The Door To A New Life

• Thenumi Hewafonsekage, Grade 6, Colyton Public School
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'National Treasures 2022' competition

The trees shook and the leaves rustled as the gentle breeze brushed past them. The sound of soft and light footsteps broke the silence of the night. Brown hair was visible in the dim night, following a girl into the forest...
Ophelia huffed and puffed as she ran across the field. Her dress fluttered in the wind like a butterfly, trailing behind her. Her face was pale and full of sweat, showing how hard she was trying. Pain resonated in her legs and lungs so often since her grand escape that she was used to it.
Ophelia knew how much trouble she was going to be in if she was caught fleeing and treading on the precious land that was blessed by God, but it was better to try than to live a life of misfortune. Ophelia then shivered, not because of the cold but of the fear of going back to how it was.
She didn't want to be mistreated, under-estimated, and vulnerable any longer but strived to be a confident, strong, and happy girl. She was a step closer to her goal after summoning the courage to run away. It was her brother, Louis, who pushed her to do this. Brother...
"Brother, I miss you," whispered Ophelia as quietly as possible to the wind. He was never coming back, and she knew it the most. Ophelia remembered her last conversation with her brother like it was yesterday, despite it being a faint and old memory.
"Ophelia, break free from this place," said Louis abruptly. "This place will never welcome you, no, any of us...so please accomplish what I haven't been able to and---
That's when he disappeared from Ophelia's life. Tears crowded her eyes, making her vision blurry. Her legs trembled and had an unstable grip on the bare ground.
She stopped at a large tree and took a break to pull herself together. She took a two minute rest, not enough for all her hard and tiring work, but she continued on her journey. Her journey to find a new life and start over.