomed out of the mist. He jumped and looked around. Over to his right a large stone structure was just visible through the mist. He hesitated his mind whirring. He slowly approached the structure and saw it was an ancient temple. With heightened senses he walked through the doorway. A strange stench greeted him. Feathers were scattered all over the ancient stone floor and pillars lined the main room. Various doorways covered the walls. As Timothy inched his way further into the room the dark shadows on the floor took the shape of half corroded carcasses. His stomach twisted as he realised that the room was a killing field. He turned toward the stone arch way, but he was too late. A screech echoed through the temple from the rotting wooden rafters above. Fear coursed through his veins as the Gedonyer swooped from his perch blocking his escape. Timothy realised his only hope would be too get through the exit in the other end of the large hall.

He dodged bursts of poison as he raced for the other exit. He felt his lungs contract as his asthma took over. He knew he had to stop soon. He dodged into a crevice and waited for the burning poison. His last thought was “I wish I had stayed at home.”