Happiness Has A Price

• Boyd Mckee, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2019

Happiness Has a Price

Crying and anguish, the feelings forbidden in my home. Father Andrew and Sister Marie were disgusted by those words. I am one of fifteen children built to be uncontrollably happy. We were forced to be that way. Not following fathers rules had serious consequences. Either way we were mentally or physically hurt.
They promised our parents we would fulfil our dreams, achieve the unachievable… sadly that’s the last our parents saw of us. They pushed us until death was imminent. But sister gave us medicine and we would survive miraculously.
Ready for the next experiment.
They told us apart by our SPECIAL masks, but the way we got them would put the target through immense blood loss and disfigure them. Sadly our targets were human.
Society hated us and we hated them. They took us so they could mend us but father and sister got us back, for a while. About a year later everything would change.
The janitor was a strange old man, he was also uneducated. “I’m sorry about Father- Andrew.” The old coot said, using his mop as a cane. Obviously confused, I was about to ask what he meant. Then I remembered last night, and for the first time… my heart sank.
I frantically ran around the cathedral, looking for the others. They were nowhere to be found, I rushed outside. The freezing cold wind was blowing on my face.
I was in a state of shock. I knew I could not let Sister Marie down. The new subject’s favourite woods were close. We call him 15; I nearly forgot his real name. Josh, his name is Josh. Tears filled my eyes as I had forgotten my own name.
I found the entrance to the woods and a spark of hope went through my heart. My hope to find him was restored. “Josh must be nearby…” I muttered to myself. I did the only thing I could and ran to the road.

There he was, sitting on the road. He was miserable and mentally broken; he was waiting for a car to hit him. I had never seen so much heartache in someone… “Josh!” he jumped up and his frown turned into a smile of relief. I walked onto the road to comfort him.
“They won’t know what hit them.”
‘What… Who said that?’ I murmured. Then in the corner of my eye I saw a bulky armoured truck coming at full speed.
It wouldn’t stop, I was in a panic. I didn’t want to die. What is it worth? I had already gone through hell for everyone’s amusement. Maybe I should die for my own good. My knees trembled uncontrollably. I pushed Josh out of the way. The last thing I heard was the sickening crunch of my bones, Josh screaming for help, my screams of agony, and my final breath. I wish I stayed with my parents.

“ONE DOWN… 14 LEFT TO GO.”