If Only

• Khanh An Huynh, Grade 6, St Luke's Primary School
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Summertime Fun ONLINE' competition

Shadows danced in the moonlight as law-enforcement officers (trained to assassinate) weaved through the forest, a threatening array of weapons secured to a belt round their waists. They all had eyes on a target, a woman with matted hair, a nasty gash on her thigh and a torn and ragged grey blouse which just fell below her knees. But her eyes, her eyes were filled with such passion, such determination to be the one to come out of the woodland alive.
However, the pain of severe blood loss had clouded her mind. She knew that today would be the day she would face her inevitable sacrifice for the cause to protect her loved ones. It seemed only yesterday that she had held her siblings with warmth that she would no longer be able to experience in this life. Smiling at the fond memory she turned and in open arms, was ready to embrace death.
She reflected on her life. Willow's father was an alcoholic with a gambling addiction causing the sudden bankruptcy and her family to ruin. Drowning in debt and poverty, she decided to turn to become an illegal bounty hunter. Obviously, that didn't end well at all, leading to her demise. Everything was for her family, to support them, to care for them and to keep them safe. Willow loved her family and knew she hadn't made a mistake. Her only regret was leaving her family behind in the cruel, twisted world, where you are defined by your status and how much you're worth. If only life was fair, equal. If only everyone was kind and encouraging. If only we had lived in a world where everyone was safe and secure. Willow knew deep in heart, that her fictional fantasy was a mere dream and could never happen.
When an arrow had pierced her body and reached her heart, it was as if the whole land was silent. Her cold body lay still on the cold hard surface of the soil. Her usual radiantly glowing face dimmed, the shine in her eyes disappeared, and even in death, she grinned. It was silent but meaningful. It spoke of revenge.
As everything around her crumbled into darkness, she had assumed that her soul would have rest in an infinite slumber. Yet she still felt a familiar feeling of an uncanny foreshadowing in the pit of her stomach. It seemed as though the world wasn't ready for departure and had bigger, better things for her.