SHORT
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The Beginning
As you know every story starts with a pre-story, and Suzy’s story began on a typical Sunday.
It was a cold starry night. The moon engulfed the sleeping city below with a blanket of white light. Some lone lamps were sparkling, as people were getting ready for their night’s sleep.
Suzy was sitting in her small room, doing her last minute homework, her pen sweeping over the page. She was scrawling out the last sentence is haste when suddenly Suzy’s sister came crashing into her room banging the door behind her. Shocked Suzy nearly fell off her chair. “You have to hide this now!” her sister yelled holding out a piece of old, brown cloth. Suzy could see a yellow flash as the cloth slightly revealed the object hidden underneath it. Surprised by the sudden request, Suzy took the cloth and hid it, carelessly, underneath a piece of paper on which she had previously done her homework. Suzy turned to her sister looking for an explanation, but the look in her sister’s eyes was filled with fear, as though the hounds of hell were after her. Backing out of the room she mouthed an apology to Suzy.
Suzy then stormed out of her room and scrambled down the stairs to demand answers from her mother. The living room was empty and silent except for a lone news reporter on the TV. She called out for her mother. After no reply a desperate search began as she bolted into the kitchen, hoping her mother would be there. Yet the kitchen was empty. Slowly she walked back to the sound of the TV. In the living room Suzy’s mother walked out into the light from the dark corner of the room. Suzy ran towards her mum yelling about how happy she was that nothing had happened to her mother.
The mother, old and withered, turned to Suzy and warned her that someone would come and search for the object, which the girl had previously hidden so hastily.
Out of nowhere an old man appeared at the door. He had white, short hair and stubble was appearing on his chin. He was wearing a sinister dark suit. “I have come in search for the key.” He said, his voice deep and demanding, booming across the room. As he came into the living room, she noticed a cute creature behind him.
After closer inspection Suzy noticed that the creature was actually quite scary. The animal looked a bit like a possum just fatter with small, black wings and its fur was the colour of fire. It had two long blue stripes flowing across its fur up to the tail. From it’s mouth shot large sharp teeth. It was hovering next to the man who was now smirking, “This creature can smell the key, so there is no point hiding it.” Her mother turned towards the girl and told her to go clean her room. She was trying to get the girl to go to her room to hide the key without the man knowing.
The man understood though and tried to send the creature up to her room. Suzy quickly scrambled to the stairs, pushing the creature behind her as she climbs the stairs. While climbing a battle arose between the creature and Suzy. Suzy was trying to push the creature down while the creature was scratching and clawing every inch of Suzy’s body until her legs were bleeding. As she reached the top, she grabbed the creature, which was now pulling her towards her room. Both of them were struggling to get to the room first. Suzy was shoving and pushing the creature behind her, trying hard to keep it back and the creature was biting and clawing her, making her hand bleed even more.
Finally as they arrived in the room, the creature smelled the key. It tried to push past her; she was also struggling to get to the key first. Suzy was now desperately clinging to the creature, trying with all her power to keep it away from the key.
Suddenly she broke free and dashed towards the key grabbing it from underneath the cloth. Everything went still. Even the pain in Suzy’s body subsided, leaving a feeling of relief. The creature stopped fighting against her. It went completely numb in her grip.
Triumphantly she walked out of the room holding the creature in one hand and the ‘key’, which was actually a yellow, slim pen, with blue designs on it, in the other. Suzy realised then that all her wounds had completely healed; confused she looked to her mother and her sister who were both standing in the corridor their eyes filled with shock. Suzy asked them why they were not happy about her triumph. Her mother looked at her; worry filled her eyes and said, “Why did you touch the key? You are now keeper of the lower parts of the underworld.”
By Sita Drissner
Underground
“Get underground!”
“Quick!”
“They’re firing!”
Loud, rapid, decisive words amidst of the panic.
Then silence. Innocent rain drops begin falling around me, the same rain drops as those back home; though now they are cooling down a different scene. Drip, drop. It’s no longer the peaceful hometown village, but an endless desert spotted by us firing at the others - and the others at us. The drops quicken their pace; faster and faster they fall, the noise of them hitting the ground louder, yet sweeter like a little lullaby. Our only comfort, reminding us of home – of our wives, mothers, children, brothers, sisters, of all that we left behind to come out here. No man’s land we call it. Nick got it out of a pocket book he had with him about World War One but we don’t call it that for the same reason. No man’s land for us means that no man survives on this land. The pitter patter is soon accompanied by a whiff of sweet smelling autumn soil – that smell it has from the first rains; yes, that smell that Lily loves...
“Not fair! You cheated again! You started running on two!” she laughs as she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me close. Before I know it she’s running again, seizing my arm and dragging me along too. Through the fields, under the autumn sun; not too hot, not too cold. Perfect. Just like her. She turns to look at me and keeps running backwards not wasting any time – she knows where she’s taking us. I gaze into her emerald eyes reflecting the peacefulness of the surroundings.
Then she closes them and it’s gone.
Different colours fill my reality now. The dominant one: red. But it’s not that passionate red – the colour of roses that Lily adored – it’s the sickening unwelcoming dark, stained red; the red of pain and loss. The red of blood. With it comes a distinct odour – rotting flesh; an odour inexplicable if not experienced. I try to relate it to home – something I try to do with everything so I don’t miss it as much. It’s most like the butchers; with that stinging smell as you enter the store, combining rotting animal intestines, day’s old blood and sweat from the hardworking men. Drip, drop. But even that is nowhere near a match for the smell in my reality now.
But I want to look around me more: surely there must be something here to trigger my smile. I try dragging my arms and head to turn my body around, but it’s as if they’ve been replaced by boulders, which I’m too exhausted to lift. I must settle for stretching my eyes over to a small area of green somewhere in the distance. Magically sketched in detail, peering out from the foot of a deserted, lifeless mountain, bringing some life to its surrounding. Glittering greens, blues, pinks, purples scattered throughout the scenery just like Lily’s favourite painting that she keeps over her desk at home. There is red too, but not my red. Lily’s red – passionate red, full of life, surging me with energy. So many times I’ve crossed this place but not once had I noticed this little paradise, now blurred by the rain. Drip, drop. Tomorrow when the skies have cleared, I’ll go for a closer look. I long to walk through the brightness; through the blues, oranges, and purples – picturesque colours. And now, through the rain, they look like another of Lily’s paintings: that beautiful Monet painting, the one in our living room, over her piano...
“One more! Please!”
With just a smile she turned back to her kingdom of black and white keys – a kingdom where she was their beautiful queen. And then she played for me. A sweet, lulling sound; one that never leaves me and one that I remember distinctly, just like that performance. The quick but graceful leaps of her arm and rapid pattering of her fingertips as she reached from note to note, the peaceful, rocking movements of her body as she swayed with the melody. But most of all, her dulcet, innocent voice humming along with the tune...
I can feel the smile forming on my face. Yes, that memory. Lily as I want to remember her. The rain is sinking in now through my layers of clothing, reaching my hardened skin. Then through its pores, through its multiple layers, exhausted muscles and straight through my bones. The thought brings a shudder to me. I need to move away from here - to shelter. Why am I not moving? I mustn’t stay any longer; I’d promised Lily I never would...
“The doctor said there is no hope...I’m sorry”, Lily whispered. Her lids closed as she rested her bloodshot eyes – exhausted from heavy morphine doses and painkillers. Down her front, on her favourite flowery night-gown, slithers of blood gnarled through the stems as she coughed. Why couldn’t she have dressed warmer that day in the park? But now she rested. Serene for a bit; a small smile growing on her face - she must be dreaming of something she loves.
That’s how I must remember her – that smile... I thought to myself. I kissed her hand.
She felt my warm lips and opened her emerald eyes for me to look into one last time.
“Take care of yourself” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Don’t stay outside – you may get sick too. Stay in here with my piano”. A slight smile formed on her face: light creases around her eyes, slightly toning her exhausted, pale skin. “Practise the piece I taught you. Promise me”, her voice was barely a whisper now.
“I promise”, I uttered squeezing her hand tight to fight my tears.
Then she smiled at me – a real, lively smile; her whole face shone for just a second and I began to hope. But that was all the energy she had left. Her eye lids slowly neared each other, concealing her sweet, lively eyes forever...
Drip, drop. It continues to fall around me. Why am I not moving?
“Three, two, one, ATTACK!!”
That’s our cue! I can recognise it from miles away. For the first time I can feel the adrenaline soar through my veins, inching its way through all the twists and turns of my body, right to its very tips. I try to haul myself to my feet but for some reason I can’t. The earth beneath me seems to have absorbed all of my energy. I don’t understand. My second attempt is just as hopeless. It continues to rain. Drip, drop.
I hear them while they’re still shadows. Angry shouts reverberate around me, piercing my eardrums. Their words are indistinct. I try to reach with my hands to cover them but once again I find myself unable to move. Then through the voices, I can distinctly make out the one and only I was hoping to hear. Nick’s. The men are closer now. Closer and closer they get till I can feel the tremors from their gallops in the ground beneath me. Nick is one of them. Charging and yelling; gun at the ready. He’s very close to me now. If he looks down he’ll see me. He does. And for an instant everything stops. The shouts, the trembles, everything is in the background and it’s just him and me looking into each other’s eyes.
But the silence is broken by a single dreaded blast. The second Nick stopped is more than he can afford. The look in his eyes freezes. And slowly, very slowly he begins losing ground. The gun he is holding so proudly in his hand is released from his grip as each of his fingers loses its hold on it. It falls unhurriedly to the ground, bouncing and then resting by my feet. Nick’s trousers begin wrinkling around his knees as they bend inwards, nearing the ground, before colliding with it and sending shudders throughout his body. His lifeless arms by his sides, unable to support him as the rest of his body collapses onto the ground. As he falls, his face is turned towards me, eyes still open. White. Lifeless. I look into them and I understand.
It hasn’t stopped raining. Lily had told me not to stay out in the rain but I didn’t listen to her and now here I am, and I will stay here forever. No man’s land. I picture a tear leave my eye, trickle down my nose and onto the ground. Drip. Then another one. Drop. On and on till they blend in with those of the rain. I smile.