WORLDS IN WORDS A YOUNG WRITERS’ ANTHOLOGY
Table of Contents
The Lie .................................................................................................................. 4 Bang .........................................................................................................................7 Claustrophobia I.......................................................................................................9 Claustrophobia II ................................................................................................... 12 The Box ...................................................................................................................14 The Enchanted Castle ..............................................................................................16
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This anthology presents the winning stories of the 2015 St. Nicholas’ School Creative Writing Competition, in which over eighty students from M1 to S6 accepted the challenge of sharing their talents as writers and making their voices heard. We would like to congratulate them all on their passion and their ability to create new worlds in words and we invite the reader to listen to their voices through the six stories that follow. The outstanding artwork that illustrates these narratives was selected through a Drawing Contest and represents a response, on the part of their peers, to our young writers’ craft. We hope that this anthology will be enjoyed by all members of the school community and will provide a broader audience for their art.
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THE LIE
A
rianne Parker was born in curious circumstances. Of course at that time she didn’t have a name, but, for the sake of the story, let’s just use it. We’ll break the rules of literature only this time. So, as I was saying, Arianne wasn’t born in a luxurious hospital with 24-hour care, but she came to the world in a teeny weeny cottage in a forgotten shanty town. She took her first breath smothered by the shrill screams of her biological mother and the drilling orders of her biological aunt. You can imagine that in that scenario, no matter how old, or how new in the world one is, anyone would cry. However, Arianne didn’t. The first thing she did in this world was to observe. She first saw all of the colours that surrounded her; she watched her aunt’s mouth while she shouted. She also caught a glimpse of a black, longhaired man who rampaged out of the room. Clarice, her aunt, started worrying, for the baby didn’t cry. So she patted her on the back. At first gently, but as the baby didn’t react, she applied more strength. Arianne had no choice but to start crying, and, once she did, she couldn’t stop, for the annoying tears didn’t allow her to see clearly. Her mother neither touched her nor looked at her. Arianne fell asleep, and the next thing she knew was that she was in a hospital. There the colours were different. They were lighter, as if they had been decoloured for the sake of her eyes. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all. She wanted the woman that had had her in her arms before, and before she could even notice it, tears were streaming down her pink cheeks again. A woman dressed in light blue approached her and took her in her arms. That wasn’t the touch she remembered, but it felt good to at least have someone to take care of her. She was then sent to another place with kids older than her and a man and a woman even older than them. Again she cried and again she got used to it. Poor innocent little baby, could you imagine spending your first months of life without the loving arms of your mother, or the sweet words whispered in your ears before going to sleep? Arianne finally met other people. There was a weary-looking man, around 30 years old, with a black beard. The woman was about 25. She had a huge dazzling smile. They both had curly black hair. She liked them as soon as she saw them. The woman held Arianne in her arms, and smiled.
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“She has the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen,” she started crying. Arianne was so disturbed by her reaction; she reached out her hand to try to wipe the woman’s face. “Look mom! She’s trying to clean you!” a boy yelled; he was also dark haired. Arianne smiled, and for the first time in her short life, she didn’t cry at the sight of so many people, for she knew they meant her no harm. And soon, her aunt, her mother, the nurse and the first black-haired man disappeared from her thoughts. Arianne started blubbering and tried to talk, as other human beings did. She wanted to tell the good news to everyone. She finally had a family of her own.
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Four years had passed by until the first time Arianne asked Anne, her mom, to show her a picture of her in her mom’s tummy. “Oh, sweetheart, remember we’ve lost them all in the fire in our apartment?” Anne said. The topic was never brought up again until two years later. “Daddy, did you or mommy paint when you were small?” “No, honey, you are the only one in the family that does,” William answered. “Am I different from you?” she asked worriedly. Will put his daughter´s hands on his. “Oh, honey, why would you say that? You are not different at all, but you are special. So special that since you were a little baby you’ve liked colours and paintings and you’ve always jabbered away any new name you´d learnt.” And once again everything was fine in paradise. Nevertheless, the next time things didn’t go so smoothly for the Parker family. Arianne was finally seventeen going on eighteen, and she was in her last year in high school, and you know what tricks this year plays on young minds. You start questioning everything and everyone. And the constant wondering about her identity finally bloomed, and after years and years of shy interrogations and furtive searches of proof that Arianne Parker was in fact the flesh and blood of her parents and brother, she decided to stop living in a lie and at last open her eyes. So in this mood, with accumulated grudge, one glorious day of spring she faced her parents. 5
“I’ve been questioning for years now; I have to know… Who am I?” her voice sounded rusty, careworn. She hadn’t planned it that way. She was supposed to sound fearless, ruthless, as if she were throwing in their faces all the deception of the world. Will and Anne glared at each other. Arianne knew them too well not to notice that the light of their eyes dimmed a little and their shoulders went an inch downwards. She could see her face pale and his turn scarlet. “You know we love you, right?” her father finally said. She choked with anger. Arianne’s face chopped Anne’s heart little by little. “I’m so sorry honey, we wanted to tell you. It’s just that we never seemed to find the right time…”, and Anne kept on talking as if she were throwing up the words that had been there since the first time her daughter had asked for the pictures. Arianne stayed there listening. All that time, all those years, deep inside she had known, but she couldn’t admit it. She was so naive she thought it might have been her imagination. But it wasn’t. It was true. Suddenly all the memories from before her time with the Parkers dashed into her head. All those pictures left aside in her subconscious reappeared. Her birth, her time in the foster home, the old couple that had taken care of her. Everything was there like a sudden invasion of strange creatures that came to disturb her peace. Arianne stood up; she couldn’t stand that lie anymore. She went to the door, opened it, and left the house. While she walked she could feel the bricks falling one by one as if it were a house made of cards. She walked until her feet bled; she walked until she had nowhere to walk; and then she walked even more. She stopped and looked ahead. A shiver started running from the bottom of her body to the top until she couldn’t even bear to remain standing. It was her house. Not her house, but where she had been born. There it was. All wood, no concrete. She wanted to go in, but she couldn’t, and then a sudden certainty filled her. She ran back on her steps, and went back home. The bricks were still in their place and her parents too. At such gorgeous sight she broke down and started crying. Her parents cried, too. Soon they laughed, so hard that her body ached. Then they cried again.
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It was a vicious circle with no beginning and no ending, for she cried and laughed forever more: when her first daughter was born, when she adopted her twins, when her father died and then when her mother died. After that Arianne’s brother cried when she died. But where there is death there is life, and the day Arianne left the world another boy, in another shanty town, in another country was born.
Camila F. (S6B)
BANG
A
lready in her nightgown, the little girl waddled to her bed, her wiry ginger hair bouncing slightly as she paced through the room. She sat her battered teddy bear on the chair beside the bed and placed a dainty kiss on its nose. “Night-night, guardian bear,” her sleepy voice said sweetly, and she crawled into the sheets. “Please, protect my dreams,” she whispered, rubbing her left eye and hugging her knees. The five-year-old was having trouble sleeping, as usual. She rolled from side to side, curling into a ball, turning over the pillow, hanging her tiny arm in and out of the mattress; but no position seemed to help her find sleep. She closed her eyes and counted in an innocent, almost pleading whisper: “One…two…” A loud thud came from someplace in the room. She carried on, clinging to her words to soothe the fear. “Three…four…” Another one, louder. “F-five…s-six…” Loud banging, repeatedly hammering the walls and ceiling. Too loud to be unreal. Tears rolled down the child’s cheeks, her frantic heart almost beating out of her chest. 7
“S…,” she sobbed “seven…” The window pane busted into million little pieces, all of them scattering on the room’s floor with the inertia of the body that had collided against them. The body landed on the little girl’s bed. She squealed, three times, and instinctively snatched her teddy from the chair. “Silence, child,” the creature in the shadows screeched grotesquely. Its voice would have spiked the neck hair of the devil himself. The little girl was muted by terror, anguish and fear closing her throat and, soon enough, her trachea. The shadow stood in all fours, its body tilted forwards in the child’s direction. It took a step into the light. The little girl collapsed into desperate tears, air vigorously coming in and out of her gaping lips. Wide, intensely blood-shot eyes occupying half of his face, with no eyelashes and a glassy glare so penetrating, it would burn anything that came across its way. He did a poisonous smirk, showing his sharp, yellow teeth and wrinkling the sides of his pointy bat ears. His devilish eyes didn’t blink at all. They remained wide open, his dilated pupils staring right into the little girl’s salty-wet face. Very few people can picture a tragic death when there is no nasty corpse on the floor, or the inexistence of wild scarring and bruising, perhaps a missing limb. The child just looked too pale, with empty eyes, blue lips and a thin line of blood running from the corner of her mouth; yet, she had still died tragically. She was found on the floor of her hospital room, choked. In the autopsy, they found a tiny plastic doll stuck in her trachea, a little figure with pointy ears that explained the bleeding. “She had always had an irrational fear of the night,” her mother whimpered, devastated. “She said she could see things, feel things” “We can’t know if someone did this to her, or if she did it herself,” the child’s doctor explained. “Schizophrenia comes along with all sorts of hallucination symptoms. In the end, the only one who knows what truly happened is your daughter” “I guess so,” the mother sniffed. Then, a loud thud came from someplace in the room.
Denise P. (S5A)
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Morena V. U. (M2B)
CLAUSTROPHOBIA
T
he sun had not yet come up when my alarm clock went off. I got out of bed with a grunt and made for my wardrobe. It was empty but for a suit and a pair of black shoes; my Friday suit. Organization was crucial for me, since my childhood bedroom had always been filled with messy clumps of dirty laundry. I opened the drapes and gazed at the shimmering lights of the streets of New York City. I was beginning to realize why they call it the city that never sleeps. I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door. Going out on the streets, I called a cab. A lousy and fruitless task, since none of the passing taxis seemed to even acknowledge me. I figured walking a couple of blocks wouldn’t do me any harm, so I did. As I strode on the street I glimpsed a flickering light, and prayed that it wasn’t the announcement of a blackout. I 9
wouldn’t have wanted my first day at work to get spoiled by a malfunction. I stared blankly at the GNB building as I approached the door. Goliath National Bank was a 21-story tall skyscraper and the place my career as a successful lawyer was starting in. Inside it was deserted, but for the janitor, who was mopping the floor. “Where is everybody?” I inquired. “You’ve come in early, boy,” the old man responded in a slow, calm tone. He was right. I looked at the clock and saw the big handle reach number 3. Having left in such a hurry didn’t give me time to realize I had only woken up 15 minutes before. Cursing, I made for the stairs, but then I remembered my new office was on the eighteenth floor. Calling for the elevator, I started looking around the lobby. Everything shimmered as if it were made of gold. Some of the lights were also flickering at a worryingly rapid pace, but I took no notice of it. When the elevator arrived I got in and pushed number 18. As the floors went by I entertained myself by looking at my thousand reflections on the mirror; or at least I did until the twelfth floor, when I couldn’t see myself anymore. The confined space had gone pitch black as the elevator stopped abruptly. My phone was my only source of light, but not my saviour… Upon unlocking it I saw an unread text message from my boss. “I hope you all enjoy your day off, and I look forward to seeing you on Monday.” I did not need any more information. In my attempt to come in early to impress my new boss, I had forgotten the memo saying my first day had been moved to Monday. I tried calling for help, but it was futile. No signal got to my phone inside there. All that was left was to wait. Wait to be saved, wait for the blackout to end … wait to die? I did not know for certain how long I would be confined in there, but as long as it would be, my claustrophobia would not help me win the case…
Federico G. K. (S4A)
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Karina S. (S4B) 11
CLAUSTROPHOBIA
I
t is dark, I can't see a thing. I try looking around for any clues, any signs of where I am. I start walking with my hands in front of me as if I were searching for something until I feel a cold metallic surface not too far away from where I am. I spin on my heels and walk slowly towards the other direction. One step, two steps, three. I hit another wall. My eyes widen. How is this even possible? How did I get here? My mind starts rumbling with questions. Suddenly, I hear the loud shriek of an engine and I feel as if I'm moving upwards. Where is this taking me? I start feeling kind of dizzy. My legs start shivering as if they can't support me anymore. My breathing is heavy and, as my chest rapidly rises and falls, I try to grasp something. But I find nothing. I start walking backwards until I hit the metallic wall again. My arms expand against it as if I were a bird about to fly. But that isn't the case; I am trapped. As I stand there, my eyes start moving around the room quickly looking for something. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a figure. I rapidly separate from the wall trying to escape, but my legs fail in the attempt and I fall to the ground. I pull myself up with my arms and I crawl towards a corner and hug my legs against my chest. The dizzy feeling comes again, but this time, worse than before. My breathing becomes unstable and I feel as if something were slowly draining the oxygen out of the room. I scratch my neck vigorously in need of air. My hands dart up to my hair and I start tugging at it like crazy. My eyes well up with tears as I pray for this hell to end. Between loud sobs and desperate breaths I hear a loud 'Ding'. I straighten my head and see, in one of the walls a thin line of light. The wall starts opening more and more, gradually letting more light enter the once dark room. I blink several times in order for my eyes to adapt to the light and I see a group of people dressed in suits and ties observing me quizzically. I stand up and tug at my clothes, my breath becoming stable again and my mind clear as I recognize where I am. "Are you going up?" One of the men asks as he enters the elevator with the others following him.
Carolina P. (M3B)
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Martina J. (S4B)
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THE BOX
I
was very tired. I was coming back from working at the restaurant. I do not have a car, so I had to walk. Every day, I have to wake up very early to go to my workplace where I stay until very late at night, 12 o’ clock. So I am very tired, tired of my life. I live alone. My parents died when I was fourteen years old. I do not have a sister or friends. I would love to, though. The only thing I wanted to do that night was to get home, plummet on my bed and fall deeply asleep. I walked and walked. Every step I took, I heard a noise behind me. I turned around; a strange person was following me, but I did not mind. When I reached my building, I got on the elevator, dashed to my bedroom and went straight to bed. The alarm clock woke me up at 6 o´clock the following morning when some rays of sun were oozing through the window. In no time, I dressed up, brushed my teeth, grabbed my things and opened the door. I was in a hurry because I was late, but suddenly an uncontrollable force pushed me down to the floor. I looked back furiously. A box was standing there beside my door. I stood up to grab it, but when I looked at it I could see the box had a paper with the words “do not open” written on it. “Why would someone leave a box with that inscription on it? It is absurd!” Enraged, I opened the box. Suddenly, a light started coming out of the box until I could not see anything else. At that moment, I felt that something was telling me to enter the box. So I did. I cannot describe how I felt at that moment. It was the strangest moment of my entire life. Frightened, I closed my eyes and waited. A little later, I heard a whistle and the sound of a radio in the distance. Relaxing sun rays illuminated my face. I opened my eyes. I was in a very familiar place. My childhood house. My dear sweet home. The whistling was coming nearer and nearer and, suddenly, I felt a kiss on my forehead. I turned around. It was my father. I hugged him strongly. The smell of mashed potatoes and meat drifted into my nostrils and my eyes opened widely in surprise. It was then that I saw my mother carrying a plate with my favourite home-made food. At that moment, I thought I had never considered the family I had. I had not appreciated it enough. But that day I realized the box was an opportunity to make me think, to make me reflect upon life, and I came to understand that one has to enjoy every moment of our life and the simple things we have, because we never know what will happen next.
Carolina B. (M2A)
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Jazmin Ch. (M2B)
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THE ENCHANTED CASTLE
D
uring the 20th century, Billy, a little boy from England, lived an incredible adventure. He was blond, blue-eyed and had a very little mouth. He had to move to Ireland, because his father had found a new job. He didn’t like the idea, but his father said that it was for the family’s best. They were moving to a big house. It was only a few kilometers from the capital. When they reached the house, Billy didn’t seem very happy. It was an old house with wooden windows, and the plants covered the walls, so it seemed the walls were made of plants. For many years, no one had lived in that house. That’s what his mother told him. They entered the house. The floors were covered with dust. His room was big, but it had no lights; the door was broken and they couldn’t open the window. While his father was trying to open it, he visited other rooms: the kitchen, the living-room, the dining-room and many others. He didn’t pay much attention to any, except for one. When he saw it for the first time, he felt something inside him that was interested in that door. He opened it, and he found some stairs that went up. The difference in that room was that it wasn’t dusty. It looked as if the previous owner had never entered there. He walked up the stairs and saw a small room. There was nothing in it except a table, an old wooden chair and a chest. He saw that the door wasn’t locked. He thought for a moment. Then, he opened it. Inside the room there was an old book, with a castle on its front page. He noticed something strange in it. He didn’t look at that and he opened the book. When he saw that a tornado was getting out of the book, he left it on the floor. He tried to escape, but he couldn’t. The tornado was stronger. In a few seconds, the tornado trapped him and took him inside the book. When he woke up, a girl in a woolen sweater was with him. He tried to shout, but he couldn’t. He was so scared that he couldn’t even move. The girl tried to calm him down and he asked her why he was there. She didn’t know, but she had found him in the yard, sleeping. Her name was Anita, and she was the lord’s slave. Billy asked her where they were. She told him that they were in a castle. He couldn’t believe it: he was in the book’s castle! He asked Anita if she had found a book. She had, but she took him to another place because the lord would kill him if he was found there. Lord Van Drussel was the owner of the castle, and he lived alone, with his slave, Anita. Billy needed to find the book to transport him to his house again: it was his only opportunity to reach home. He was determined to do it, but he needed Anita’s help. Anita created a distraction while Billy tried to get to the book. But she couldn’t do it for long. Van Drussel ran into his room and saw 16
Billy when he was about to get the book. He was furious and chased Billy through the castle throwing fire balls at him and lightning which went out of his arms, until Billy entered the armour room. There was no escape. Lord Van Drussell was laughing at Billy. He was about to kill him with a fire ball when Billy grabbed a shield and the fire ball turned to the other side and reached Lord Van Drussell. He caught fire, and disappeared. The only thing that remained was his shiny blue hat. Before getting the book, Billy thanked Anita for helping him to escape and she thanked him because now she wasn’t anymore Lord Van Drussell’s slave. He opened the book one more time and the tornado took him into the book. When he woke up, he ran to his room and found his father, trying to open the window. Everything was just like when he had left. At dinner, he told his father about his adventure. They didn’t believe him. When he went to the room where the book was, he looked for the book, but he couldn’t find it! He never saw the book again. No one has ever done. Some people think it is in another house, waiting to be opened by another kid.
Ignacio S. (M1B)
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2015
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