Wander, My Soul

• Felix Kurian, Grade 4, Hume Anglican Grammar School
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Unleashed 2022' competition

The midnight blue liquid swirls and swishes in the jar.

Drip. Drop.

I watch, traumatized, as the evil harpy drops the liquid into my eyes and mouth. I feel nothing but then suddenly, I feel a tight and firm grasp as I suffocate. I see my soul getting sucked out of me as I hold on to dear life. I watch in horror as my soul wanders away into the shadows.

Drip. Drop.

It’s all a nightmare, a voice deep in my head rang. All I need to do is wake up. I shut my eyes then opened them, hoping to see my room, but instead I saw the same heinous image. I tried to get up successfully, but I failed miserably.

Drip. Drop.

I cursed the harpy and then screamed to my soul “Wander, my soul! Wander to me!" Boom! The room goes black.

Drip. Drop.

Leaves fall, wings flutter, cars zoom, people talk, winds blow, fruits ripen and a soul wanders. The soul must find its owner, but it doesn’t know how to. Tam, dam. The soul looks down to see a glowing red marble. The soul stared into the glowing marble.

Drip. Drop.

The soul sees its owner taped up in a dark closed room. “What do I do?” the soul thought. The red marble now had some words on it. The words were ‘Follow this pathway to the evil flutter’. ‘The evil flutter’ thought the soul...................... "Of course!" "The evil flutter is the harpy who ripped me away from my owner." The soul followed the path until he heard it. Fluttering. As if a bird was stuck inside a net. The soul fastidiously opened the door.

Drip. Drop.

The soul froze. In front of him was the wicked harpy.

Drip. Drop.

The soul doesn’t wait a second. He runs to his owner and jumps into his owner.

Drip. Drop.

The owner runs to the midnight blue liquid and throws it at the harpy.

Drip. Drop.

Time freezes. The harpy crumbles down to ashes and floats away into the sky. Now the owner and soul are joined back together.