Abandoned

• Namika Talusani, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2020

Her distinct jet black hair sat damply on her neck, heart pounding rapidly. Staring in terror at the wreckage scattered throughout the ample room, Bonnie froze as a stench grasped her nose, growing by the second, yet still obscure. Bonnie gave a faint cough, watching clouds of dust rise from the wooden floor.
Standing in the warmth of her house, placidly shuffling to the far end of the room, picking up a smashed photo of her beloved parents. Crystal-clear droplets of water bounced on the fragments of glass hanging on for dear life on the frame. Knowing she would be sent to an orphanage, she braced herself for the unknown.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Bonnie hauled her feet downstairs and laying her trembling hand on the doorknob, she cleared her tears before the door creaked ajar. A searing pain hit her; her cruel aunt, who Bonnie despised of, glowered into the eyes of her niece,
“I’ve come to take you to your new home,” she provoked in a falsely sweet voice.
Seeing the photo of Bonnie’s parents perched on a small box in the orphan’s hand, Bonnie’s aunty added, “You won’t need anything, your new home will have everything.”
Bonnie felt the temperature rise in her body as she peered at the lime-green car parked in front of her house. Ignoring what her aunt said, Bonnie took one last glance at her house before trudging forwards, clutching the photo of her parents and a small metal box. Watching her aunt’s loathing face, the young girl reluctantly opened the car door.
Throughout the journey, a malevolent voice rang, though Bonnie ignored the vicious woman, regretting the fact that she had opened her front door in the first place. For a while, she was oblivious about where they were headed, then her stomach lurched at the thought of living with her aunt.
Several punishing hours later, the pair of them arrived at their destination. Bonnie’s mind raced, her eyes steadily scanning the place. Tens of small rectangular buildings stood, surrounding a tall, but somewhat decorative building. However, the surrounding structures, painted in a dull grey, probably hundreds of years ago, judging by the peeling paint and crumbling bricks. Grass and weeds grew to unbelievable heights. A massive black gate, half-broken, somewhat shielded the haunted site.
In Bonnie’s mind, it resembled an abandoned house or a cemetery, she couldn’t tell, but one thing she did know was that this would be her new home: an orphanage. Glaring, as her aunt pulled away from the curb and down the road, Bonnie entered, wondering what it would be like. Reminding herself of the books she had read about orphanages, imagining nuns taunting them day and night, plaster from the ceiling swimming in their soup and foul and congested rooms. She would know soon enough.
Though once entering the building, she didn’t find anyone. Wondering through the many buildings, still, she found no one. She was alone; her aunt had tricked her. It was deserted. It was abandoned!