D.I.D

• Otto Hitz, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2022

‘You must think you’re so smart screwing around with my life stuffing everything up. You think you own me, control me but no this ends now.’
I awoke to the faint sound of a hissing train, light streamed into my bedroom the dust dancing on the wave of wind flowing through my half-open window keeping the curtain afloat. The warm smell of freshly baked muffins and coffee entranced me to walk downstairs avoiding every creaking board as if I was on a cloud. I sat down and bit into a muffin not hearing my mother’s greeting and sister’s warning. The warm doughy tart flavour dancing around my mouth. I took a sip of coffee and snapped back into reality, it was too hot. “Ouch.” The pain jolted through my tongue and down my throat. “I told you to be careful,” said my sister smugly. I was too tired to think of a snide response, so I gave a gentle nod. My family relationship is not great my mother and father are constantly arguing and my sister is always looking for a way to throw a few punches.
‘You don’t just get to waltz in here and act as if you are king, you are the puppet and I am the master, not the other way around. I let you out when I need you and tell YOU what to do. You are not allowed to imprison me and puppeteer me. IT’S NOT RIGHT. No, don’t you leave me COME BACK.’
The day passed like a turtle does a duck, slowly, I was playing around with perspective imagining that I could pick up each person that walked by and place the miniature people on my desk to talk to, not that I already had enough voices in my head. I decided to go to the park to buy some sweets there. My mum would obviously let me borrow some money our family is like a diamond strong and impossible to scratch. I left with ten dollars in my pocket my focus on the weight, light but still accountable. I crossed through the park, leaves crunching beneath my feet the grass slippery still coated with this morning’s dew. I bought some skittles sat on a bench and started eating them.
‘Does it look like I care? Being stuck in here is so much better than being out there. Sure, do what you want, I mean it’s not my body.’
I had no idea where I was. How did I get to a park? Why am I holding a bag of skittles? Did one of the others walk me here? Of course, they did they think I’m their puppet that they can control me and use me as their source of entertainment. I had to end this, find a way to regain control of my mind, to remove the split. I needed one mind one identity, how to escape their grasp I don't know but I must find out.
‘Surely he knows it would be impossible.’