Vanished
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Saul Collins, Grade 5
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Short Story
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2004
“No, I don’t wanna go to school.”
“I wish I wasn’t here, I wish I would disappear,” I bark into my mothers face.
“You’re going to school!”
I throw myself into the old station wagon; little beads of sweat attack my furious face as the car starts.
I try not to look at mum. To take my mind off the fight, I turn the radio on. ACDC’s ‘Back in black’ comes on.
Mum turns the radio off.
She’s as mad as a raging bull.
Silence hung in the air.
I hear the rattling of the old rusted exhaust pipe as little pieces of metal catapult onto the ground.
We arrive at school.
She only said 2 words… “Get out”
My trembling feet step out and onto the path.
I start shuffling slowly, my head down facing my muddy brown boots.
A few measly minutes later I come to the crossing lady.
“Hi”
She stands there staring at a brand new Porsche drive by, completely ignoring me.
“Um…hello!” I ask again, but with a bit more anger…
No response.
“HELLO” I scream in her pimply face.
Still no response.
What, is the whole world against me? Am I invisible?
At sport, Mr P selects the teams for volley ball.
Everyone is chosen except me.
There was even a team with a player short.
LATER THAT DAY
Busting, I sprint to the boys toilets, down the silent, cruddy art filled corridor.
I make it to the stairs where all the class photos are.
I stare at my innocent little face in the year 5h photo. Shockingly and quite suddenly, my face disappears.
“Eh?”
Stopping in my tracks, I fall down the stairs.
The principle walks out of her office and straight past my wounded body, as if completely ignoring me.
AFTER SCHOOL
I wait for 10 minutes until I finally figure out that mum isn’t going to pick me up.
The long walk home was basically…going to be a long walk home.
“What have I done to deserve this madness?”
Until, all of a sudden the thought came to me. Like a punch in the guts, seriously, I had walked onto the road and a truck was driving through me!?
“Now it all fits together.”
When I had a fight with mum I had wished to disappear.
“Now I’m in deep doggy doodoo.”
Eventually I reach my street.
I walk through the back door and to my bedroom.
Where was my bedroom? It had been replaced with a wall.
By 8 o‘clock it had started to rain outside. I had been sitting there all afternoon wondering just what is going on?
I head to the photo cabinet to find evidence showing me if I still exist.
I pull an album labeled FAMILY from the shelf.
I flip to my favourite family photo.
This favourite family photo is no longer my favourite.
Where am I? I’m supposed to be standing between Mum and Dad.
What am I going to do…