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Shattered World
"Second Place 10-13 Category"
By: Emilee Hanson | Published: 2011 I twirl in the rain, my long white dress sticking to me like glue. My tall white heels covered in mud. Light brown hair plastered to my neck. Mascara running down my face. I twirl and twirl like there's nothing else in the world. I step in a pile of mud and fall down. I look at my beautiful white dress, now ruined. I hold it up and laugh. The sound is filled with so much joy I can't believe it's coming from me. "You hear that Rob?" I yell. "Even you can't stop me from having fun!" The only thing that answers me is the rain hitting the old barn roof, and the wind making the tree's whistle. I stay sitting in the mud, not caring that the longer I sit the more ruined my dress becomes. I listen to the sounds, there's not much. Only the whistle of the wind, the patter of the rain, and the faint sound of a crow cawing. I slowly get back up and look down at my dress. "Mom's going to kill me." I just shake my head and walk over to the little pond filled with colorful fish of all different sizes. I lean over and look in. "Hey fish, you must love it in there." I sigh. "Don't have to worry about people disappearing.” I open my mouth to say something else but my reflection catches me off guard and I fall into the pond. I surface gasping and shivering. I crawl out, my dress holding all the water captive in its delicate fabric. I wrap my arms around myself and sink into the mud. I hear a car pull up, the doors opening and slamming shut. “Alex?” My mom and dad spot me shivering in the mud and they run towards me. “Alex! We have been looking for you everywhere!” I look up at my mom and dad’s worried faces. My mom’s mascara is also running down her face, and there’s lines around my dad’s mouth that I swear weren’t there earlier. I slowly get up and look down at my dress. It shared no resemblance to the gorgeous dress I put on earlier. There was a tear on the bottom and its white fabric is now mostly brown. I look at my mom expecting her to chew me out but she just stares at me than puts her arm around my neck and leads me to the car. About ten minutes later we roll up to our huge house. It’s like the type you would see a famous person living in. The driveway is lined with gorgeous flowers, all different types and colours. There’s a stunning garden in the front yard, mom loves tending flowers. The garden has a splash of yellow there, a pool of blue there. It made me want to stay and look at it all night but I hurried inside. The inside of our house is exquisite with its gold chandelier hanging over the shining wood floor, the crystal table sitting in the dining room, and the superb windows. They have an amazing design on them. What is it? I can’t tell but I love it. I throw off the coat my dad flung around my shoulders but leave everything else on and run up to my room. My room is pretty nice, I guess. It has royal blue walls, wood floor, with a pink rug by my bed. Ahh my bed, that’s my favorite part of my room. Its queen size and has blue silk blankets and one big fluffy comforter. I crawl under my blankets and roll into a ball. Rob has been missing for over a week now and ever since mom told me I have been going to ‘our place’ every night. That’s where I was earlier. I think back to when we last hung out. It was the day before he went missing. We spent the day at the abandoned barn. It was the best day ever. The sun was shining and the grass was green. Maybe the weather is reflecting my mood, I think, because it has been raining all week. I sigh and crawl out of my bed. My mom always says isolation is not good, interaction is. I walk downstairs and jump when thunder booms overhead and seconds later lightning flashes in the window. My fingers glide on the slick banister and my steps make a soft padded sound as I walk down the stairs. “Mom?” I yell and thunder booms again. “Yes Alex?” I finish walking down the stairs and walk into our sitting room. It really is the coziest room in the house. There is a big stone fireplace, a thick, comfortable couch, and the floor is carpeted. I plop onto the couch and sigh. “Mom?” I ask. “Do you think Rob will be found?” My mom shakes her head. “I don’t know sweetie.” I am just about to say something when dad walks into the room with a huge smile on his face and the phone in his hand. “Alex.” He holds out the phone to me. “It’s Rob.” I jump up from the couch, snatch the phone and run to the entry way. “Rob?” “Alex, I miss you so much.” His voice breaks. “You were found?” I ask. “Yes, the guy that took me was followed.” I let out a whoosh of breath. “I was so worried about you, I thought-I thought.” I start crying for the second time tonight. “Let’s meet at the abandoned barn.” “Okay.” I barely get the word out. I hang up the phone, and run out to my car. Ten minutes later I’m back at the place I was earlier. I laugh because I even look the same. The laugh becomes choked when Rob walks out from behind the old barn. I run to him. He holds me in his arms. “I love you.” I snuggle into him. “I love you.” |
