Family

• William Bourke, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

As Pinnellipy stared up at the glowing organism that stood before her, she reminisced the moment when she had first met the creature. It had been a sunless day with rain pouring down upon the Earth. The weather had matched her mood since she awoke from her dreamless slumber. There had only been nightmares. Nightmares about her loved ones that had perished long ago, during the unforgettable boat accident. They had hit a sharp rock in deep waters on their boat journey across the Pacific. She was the only one that survived. But just before she had finished sipping her morning coffee, a bright light appeared out of the gloom from the heavens. She pinched herself to just make sure she wasn't having another nightmare. She wasn't. She ran outside to not only find that the sky was clear, but a bright pegasus stood before her, her flapping its wings in anticipation. The beast strangely looked familiar. Too familiar. It eagerly bent its legs towards the ground, inviting her to hop on. Pinnellipy slowly made her way onto the smooth back. "Aren't pegasus furry?" she thought to herself. As soon as she was comfortable, the creature flew up as fast as lightning into the heavens. This was the moment when she realised that there were images scattered across the glistening surface. Her Mother, Father and brother were all the main pictures that appeared. There were very little of her. "Is this my family? That must be why it looked so familiar," she told herself. Suddenly, the beast slowed down until they were basically floating and a light as bright as the Sun encompassed her vision. There, she met her family, welcoming her towards them with open arms. She sprinted towards them, smelling their scent as they drew her into a tight hug. She sobbed continuously into her Mother's shoulder, informing them on all that had happened. She hadn't realised that she was in an entirely different location than before because she had kept her eyes shut, hoping the moment wouldn't end. In a large glowing tree there were faries greeting her with wide grins and mermaids splashing in the shallow water. This was the place that she had dreamt of when she was a little girl. This was where her parents had gone. This was her Heaven.