Left Behind

• Paige Seaton, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2019

“You can’t leave without me!” The words came out like a squeak; her throat felt tight as she struggled to fight back the tears that had begun to stain her pale cheeks.

Mud was now splattered up the front of her dress as she stumbled over the sodden ground. A feeling of overwhelming panic and despair filled her. She wanted to run away. Far away. Where all her troubles of her past would never find her.

She had just had the worst day ever. Why you may ask. Well it all started two months ago when her parents told her that she would be having an arranged marriage in exactly two months time. She was only fifteen! Why did everything bad always happen to her!

Her life had been a series of problems one after the next. The flying ship could have taken her away from all that. But of course she missed it and it only comes three times a year.

“My life is a misery” she sobbed quietly to herself.

The question remained where would she go now? She didn’t want to go back not now, not after she ran away. And she most certainly did not want to go back to Duke Edward the sixth. He was the man she was supposed to be getting married to. Thank god that didn’t work out.

She missed the days when her mother was still alive. She would never allow this to happen. She had died eight years ago. And she was missed dearly.

She finally made up her mind. She would travel until she found a suitable place to rest and regain her strength. Then she would wait for it to come back and make the boat this time.

After hours of travel she found somewhere she would be able to call home for a few months. It had enough things like lots of wooden planks, two tin sheets and lots of screws. It looked like someone had come along and dismantled a house right there. It also had a well and an orchard of fruit trees.

Over the next week she set up the house bit by bit. She also started a fire each night so she could keep warm. The house she built was not the best but it was at least something. She was the happiest she had felt in a long time.

Her idea was to stay here until the flying ship came back. Then get off at the better place. The better place has lush green grass and quiet and happy towns that welcomed anyone who arrived.

Four months passed and she was as happy as can be. According to the sign the flying ship would arrive today at twelve o’clock and the stop was only two minutes away from her house.

Three hours later she was on the ship.She couldn’t believe it! The better place was even better than she had ever imagined and she finally had a place to call home.