Beyond The Lens

• Evelyn Mack, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

My body felt like it was on fire as panic started to boil inside me. My breathing was uneven and rushed. I knew I had to run, but something inside me stopped, shattered almost. I froze. I felt lightheaded, I knew it was coming. I felt death on its way, speeding fast like a train.
A FEW HOURS EARLIER
There was a loud screech as the taxi pulled up. “Here we are.” the driver sighed. I could tell he was slightly irritated.
“Thanks.” I handed him a $50 bill and he passed me $8.50 back. I put it in my purse, grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car. As I stood, I felt my body weight fall to my feet, causing me to stumble a little. “Hey, uh, can you give me the number for another taxi-” Great. The driver had already sped off into the distance. I took a deep breath, then walked towards the train tracks.
I was thinking about grandma, and what happened on this very day, seven years ago. I was picking flowers in a paddock nearby, my grandmother was calling my name, I thought it would be funny to hide, surprise her. I laid down on the soft grass and listened. I could hear a train on its way. I thought I could hear grandma behind me. I stood up and turned around, expecting to see her there, but when I realised that it was a bird behind me, I started to worry, frantically looking around for my grandmother. The train was close - I could hear it. I turned to look at the train and spotted my poor, dear grandmother trying to quickly cross the tracks. Her walking stick got stuck in the rocks. She started pulling, but it was too late. We locked eyes one last time.
I shook my head, trying not to think about it. Now I’m back here again. The place that I once called my happy place. But after that day seven years ago, it became the source of my trauma. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, even though the breeze was warm. A glint in the distance caught my eye, so naturally, I walked towards it. As I neared it, I could see it was a camera. I picked it up and held it in my hands for a moment. It sent a shiver down my spine. I looked into the viewfinder and pointed the camera towards the empty landscape ahead of me. I was all alone. There was a loud click as I took the photo. I looked at the screen to see the photo I took. Wait… This can’t be real… It must just be a glitch… a trick of the light if you will. But if it was just the lighting, why did it look like there was a figure standing at the edge of the photo? And stranger still, why did it look like my late grandmother?