Terrified

• Jaylene Peters, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2008

“Arghh” little Lucy cried as she woke up in horror. Lucy was a little blonde haired, blue-eyed girl and she was only eight. She went to bed in her modern bedroom with fairies hanging from the roof and wonderful family. She had a rich mum and a rich dad, so she got everything she needed. Although Lucy wasn’t greedy or cheeky, she was friendly, happy and well mannered. She deserved everything she had. She was never scared until she woke up two days after her eighth birthday……

“Mummy, Daddy?” Lucy cried as she looked up at her fairies just to see a cement roof. Lucy was shaking with fear; she was cold so she went to pull up her pink blankets but she only found an old dirty sheet. Lucy jumped up out of bed only to feel dirt on her bare feet. "Where’s all the carpet?" Lucy asked herself as she plunked herself on her bed. “Ouch!!" She screamed as she realized her comfortable mattress was a plank of wood. Lucy was terrified; she didn’t know what to do. She decided to go to her parent’s room. She nearly fainted at the sight at the rest of the strange place. There were only two more rooms and wasn’t even electricity! Another woman came out into what was meant to be a kitchen and said “Good morning sweetie, how are you?” Lucy didn’t reply, she just stood there thinking over her life.” Where am I?” Lucy asked still shaking with fear. The woman replied, “This is your home Kat, I am your mother and you are eight” the woman said worriedly. “But I am Lucy and I live in a house with fairies and electricity!” she screamed with tears building up in her eyes. Suddenly Lucy asked the woman “what is your name?” the woman looked puzzled but she replied anyway, “June, you should know that Kate” Lucy suddenly screamed and ran into was meant to be her bedroom…..

“Kate dear” June said shocked to the sight of her own daughter forgetting everything. "I’m Lucy, Kate’s my mother’s name and June is my grandmother’s name!” Little Lucy sobbed as she wandered down the empty street. Lucy went down to the park to have a cool down but she was too upset for the first time in her life. She was terrified and just wanted to go home, where ever that was. “Kate, come with us on this horse” June demanded softly. “Lucy” the little girl mumbled as she hopped on the horse hoping she would wake underneath her fairies.

“What’s the problem, Miss?” Doctor Jack asked as he greeted them at the end of a small driveway. June didn’t reply she just grabbed Lucy by her arm before she could escape. “Where are we, what are we doing?” Asked Lucy, but both the adults ignored her. “Jack she has completely lost her memory” June whispered while Jack was explaining he had to do some tests. While the adults were talking Lucy bolted out the door and down the street before Jack and June could get her. “You see Jack, she thinks she is Lucy, that is her favorite name, not hers!” explained as the little figure in the distance disappeared. “This sounds like she is faking it or she is suicidal” Jack replied.



Meanwhile Lucy at the park and read the sign ‘Lulo’, “well I’m in the right town” Lucy sobbed as she noticed all the weeds weren’t there and the swing wasn’t broken. “Hey Kate, why are you crying, little baby” laughed James and his gang. Anger started to swell up inside so she let it all out. All her anger suddenly just burst out, “Just go away it’s not like you can do anything!” Lucy screamed as everyone in the street stared opened eyed at her. “Oi, nobody speaks to me like that, so back off” James said as he turned around and went home.

Lucy went home as well, but only it didn’t feel like home. Suddenly an idea popped into sher head, “I know, I went to bed and woke up here, so if I go to bed I might wake up home” she whispered to herself. So for the rest of that day Lucy pretended to be Kate and June was far more relaxed. “Mummy, can I go to bed early?” Lucy asked pretending to be Kate. June agreed but was still wandering what happened, considering that this morning she wasn’t herself and now she is normal again.

Lucy woke up to fairies dangling from the roof, her nice warm blankets and her comfortable mattress. “Mummy, Daddy” Lucy said softly. Two people came into the room and yes they were her Mum and dad. “Happy birthday” Lucy’s parents sang. “I’m turning nine in two months though” Lucy said with her voice feeling wobbly. Lucy thought to herself that at least she wasn’t five years in the future. “Don’t worry, I’m wrong” Lucy said as she jumped up out of bed.

Lucy wandered into the kitchen as her dad went to get the birthday cake. Lucy and her mother were cleaning up the house but they could not stop worrying about Gary because he had been away for one and a half hours. “Why’s he taking so long mother?” Lucy asked. “The shop probably got held up” replied Lucy’s mother. Suddenly they herd a CRASH coming from the round about just outside…..

“Daddy” Lucy screamed as she saw the sight of a yellow car in pieces! Everyone rushed over to the crash scene and gasped in horror. Everyone was there; police cars, ambulances, the lot. A tow truck came and loaded up the wreck while the nurses and doctors loaded up the ambulance. When Lucy and her mother arrived at the hospital they both burst into tears hoping and crossing their fingers that Gary would be O.K.

“The condition that Gary is in…” Doctor James started off talking slowly, “yes” said Lucy’s mother sadly. James continued on “he’s alright but he may never be able to walk again” “sorry” James added on as he exited the room. Another man walked slowly into the waiting room and explained how the brakes on the car failed to work when a kangaroo crossed the road.

Lucy and her mother sadly walked home together but Lucy knew she could change this accident somehow. On her birthday they could go in the red car. Suddenly Lucy was filled with joy; she could just go back to her time and change the future. Lucy went to sleep and dreamed of a happy family together.

Lucy woke up and celebrated for she was in her time! “Daddy get those brakes fixed on your yellow machine, PLEASE” Lucy asked anxiously her father agreed but wondered how she knew about the dodgy brakes. The three of them lived happily as days went by. Weeks went by until the day before Lucy’s special time. Lucy went to bed with happy thoughts rolling around in her head. “Dad” Lucy said as she got tuck into bed. “Tomorrow can we all go to the cake shop in the red car?” Lucy asked. “O.k. but you have to get up early,” Gary replied.

In the morning Lucy was sure to get up early, so she quickly got dressed and by the time she finished breakfast everyone was ready to go. One by one they hopped into the red car and strapped on their seatbelts. “Happy birthday, Lucy” they all sang on the way to the delicious cake shop. “Can I please a chocolate and cream cake” Gary ordered at the counter of the shop, “And strawberries on top!” Lucy butted in. On the trip home, Lucy took a strawberry every now and then and popped it into her mouth. Until the same kangaroo jumped out in front6 of a different car with the same Gary and a sweet little girl and a lady…..

“SCREECH” went the brakes as Gary nervously slammed on them. The car suddenly gave a big thump a Lucy stared at the poor creature lying on the road behind the car.
Everyone hopped out although Lucy was still looking out the back window stunned.
Finally Lucy got out of the car with Gary and Kate. Luckily no one was injured except the kangaroo. They examined the statue on the hot tar and noticed it was still breathing. Gary and Kate lifted the kangaroo and put it on the seat next to Lucy’s. She didn’t mind sharing the backseat for she had saved the cake so she could eat cake and pat the kangaroo. “Skippy” Lucy announced to everyone on the way to the vet.

“We have an injured kangaroo” Gary said to the vet receptionist. The lady showed the way to another room and a man put the kangaroo on a bed. Then they were escorted to the waiting room. The happy, but disappointed family waited patiently and silently in the waiting room. They were happy for no one got hurt but they were disappointed to spoil Lucy’s birthday. Finally one hour later a man came into the waiting room with a cute kangaroo on a lead. It had little beady eyes with short golden fur and little paws. Lucy just ran up to it and started patting it when the vet announced “This kangaroo can’t go back in the wild so bring it to the local zoo or simply keep it.” Lucy begged to have it as a pet as it was her birthday. In the end her father gave in so Lucy had a whole new responsibility. The vet filled up the car with food and gave the adoption papers to Lucy.

Finally they got home and set up the kangaroo’s pen (which took up the whole backyard) and dished up the rest of the yummy cream cake, well there was a quarter missing. Every single day Lucy had fun with her pet kangaroo. They played with other, they raced and they had an absolute ball. Lucy and her new friend Skippy made a great relationship with each other; Skippy never did anything wrong he even let her ride him! What could be worse than that???


One sunny morning Lucy and Skippy were doing the same as usual, just mucking around when the next door neighbor saw them playing. Later that morning Lucy saw Mrs. Salty chatting to Kate so she decided to go in and listen. “How tame your kangaroo is, you should enter it into the Kangaroo show in two weeks” Mrs. Salty said happily to Kate and Lucy. Lucy loved the idea so much so she booked Skippy in. They bought a program so Skippy and Lucy could practice the events before two weeks was over. Over the next week Lucy was riding Skippy, making him hop and run smoothly and making him go in and out of poles. After that Skippy was the fittest and tamest kangaroo around.

“Lucy and Skippy I call you to the main arena” the loud speaker boomed as Lucy and her partner headed towards the ring. Skippy skipped around, did what he was told and the crowd when wild! At the end of the performance the judges all gave a score of ten out of ten. When all; the performances had finished they waited for the winner to be announced…..

“SKIPPY AND LUCY” the judge announced as he handed Lucy a giant trophy with her name engraved on it. When Lucy got home she ran out of breath from trying top talk so fast but they all had a celebration!!!

That was Lucy’s best birthday of her entire life….

By Jaylene Peters