Terra

• Millie Ang, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2022

The wall of water accompanying her up on her journey breaks and falls, like shattering glass to join the rest of the ocean below her. We can see her frail figure now, a luminescent glow surrounding her, lighting her up so she is visible among the crashing, slaying waves. Floating above the sea, her hair, so light like the colour of snow rests soundly on her shoulders, her eyes as clear as the water below her staring intently off into the distance. The girl's delicate arms rest by her side, legs straight, and toes pointed, though she does not shiver in the freezing weather. Where some of us will shudder, the cold gripping our legs, arms, and chattering teeth, she does not react in the raging storm. She does not speak when not supposed to, only when spoken to. She keeps to herself, deep in profound thought, storing her ideas in a compartment in her mind she allows no one to open. People will overlook her, overlook her for a shy soft spoken girl. Though deep down, they do not know the secrets she buries, or where she disappears to at night.

She clamps her mouth shut; nodding politely at those who pass, holding those thoughts, comments and accusations on the tip of her tongue. Her lips curve slightly at the corners, her small button nose the perfect shape, her clear blue eyes so mesmerising that if you truly looked into them, you'd be lost there forever. But her pale lips, red nose and strained eyes mask her beauty. The shadow of her thoughts frequently flicker across her features, telling us of her secrets, though only when you look closely will you see.
Her name, Terra, is Latin for land. Her family is like any other in the village; her father works, her mother cooks, her brothers fight in the turbulent wars. Though we know her parents love her, we all see that they are ashamed. While others stand close to the children during town meetings, they keep a small, almost unnoticeable distance. She is the outcast, the untouchable. In a world where people are so quick to judge, how can they be proud when she is so different?

During the dark of night, she swims in the algidity, the freezing cold waters. Her name may mean land, but she only spends half her time there. She disappears for hours at a time underneath the waves, only to resurface once the sun begins to rise.
But one day, it all changes. The fort Terra has built around herself breaks, crashes to the ground and soon, she is more exposed than she has ever been. On that rainy night while she is swimming, it happens. The tragic event that will shake so many people's lives out of order. Something that begins with just a hesitant step and the blink of an eye for Terra. This is a story of girl, an unsuspecting girl, who changes everything.