English Essays

I look up, and glanced around, my eyes filled with interest. My heart suddenly froze up, surrounded by fear and terror. Where am I? I wasn’t here a few seconds ago. What had happened? Could it be possible that I had been kidnapped? No, there hadn’t been time for that, and I would have noticed it sooner. Maybe, just maybe, I was dead. I shiver, feeling as though the Grim Reaper’s own bony hand, with its twisted fingers, was running down my spine, tormenting me. I look up into the sky, which had become a mixture of colours that I had never seen before. The more I looked, the more the colours seemed to blend into one another in perfect harmony, each swirl and gradient bringing me closer to the possible truth. This was it. I sighed a little and relaxed my shoulders, preparing myself for the worst.
Then I saw her.
She ran towards me at an alarming speed, her face flushed and her features fixed in a way that didn’t appear all too comfortable. She held her arm out, tears streaming down her face faster than a bullet train, her shiny blonde pigtails swaying in the wind as she spoke.
“Hey grown-up,” she tried to wipe away some of her tears with the sleeve of her dress, but this only made an allowanced for more tears to come flooding out.
“Excuse me lady, but I’ve cut myself,” she sniffled. “And it hurts really, really bad. Could you please help me?”
I looked around, partly to help the girl, but mostly to find out where the hell I was. To my surprise, it was as if time had stopped and stuck me somewhere else. I found that both I and the young blonde girl were standing in a small playground that seemed to be surrounding what appeared to be a school. There were other children too; playing amongst themselves, but time didn’t seem to care much for them. Their shouts and laughs were muffled, and their movements crawled to a slow. They were the background actors, whilst I and this small girl were the main attraction. I glanced around once more, and spotted a large water fountain. I shook my body apart, then picked up the pieces and put myself together again. Snapping out of my daydreams, I saw the small girl was shuffling around and playing with her plaid dress. I looked at her, and then walked over to the water fountain. I beckoned her over, and instructed her to put her cut arm under the tap. As the water pours onto her cut, she shivers slightly, and I can’t help having the feeling that I knew this girl. Then I hear a small giggle as the water bounced off of her arm and into my face. I smile at her while I wipe my face dry with my sleeve. The girl seemed to have some nostalgic value to me, but I couldn’t quite understand why. It was as if we shared some sort of underlying connection with one another. As I drift into the cloudy land of thought, working out what it is about her that is so peculiar and so familiar to me, the girl turns to speak to me. I’m snapped out of my inner universe by the sound of her voice.
“Thanks miss; by the way, I’m Liana. I have to go to class now, bye!”
My jaw fell, and my mouth was fixed in a shocked expression. The name rings around my head. This couldn’t be. Or could it? Before I can ask further questions, she’s run away, and the dark misleading skies have returned again.
I look around, hoping for some sign of escape, or some clue as to where I was.
No such luck.
The image of the young girl and her last words to me, are still fresh in my mind. I close my eyes and meditate a little, trying hard to focus on the situation. It’s difficult, and my head seems to be full of static, of mixed and unclear messages. Faces I know yet cannot recall. A headache slowly forms in my temple as I try to make sense of it all.
No such luck.
All of a sudden, a cold tiled floor smacked me right in the face, its greyness laughing at my pain in a deep hollow voice. I look up, a throbbing pain going through the back of my head. I can hear a low solemn beeping noise, its constant repetition following me around like a stray cat hoping for food. My vision is blurry. I found it difficult to concentrate on my surroundings, but, shaking myself to my senses, I realise I am still on the floor.
I hear footsteps.
I instinctively stand up. The doorknob begins to turn, my heart skips a beat. What do I do now? Where can I hide? I don’t know why, but I don’t want to face who or what is behind that door.
I spot a tall plastic plant, and I dive behind it as the door opens, it’s creaking hinges sending ghostly shivers up and down my spine. I peered over the leaves of the plant to try and see who had just entered the room, and to see if I honestly had anything to fear.
My vision was still blurry, and I felt dizzy and sick. I shake my head, hoping to gain more focus into my eyes. Luckily, it helps. I peer over again, squinting to see what was before me. I suddenly notice there is a bed in front of me, cold grey bars surrounding its edges. It almost appears to be some sort of death bed, with its darkened atmosphere and domination over the room.
To my surprise, I see there is someone still in the bed. Well, I wasn’t too sure actually. It was barely a person. More like a skeleton. More like a set of bare bones, with a thin head of hair, wispy and wiry, yet shimmering slightly in the glow of the dim lighting. Then I remember, I never saw who came in. I shift my gaze over to the side of the bed, where all I see is a greyish blur. Blinking, I bring the blur into focus, and gasp.
It’s the same little girl who cut her arm. She’s different, but there’s still no doubt about it. Her hair now reaches down to her lower back, the ends grasping to touch the floor. She’s taller, and the bright smile she had when she walked away from me had vanished completely. In it’s place, an expression of deep sadness was all that could be found, the sort of sadness that only occurs in truly landmark experiences, like when a mother loses her unborn child, or someone loses their best friend.
Her mouth moves, but I cannot hear a word. A cold, harsh whisper, surprisingly filled with compassion. The skeleton croaks back, but from where I am hiding, it just seems to be an almost fleshless mouth moving, with no words coming out. My heart feels sad, as if it has worked out something I haven’t.
I sit and watch them a while, a silent conversation that holds more emotion than I have ever seen in my life. The girl begins to cry, but their conversation continues. I can sense it is coming to a close. My own eyes almost fill up with tears, but I stop myself. I strain my ears to try and catch a snippet of the conversation. The girl looks over to the skeleton, her eyes shining with tears. The last words of hers I heard are;
“I love you Nan.”
I glance over at the skeleton, not entirely expecting a reply. My heart tightens the more I look. It hasn’t moved at all. I don’t think it can move, but then I hear it. The first and last words I will hear of this almost fleshless creature. It’s voice is empty, as if all the happiness has been sucked out.
“I’m proud of you sweetheart” it whispers to the girl, like a secret between two children. My heart almost breaks as they hug one another.
Time catches up with me, like a mother coming back for their lost child and dragging them home. The room breaks away from me, the walls crumbling around me. I’m thrust back into the unknown place of shadows. The skies swirl around like vultures over a corpse.
Flash.
Everything goes bright.
I refuse to be surprised. I’m still feeling emotional from my last experience, there is not room left in my body for other feelings.
Now, I’m home. I’m at my desk, staring at a blank piece of paper. Am I back? Or is this a dream? I don’t know. What I do know is, I better get this essay done, it’s due in tomorrow! I smile to myself and pick up my pen. It all starts; ‘I look up, and glanced around...’