Cold And Empty

• Jarryd Eriksson, Grade 10, Eaglehawk Secondary College
• Short Story
• 2019

Excellence Award in the 'Just Keep Writing 2019' competition

I awaken, cold and empty as space, scared with what’s to come. Breathless and disoriented my hands start to quiver as the room begins to shrink, my skin goes pale, and bloodless.
Body as fixed as a rock, thoughts are echoing and screaming through my mind, I try to shake them off, yet they stay like an unwanted sore. These thoughts now shake from within my bones. My eyes open heavily only to feel the world spinning before me.
I see what looks to be men with blue apron like clothes that droop from the shoulders down, with masks as if they were avoiding the plague. The men pick up something, something that resembles a knife, now I’m more scared than ever.
Suddenly I notice something sitting in the corner of the room, it looks to be a silhouette of someone I know. A cursory glance suggests warmth and familiarity within the figure.
Body is still cold and pale, but not as empty as before. I feel the atmosphere once again and the air, the sweet air, sweet air brushing against my face.
My extremities tingle as I strain to achieve the slightest movement. I lift my head. Then the thought of terror strikes my mind, Am I dead? This question buzzes through my mind like an open bee hive in the season of spring.
Flashbacks emerge, I see glimpses of shattered glass flying towards me, then the feeling of pain, the feeling of a knife slowly slicing through my arm. I look down to see what has happened, only to see a bandage wrapped tightly across my wrist, my feeling of angst had slowly crept back, I gulp as my stomach churns from what I have seen.
I shut my eyes, only to be greeted by a flash of light beaming across my face, I see a wheel covered in blood, then the pain, the agonising pain had come again, this time it was at my head, the pain was so strong I saw one of my tears drip down.
My body aches, as one movement feels as if someone had crushed me with a mallet. I begin to piece together what had happened like a jig saw puzzle, the pieces scattered and broken but still readable, it was clear. I know what happened.
The wheel, the glass flying at me and the men in scrubs. Then I recognised the figure, It’s my mother, she, she’s here in the corner. Here to give me hope and the will to live. I can finally see what happened and trust me I am glad that I’m here today. I am surprised, this is truly a miracle. I sigh heavily in relief. For lying there, scared out of my mind.
My thoughts are rushing, blood is boiling, teeth are chattering and head is aching, but now it’s all finally over. I survived that fatal crash, for I am still here, for I have never left.