The First Cassette

• Natalie Cinello, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2021

“Have you figured out where we are?” I asked, reaching to feel the environment around me to try and recognise the habitat. ”No. I doubt we are even conscious.” Daisha responded, lifting her head from the clipboard she was holding for the first time in thirty minutes. I gave a disappointed sigh. “But I do think The First Cassette might have something to do with it.”
The First Cassette goes by it’s name. The First Cassette is the first cassette ever. However, Daisha and I never understood its meaning.
We wandered around inside our dull looking house, and I bent down and felt around under my bed. I finally found the thin rectangular object and dragged it out. I stood back up, took a deep breath in and blew out strongly. Daisha choked on the dust and took hold of the cassette. Then she inserted the cassette into the VHS player and knelt down beside me. The jolly looking man appeared on screen. “The first forest of deciduous! It is truly beautiful! But it is also capable of overtaking your mind. If you enter this forest, you will lose your mind. If you see this forest, turn back immediately.” The man showed a picture of a deciduous forest and a dull looking house. It was our house. Daisha and I looked at each other, panicking inside. What was going to happen?