Invisible Guardian

• Sabriyah Ahsan, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2022

As I took a swift right turn into a dilapidated, squalid slum, I was forced to inhale the pungent odour of tobacco. Mould obscured the crumbling walls and debris lay all over the dusty street of the destitute. Thunder ravaged the skies above and released millions of droplets to shower upon me, drenching the only clothes I had left.
I clutched the auspicious sapphire butterfly hanging from my neck. It reminded me of the person who should have been protecting me from the dangers of the world. The person who should have been embracing me and reassuring me that I was safe, not throwing me into the outside world where the spindly hands of villains were lingering above me, ready to tear and rip me apart.
I could hear the distant sounds of old men rambling and drinking away their sorrows, allowing themselves to escape the jail around them and enter a rapturous, euphoric wonderland. If only I could do that. If only I could feel safe somewhere. If only I had someone who would protect me at all costs. But I didn’t. And probably never would.
This terrifying ordeal was further exacerbated by the perpetual downpour. My sodden clothes clung to my thin physique while the soft, chestnut curls that once cascaded down past my shoulders now hung in mournful knots, damaged by the trauma and tragedy.
Suddenly, I heard the unmistakeable THUD of footsteps.
“Aisha!” called a sweet, pure voice. I froze.
I spun around, apprehensive. No one was there.
I frantically glanced around, my heart thudding furiously. I could have been hallucinating, but an omniscient voice told me that this was real.
“Aisha!” the voice called again.
I spun around. Again, no one was there. What if it was someone following me? I considered taking evasive action, when I was reminded of my desired destination.
It was my only hope now and the only promise of a better future – the urge to get there kept me going. I hastened, trying to block my ears to circumvent any more distractions.
Nobody had used my birth name in a long time, especially since my mother’s unanticipated disappearance. I had been sleeping on the dusty streets for months, living off the crumbs of the aristocrats, until I was reminded of my aunt. All I remembered of her was that she led a harsh, dismal life and fed her two children with the few coins she earnt at the pub.
“Aisha!” Unable to stop myself, I spun around, half-expecting to find that my perturbed mind had fooled me yet again. But this time, a menacing figure stood there, a few metres away from me but nonetheless, I recognised it at once.
Tears of joy streamed down my face and relief filled the whole in my heart. I hugged my mother, my guardian, and felt the danger melt away. Fairies and angels circled us as I stood on a cloud of marshmallows while light, golden rays of sunlight embraced me.
And then it went dark.