No Time For Shoes

• Frazer Li, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2018

There had been no time for shoes. Ella and Annabelle Woods had been sleeping serenely when their parents were brutally murdered. What kind of person could stand this? Set aside that the girls were only 7 and 9 years of age! Sleeping and abruptly awakened to find themselves as orphans!

Ella was resting on her soft, bed; the bed that she pounced on every night when farewelling their parents for the night. Annabelle knew that being the eldest out of the two siblings, that there were many extensive responsibilities that were laid upon her shoulders as soon as her sister was born. Annabelle never took any chances when it came to caring for her sister.

Instantaneously as she fell asleep, Ella was frightened out of her wits when she heard the blood piercing sound of a shriek and a scream that sent chills trailing down the girl's back. Soon after, Annabelle sat up in her bed amongst her crumpled duvet as a second scream pierced the air. Annabelle who was just as afraid as Ella was shaking with fear as she tried not to picture the image that had sprung into her mind. "Sh-should we go see what th-that noise was?"Annabelle questioned to no one in particular as she tried not to show the fear that was lurking in her mind. Ella shakily climbed off her bed so she could comfort the other girl with a fearful embrace even though she was as frightened as her sister."Ok, we’ll go." Annabelle announced, attempting to sound as confidently as she could even though she didn’t feel any confidence at all.

Annabelle led her sister to the door and as she took a deep breath she placed her unstable hand onto the door handle and pulled it open. The agitated sisters stepped out of the doorway and gasped at the sight that was in front of them. The girls gasped in horror at the scene that had presented itself dreadfully.

Their parents lay sprawled out on the carpet; blood splattered all over their bodies. They appeared as if they had just fallen out of the bed rather than being dragged out of the room to be slaughtered mercilessly. A man stood there proudly as if just finishing a simple job, not a job as a murderer. He held a dagger which dripped with blood from the mediocre couple that had taken their final breaths a few moments ago.

“ And who may you be?” The cold-hearted slaughterer snickered inconsiderately, “Some lame children of the puny people I just laid hands on?” The man didn’t wait for any response from the frightened children. The man plunged forward with his knife and the brokenhearted girl hurriedly escorted her sister to the exit of the house -the house that they would never see again- as they made haste out of the house, they didn’t do one thing: they didn’t wear their shoes.