The Things Of The Night

• Angela Tobin, Grade 6, Bishop Druitt College
• Short Story
• 2021

Finalist in the 'The Write Note 2021' competition

Now that the blinding bright sun had faded into nothingness and had been replaced with a starless black night, Afternoon Park seemed like an entirely different place. The trees that had once been green and bright and covered with colourful flowers were now dark and shadowy; the long, thin branches reaching out, ready to latch onto anything that disturbed the peace of the night. Under the dim light of the moon, the path was almost invisible, which gave the effect that this place never had any inhabitants...
The seesaw creaked, the swings swayed in the wind; it was incredible how much that happy place had transformed.
Emily crept along the path, occasionally tripping over a twig or a rock as a result of the darkness. Though the park did this every night, something seemed off to Emily. Something was different tonight. She paused.
Then, like magic, the things began to peel themselves from the shadows. They were tall and black, and they hovered just above the ground. Emily froze. She knew any sudden movement would set these things on her. What would happen then, she didn't care to find out. She had her dagger in her coat, but she would struggle to fight two, let alone twenty! Besides, these things didn't seem to be solid and she didn't know whether her dagger would do any damage at all.
Emily felt a cold breath on the back of her neck and she nearly jumped. Very, very slowly she drew her dagger from her coat and turned around. It was so close. She was scared. Snap! She looked down and saw two halves of a small, innocent twig lying on the ground next to her boot. Emily swore under her breath.
The things of the night charged towards her. She sliced the air in front of her and they backed away out of her reach, all but the one that had stood behind her, which lay on the floor, black blood seeping out of the side of its head. So, her dagger worked after all.
All the things were a big group now. Suddenly, her dagger flew across the park, landing many metres away. She tried to back away but couldn't. The things were making her walk forward towards them, slow step by slow step. The things merged into one inky black mass and then sunk onto the ground, Emily still walking forwards towards the giant hole they had created.
She looked down - a split second before she fell. Emily screamed at the top of her lungs, but no one would be able to hear her. She looked up and saw the light of the moon directly above her. She kept her eyes on it until, eventually, she could see it no more.