Hidden Figures

• Nyssa Suraj, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2018

Morning had arrived and crept into late afternoon. I had gone to the graveyard to lay a flower bouquet at my grandad’s grave. The second my feet touched the pavement of the graveyard floor, I began to see unwanted visions during that day. Shadows behind me, blood all around, haunting death. Later that night, the real horror began.
Midnight crept up like a leaf blown by a hurricane.
BANG! My door slammed shut.
I awoke as quick as a lightning bolt to the echoing noise in my room. I walked across the creaky floorboards to open my bedroom door. As I entered the corridor I stared at the dark wooden floor, too scared to seek.
“Ahh,” I wailed with a whisper. I had bumped my head into a nearby wall that forced me to look up. As I found myself staring deeply into a mirror, I saw a fast, swift movement that swayed the curtains and made the lights flicker. My courage left me as I tread back into my room cautiously, aware of where I placed my sweaty, damp feet. I looked up at the ceiling and saw jagged, deep scratches with blood stains smeared in the dents. I shifted my eyes away and focused on the closest window and gazed outside. Then…
“ZAP!” Shot the lightning with thunder close behind. I was as shrivelled as a tree on a winter’s night. My legs and arms icy cold, and weak. My feet became insecure as I fell on the floor in absolute terror. I slammed my head on the rock hard surface so hard that there was a cut down my left cheek. I balanced myself up and vaulted into bed trembling with fear. I looked around in fright and my trembling body became tense as metal. Every bone, every muscle. All of a sudden, I direct my attention to the feeling of wet hands, clasping around my fragile feet. I tried to get up. I couldn’t move. Suddenly my wardrobe door creaked open. Out of the crack was a shadow stepping out. It held a rope, rubbing it with its faded fingers that blended into the darkness. The shadow was lurking around my room, with every step in sync with my heart beats. I glanced at the glass window and I stroked my fingers across my face. Blood was smeared on my fingers…
“AHHHH!!!” My shrill voice screamed for itself.
The shadow grabbed me by the neck recklessly taking every breath out of me, tying the rope that was rough as gravel around my hands and lips.
“Help me, help me,” I muffled.
There was no response to my cry for help. With no breath left, everything seemed to be darker than it should’ve been. I only noticed my life ended when there wasn’t a single thought in my mind. My life is now just a misted memory.