That Place

• Samuel Lees, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2018

Tam grasped the flashlight in his hand carefully. His mates hobbled behind him as he started to open a chest. To Tam’s surprise, it flew open and thrust him into his now very worried friends behind him. He gulped. He peered in nervously. He found, a jug. They all sighed with relief. If Tam’s mum found out they opened the chest, she would have slapped him harder than a hyper boxing kangaroo on chocolate. Being poor, she lives in a campervan and tolerates many things but would not tolerate this. Without thinking, Tam touched the jug and was now in a place very different. Tam’s mates chickened out and ran home seeing Tam was no longer at the scene. They were going on a trip to Tazi tomorrow and wanted no delays.
Tam felt ill and cold as he swallowed back the bitter taste of fear. He was standing in front of a house with few windows and a boy sitting on the porch. Tam heard a cluster of footsteps as the boy walked towards him. “My name is Ruflebar.” exclaimed the boy. He plucked a hair from Tam’s head and disappeared in a puff that smelled worse than Tam’s mum’s soup.” Let’s make a deal”.
Back at the campervan, Tam just told everything that just happened to his mother. There was actually coming out of her ears. Tam didn’t know what to do. The deal was made. Tam looked down for evidence but had nothing. “But it happened. I swear!” Tam was after that grounded for a week in a campervan!
The next day, Tam was worrying about the jug dwelling under his bed. Something needed to be done. He dares not step out of the campervan, but it had to be done. Fresh air tickled Tam’s nose. Sticks punctured his shoes. Mother saw. Tam bolted with his mother chasing after him. Tam was cornered quickly. The now-furious mum in front of him jumped with springs of steel, only to touch a jug. Tam smiled, touching it as well.
The air was pongy and chewed up his throat. Ruflebar was there like planned. He stared up at us with a little creepy smile and plucked a hair from Tam’s mum’s head and dropped it and another hair he had into liquid which was blue bubbling liquid which smelled like nothing earthly turned a violent shade of orange. The deal was done. He tipped half the liquid on the ground which exploded into a flurry of $100 notes. This was peculiar. Ruflebar drank the liquid standing in front of them was a full-grown man. “thank you, my friend.” said he. And then they were gone. Mother turned and said: “I believe you know.” Then fainted.
Tam is a boy. He is very rich because he helped a boy who could not be a man due to magic. Tam and his mum are very happy together in a mansion which gave his mates a surprise when they got back.