Trapped

• Ellie Racomelara, Grade 4, Our Lady of Fatima Primary School -
• Short Story
• 2020

Excellence Award in the 'The Inside Story 2020' competition

I close the book and look at the front cover before putting it on the old wooden table. I grab my backpack and put my laptop, phone, my lunchbox, and of course, the book inside, I zip it up and head towards the door. I turn the key and place it back in my pocket I grab the door handle and pull it open to see the old lift and the other apartments around me I step out and close the door behind me before locking it. I walk towards the lift and press the button as it rattles up, the door opens slowly as I hop in and we go down.

We reach the bottom floor as the doors blast open to reveal a whole new world, bright colors everywhere and animals running free, trees all around and rivers flowing, it was beautiful. It was similar to the book. I wanted to stay but I had to get to school. I take one last look and turn around to get back in the lift but it’s not there instead there was a colorful wall, well I knew I wasn’t getting out of here if I was going that way. I walked further into the land towards the river, there were no buildings anywhere I run and run and run until I reach a drop, I steady myself before I fall. I look down It was a long drop but I could see buildings down there I was desperate to go down but I could risk anything if I did. I scanned below me to see if there were any other people or anything familiar but there wasn’t. I turned and walked to see if there was another way down but I saw nothing.

There had to be a way down, I was sure of it, I looked for hours but saw nothing I made my way back to the entrance. I sat down on the floor exhausted. I close my eyes for a while but when I open them I see something, it wasn’t there before, I swear, it was an old wooden door with vines tangled around it. I run towards the door and I step in, not wasting a minute, it could disappear if I wasn’t fast enough. The door leads me into a tunnel I walk downhill, the tunnel went on and on for ages as my heartbeat quickly and I had to feel my way around since there was no light in the dark tunnel.

I tried to pick my speed up to get to the other side quicker. I finally reach another door I quickly open it and step out, I’m down the drop, this is where I was looking before. I run towards one of the buildings and knock on the door, no reply, I knock harder, no reply I run to the next house and knock, no reply. I continue knocking on every house and every building but there was no luck of getting out of here. As everything goes quiet aga
in my luck and hope disappear.

I was trapped.