The Magic Globe

• Sarah Buckle, Grade 6, St Patrick's School
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

The dirty path in front of me was straight like a pencil. The misty air collapsed on my face as I walked with heavy steps into the dark isolated forest. I knew I shouldn’t have gone in but I was not going to turn back, I needed to see her, I needed answers if no one was going to tell me then I was going to find out what they have been hiding from me all this time if it was the last thing I do.
The sky became more inky as I walked further into the dark forest. I scanned my watch, it was 10:45 pm. The trees danced into the wind, and I could no longer see the dirty, long path only the white circle moon brightening the night sky. A small amber light came into view, I knew I had arrived. The little orange light became bigger as I walked closer. An old dirty shack with brown tree wood, a small chimney with dark black smoke emerging from it,7 bamboo sticks tied together with twigs as a door and through the window a cluttered place with pot, pans and chunks of wood as stools appeared from the darkness. I knock on the bamboo door, an old woman with grey hair, rotten teeth and dirty rags as clothes opens the door.
“Come in, I have been waiting,” she softly whispered. I ducked into the little shack and sat on a thick dark log. The old woman slowly got out a circular globe. The globe was an aubergine violet color and resting on a golden cylinder as the base. She placed the globe on the wooden table and placed her hands on it.
“What do you want to know?” she said softly
“I want to know everything about what happened to me when I was a baby.” My heart was pounding, everything I have researched all came up to this.
“I see “she said as she rubbed her hands around the globe and closed her eyes slowly “I see a Iadder....does that mean anything to you?” she slowly said
“No, I don’t think so” I replied politely.
“I know this might be troubling for you but you were born under a ladder”
“Yeah so if you were go under a ladder you are cursed for 7 years and I am 13, way pass 7” “No If you are born under a ladder you are cursed forever” At that exact moment everything clicked at once. That was why no one looked me in the eye, that is why no one sits next to me at school, that’s why everyone ignores me. They were all scared of me because I was a cursed child and I hadn’t even realised it.