Free

• Myra Arora, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

Mina slipped out the window into darkness with nothing but a knife and her wits. She had been whipped brutally today, all because she dropped a teacup. Mina groaned and winced as she brushed her elbow on the side of a building, on an old wound. When her master had spiralled into madness and anger, Mina knew she would die of the repeated abuse as many slaves did. The first opportunity she got, she ran. Mina’s silver hair floated around her head, the colour drained from torture that tore her apart and eventually took the colour from her hair, eyes and skin. This was an ordinary state for slaves, dead eyes and a broken body. Nobody glanced at Mina twice, malnourished and scarred slaves were common on the streets of this dangerous city. Mina hazily turned into a bustling street and crumpled to the ground.

Mina woke to the overwhelming, intoxicating smell of sweet flowers swirling around her, filling up her lungs and pulling her under. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to see a circular face of a cute dragon. The dragon’s mouth was quirked up in a deliriously happy smile, eyes lit up elation, tongue lolled out. The perfectly happy picture was ruined by a pair of thick shackles wrapped around his legs, tied to a metal post. Mina choked back a shriek.
“Hello, my name is Alo!” The dragon announced, almost bouncing.
“My name is Mina,” she croaked, hazily.
“Mina is a cool name! Will you play with me, please? No one ever plays with me.” Alo whined.
Mina lifted up her hands, which were bound with metal shackles, and saw Alo sigh.
“You will be here forever, like me." Alo said with downcast.
“Do you know why I am here, Alo,” Mina asked, warily.
“I asked Master for a friend. That's why you are here. I'm so sorry.” Alo pouted, looking up at Mina with big guilty eyes.
Mina took in her “forever home”. The room was shaped like a dome, entirely made out of frosted glass, blocking out any colour. On one side there was a door, also of made of glass with a metal lock in it. Alo was the brightest thing in the room as they nervously flitted around the room. Mina immediately tried to find ways to escape; to become free again.

“Hey Alo, can you make fire?” Mina questioned, a few hours later.
“Sure I can. If you are going to ask me to burn the glass, I have already tried.” Alo added. “Sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologise for, Alo. I was thinking that maybe you could burn the lock.”
“Mina, you are very smart. I love you!” Alo gushed.
Alo blew on the lock again and again until the metal surged out of its socket. Cracks began to form on the door spreading all over the dome. Mina ran to Alo as the dome collapsed on itself, the shackles breaking under the rubble. Alo and Mina soared into the sky, finally free.