The Dark Night

• Anastasia Gear, Grade 6, St Mary's Catholic School
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

The night is frosty, the wind whips people’s faces when they are outside and the snowflakes are falling. The sky is turning black and the villagers are scared. It is the season of the huge, spotted and ferocious cats. Nobody ever goes out at night, but I am going tonight. I have my backpack and I’m ready to set out on my journey, but something tells me not to go. I look out the window and see two big eyes shining in the dark looking at me. It was almost as if it was shaking its head. I back away from the window. I feel frightened. I don’t think I should go out tonight but half of me screams to go and the other half screams not to go. I am torn between my own conscience.
Mum is calling me from the basement. She wants us to be safe in there but I don’t want to go in, it gives me the creeps. Mum gives up trying to convince me and shuts the door. I am now alone in the house. You can hear the spotted cats howling outside. The whole world grows still, the is air cold when I breathed in, the wood fire’s flames go out and the cabin is still. A crash erupts from my bedroom. A loud and heavy body crashes to the floor. My head is spinning, my heart is beating faster and faster. I don’t know which way to run. Without thinking I run outside.
The cold air stings me. It hurts so much I feel like crying. The cabin lights go out as something knocks the light off. Darkness swallows me up outside. It is black everywhere I turn. I catch a glimpse of the fur. There is a cabin close to ours, I run towards it. I knock on the door, but the door falls off its hinges. The back of the door is covered in scratches and splatters of blood. I swipe my finger across the blood. It is still wet and whatever attacked our neighbours is still in the house. Heavy paw steps thud towards me. Two eyes reflected in the moonlight are set upon me. I run in the darkness again.
Not knowing which way I am going, I run as fast as I can. I stumble in to a cave which feels safe and warm but it isn’t at all. It is filled with the spotted cats. They are all sleeping until I step on ice and crash on top of one of the cats. When it roars in pain it alerts the others. I run out of the cave and into darkness. I feel a tug on my back. A large cat grips my backpack, which I let slide off and keep running. I feel pain and red blood drips on the snow. I feel my shirt soaking with blood. I cry out loud. My body screams out in pain. My world goes black.
The End