A Matter Of Seconds

• Lilly-may Chorley
• Short Story
• 2022

The sun rose slowly, painting the distant mountains red and black. Last sun ago a small herd of buffalo had entered the valley and the tribe would soon be ready to make their kill but before they did, I wanted to sharpen my spear. I smashed a rock on the side of my spear until a small piece of stone flung to the side. I pick up the little piece of stone because it is glowing red. Suddenly a sharp pain ran down my back and my vision blurred.
It only took an instant for me to realise that I wasn’t where I had been moments before. Fear struck my heart, everything I knew had just changed in a matter of seconds. I looked down at the stone in my hands; it had started to burn and incinerated. How was I supposed to get home now?
This new place was filled with other tribes in weird looking animal skin, large huts and oddly looking animals that keep following a grey line. I look to my left and see a massive crowd of tribes, probably battling or something. I approach the crowd with my spear help up high. It appears as though someone is trapped in a imaginary box and everyone is clapping and mocking them. I hear someone say ‘Mime.’
“Don’t worry, I will free you,” I shout and run up to the guy in the air box. He has white deer skin hands and is banging on the wall of the air box trying to get free. He needs to be saved, I’m sure his tribe can’t lose another hunter. I draw back my arm and punch however my hand meets with the guys face instead. He makes a loud thud as he crashed to the ground with his eyes closed.
“I freed you, you’re welcome,” I say in a proud voice. Everyone in the crowd starts to panic and scream, “Police, someone call the police.”
Police? What is the Police? Is it like ‘the good spirts’ coming to give me a gift for freeing that man? Soon a bunch of men dressed in black came to the area.
“Put down your weapon, your surrounded,” called one of the men. It was at this moment that I realised they weren't trying to reward me but punish me. I dart away from the scene as fast as a bolt of lightning. I hear a thundering bang then there was a sharp pain my shoulder, it was definitely going to leave a scar. It took a while before I stopped hearing their feet slamming on the ground as they chased after me. By now my shoulder and up to my elbow where covered in blood.
suddenly I felt dizzy and like my body was a magnet being forcefully pulled down. Everything began to ache and my throat was so dry, I could barely breathe.
When I opened my eyes again, I was home in my cave. I was so happy to be home that I almost started crying. At first it all seemed unreal and I thought that it was just a dream or something but my shoulder was still bleeding and that was my proof that it was real. Next sun up, I would spend a lot of time drawing on the cave walls about where I went. Maybe that’s what it’s like when the spirits take you? It only took a matter of seconds to change my life forever!