Fear

• Jack Symons, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2019

I used to be scared of being alone, terrified of it. I never use to leave my parents sight. I couldn’t wait at home for mum to go to the corner store or even wait in the car at the petrol station. All the way from grade 1 to two weeks into grade 6 I had to go to after school care. My whole life I was scared of being alone.
This caused me to have anxiety, it all started one day in grade 1.The last bell had gone and I was going to the meeting area to meet the kindy teacher and they weren’t there. I walked around nervous, my heart was pounding and I didn’t know what to do. I walked down the ramp, there were people everywhere talking and running around, I found my friend’s mum. I felt a wave of relief come over me like someone had taken a huge wait off me. I asked if she could help me and she walked me all the way to after school care.
Grade 6, my Mum and Dad could not afford after school care anymore, more
and more bills came in one after another and High school was getting closer
too. They both looked at me and told me the worst words, “you’re going to have to walk home with your little brother”.
I suddenly paused with fear, I knew this day was coming, my parents had been
talking about it for ages.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it, thinking that anything bad could happen to me. I cried thinking about it. I knew I couldn’t do it, I would never make it all the
way home.
Before long it was the day, I was going to walk home by myself. It was nearly the end of the day, I had been looking at my watch all day. My stomach tightened, my throat felt dry, it was time. I found my brother at the meeting place. I knew that I had to walk, if I didn’t walk I wouldn’t get picked up, I wouldn’t just magically arrive home, there was no other way.
A chill ran down my back, my legs felt like jelly everything was going in slow
motion. I kept thinking of happy things anything to keep my mind off what I
was doing, I just kept walking. Without a tear in my eye I made it home, it was
over.
I knew in that moment I had conquered my fear. From that day forward I wasn’t
scared any more, everything just seemed better.
Never give up always be strong and defeat your fears.