Dark Room

• Amritha Ravipati, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2019

It was a dark room, a silent room. Nothing to be seen but mind visions, nothing to be heard but the sound of my beating heart.
A low soft creak could be heard off in the distance.

The sound of footsteps approached, getting louder and louder. Through the darkness a short, plump old man appeared. He hobbled up to me till he was barely a hand’s distance away. In a raspy voice that smelt sickly sweet like honey he whispered, “If I were you, I would get out now!”

What did he mean, what was he talking about? Was I in danger?

It all started that dark stormy night. The winds were howling and raindrops battered against the roof of the taxi. I stood silently outside the grand doors as the rain trickled down my neck and the lights of the taxi faded into the distance. I lifted the heavy door knocker and let it slam back down.

Silence, no footsteps, no voices, nothing! I started to shiver as the rain pelted the back of my neck. With a low soft creak, the wooden door opened but no body appeared. I called out for my great aunt but nothing! I had no choice but to venture in myself. I was cold, tired and starving. I looked at the bright hands of my silver watch and saw that it was almost midnight. Where had all the time gone? I call out for my great aunt as I walk through the dimly lit halls opening door after door searching for her. At the far end of the hall, I see a light coming from under a door and shadows passing by. Thinking this must be my aunt, I head straight towards the door calling her name. I open the door and there’s no body there……

Puzzled I see I am in the kitchen. My tummy growls reminding me I am starving. So I head to the fridge. Swinging the door open only to be disappointed as a glass of lumpy white stuff which looked and smelled like very off milk and squishy yellow vegetable which had morphed into something else stared back at me.

My tummy growled louder so I headed to the pantry and grabbed the door. It wouldn’t budge so I pushed hard. Stumbling in and falling to the hard tiled floor the door swung shut and the lock clicked.

Hopelessly I stood feeling around for anything. A light switch, a key anything that would help. But nothing. I crumple to the ground and that’s when I find a cold metal handle of a door. I pull hard and the door slowly opens and I peer down. Is it a way out? I lean in and that’s when I fall down, down, down for what seems like an eternity. Finally I land!

It was a dark room, a silent room nothing to be seen but mind visions, nothing to be heard but the sound of my beating heart.