New York’s Trash, Australia’s Treasure!

• Meghann Peeters, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2018

Tears stream down my pale face and my legs give way, I fall to the stone floor of the apartment and I scream. On the front page of the newspaper reads ‘plane crashes when landing at New South Wales, Australia. From New York City’.
1 Week Earlier….
“Annie, wake up we’re here”, an excited voice whispers in my ear, my Mum.
My body snaps up as I scram to look out the window of our plane from Qantas. I feel my eyes almost pop out of my sockets as New York City sinks into my system. Even though it’s night time, it’s as bright as daytime.
“Thank you for boarding Qantas airlines, please make your way off the plane with all belongings”, a robot-like voice commands. This is too surreal, I step over my Mum’s bony legs and open our compartment with our belongings.
“Annie, slow down, we’ve got all week, relax”, Dad says, grabbing my shoulder, which oddly calms me.
“Okay, now can we go, please”

My hand grasps the brass doorknob and turns as Dad swipes his card through the lock. The door swings open and I race in, it’s magical. A white curtain swings softly against an open window and I can already see the bright lights shining through.
“Wow “, says my little sister, Meg and she steps out onto the balcony. “Annabelle you can see EVERYTHING” she yells.
“Okay girls relax, we will see everything tomorrow, but now you have to sleep, its late”, Dad says.
I peer over and see Mum already asleep on the other white bed, I guess she was tired. I jump on my bed with Meg and we both fall asleep as soon as our heads touch the fluffy pillows.
We all get up around 10:00 o’clock the next morning and we go to the amazing Universal Studios. The buildings are amazing and I want to go on every ride twice. Especially the Jurassic Park section.
We walk around at a shopping mall and (being a sixteen-year-old girl), I give a little yelp. I feel a prod on my shoulder and I turn. I see a brown skinned man who’s around 6 feet tall. He has rough black hair and his brown eyes are like a sunset in the light.
“Hi, my name’s Mason and I’m directing a movie, I want this girl to star in my movie”, he says in an American accent to Dad.
My mind dances away as they talk then finally-
“Annie want to star in a movie”, Dad says.
“OF COURSE,” I yell.
We continue talking for ages……
The last few days of my trip are at a studio and before I know it Meg, Mum and Dad are packing and are leaving me here to star in a movie. Dad will be coming back in a week.
***
I flipped through a newspaper the next day, my family, my life……… gone.