Light

The dull thud of her pounding feet followed Stella’s shadow as she ran down the dim hallway of her tiny human legs, her blonde hair flowing behind her. As she reached her captors, who lay slumped in a drunken stupor after awarding her yet another beating, Stella drew her dagger of rusty nails, her feet now silent assassins in the dark. With a careful precision that only an ethereal being could possess, Stella nicked the throats of the vile lords, shrinking away from the rotten stench of their stringy blond hair and black teeth. She suppressed the part of her that was feeling guilty, the part that was once alive, the part that the humans may have called a soul. But that part was very, very small in comparison to her heart, her mind, and her body that were obsidian with pain, hate and suffocation.

She convinced herself that they had brought it upon themselves, they deserved this for torturing her for weeks in the pursuit of answers she didn’t have. She was no spy. Stella was in disguise, yes, but she wasn’t a spy from another kingdom, no. And they had chosen not to believe her.

Abandoning her thoughts, she fuelled the rage into her weak legs and raced towards the end of the dungeon, where morning sunlight slithered through cracks in the stone. After running miles in a manner of seconds, Stella arrived at the humongous gate of rusted iron. Feeling her freedom on the other side of the door, she heaved, pushed against the old steel like a wild beast riled with hunger. Hunger for fresh air, hunger for light, hunger for home.

Finally, the old gates groaned, opening outwards. As Stella passed the threshold of the gate, she was met with the blinding sun, her eyes unused to the light after months engulfed in onyx darkness. In fear of being discovered by other humans, she ran without waiting for her human eyes to adjust, limbs trembling and breathing heavy with anxiety.

Stella ran. She ran for hours on end, not caring for food, water or anything else her body needed to survive. What use would it be? She wouldn't have the body for much longer anyway? All she longed for now was the light. The light that showed her the way home.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Stella came closer to the fields where her earthen form had taken birth. Her memories were filled with images of the lake where she learned to swim and hunt, emerald rolling hills where violets and blueberries grew, and a small wooden cottage.

Finally, finally, she arrived before the vast, rolling hills of shamrock grass, guarding her way home. ‘Just a bit longer’ she convinced her aching body, ‘Just a bit longer.’
She began the tedious assent of the hills, aware of every part of her that ached with each step and pain in places she didn’t know existed. But as she reached the peak of the hill, the moon appeared, entrancing Stella, and all the pain was forgotten.

The lake soon appeared before Stella, and she ran, sprinting towards the light. Finally, she could see the light that would guide her home.
Her human form melted away under the light, and for the first time in years, Stella felt free. Truly free. Her skin glowed translucently and gills appeared, her long, luscious hair taking the form of transparent stripes, framing a small face, nose and sea green eyes.
She approached the light, the moonbeam leading to the depths of the water, and she slowly sank into the lake.
She was rejuvenated, mind, body and soul. Stella was home.

After all, sirens truly belonged in the water.

FOLLOW US


25

Write4Fun.net was established in 1997, and since then we have successfully completed numerous short story and poetry competitions and publications.
We receive an overwhelming positive feedback each year from the teachers, parents and students who have involvement in these competitions and publications, and we will continue to strive to attain this level of excellence with each competition we hold.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Stay informed about the latest competitions, competition winners and latest news!