Earthquake Nightmare
The Story
Robin was running for her life, she needed to get home, she needed to get away. She could fell the ground cracking, splitting under her feet- ‘beep, beep, beep’ the alarm went off and Robin woke with a squeal “Oh, it’s just a dream”. She looked down at her alarm clock, it was 7:30, and she had slept in again.
“Robin, wake up, your going to be late” it was her mother.
Robin’s parents had divorced when she was young and her brother Aaron was away at University so she was stuck with her 15 year old sister, Ruth.
Robin jumped out of bed while pushing her curly, brown hair back from her forehead. Robin dressed into her winter school uniform; Robin is 16, in year eleven and goes to Welsh High School. They live on the coast of Tasmania. She went downstairs for breakfast. When she had finished, she and Ruth started off to school. Robin was always cautious of were she put her feet ever since she ran out onto the street and got hit by a car. She was seven then. It was a miracle she even survived. They reached the bus stop and Robins best friend Amanda came around the corner “Hi”, Amanda had long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, she and Robin had been friends since they were babies.
“Hey” Amanda replied, they both walked onto the bus when it arrived followed by Ruth.
When they reached school Robin went straight to her locker, she had English first period. Robins dream was stuck in her head all day, taunting her.
When the day was finally over Robin got home and flopped onto the couch and switched on the TV, there was an ALERT on the news “Big earthquake coming” the man on the news said, panic in his voice.
“Aaah” Robin screamed.
“What is it?”
“Huh?” Robin woke with a fright; Ruth was sitting on the couch next to her watching ‘Fairly Odd Parents’.
“You fell asleep” she said
“What? But the earthquake, its coming”
“What earthquake? It was probably a bad dream”.
Robin went to bed without dinner, she couldn’t eat and she couldn’t sleep, she had pictures of the alert sign in head all night. She had to tell someone about these dreams, someone she trusted, Amanda.
Morning finally came and Robin didn’t get any sleep. ‘Knock, knock’ Amanda, Robin thought, she opened the door “Andrew!”, Andrew was Amanda’s brother and Robins friend, maybe she could tell him about the dreams.
They reached the bus stop “So what’s on your mind?”
“Huh?”- It was as if Robin had just woken up - “nothing, I’m fine”
“Come on, I know you well enough to know something’s up.” They reached the school and the school bell rang, Andrew rushed off. Everyone rushed inside the classroom, Robin sat near Amanda, “I have to tell you something.”
“What?”
“In private” Amanda could tell Robin was worried.
“Okay” she said, “after class”.
Surprisingly class went quickly and after Robin took Amanda out into the yard.
“Okay, what is it?” Amanda sat Robin down on a bench.
“I’ve been having some dreams.”
“Yeah, we all have dreams, Robin.” She couldn’t help laughing.
“It’s always the same dream, I’m walking and the ground starts to shake and crack.”
“It’s just a dream Robin, it doesn’t mean anything.”
“But I had another one last night and there was an alert on the T.V. about an earthquake.”
“We never have earthquakes.”
“Anything is possible, and the ground has been shaking a bit.”
“Robin, you’re being paranoid,” Amanda sighed, “I have to go” and in an instant Amanda was gone. She didn’t believe her.
“Excuse me?” Robin spun around “Hi, I’m Winifred, sorry but I overheard, you’ve been having dreams.”
“Yeah, but if you’re here to laugh at me don’t even bother, I’m feeling bad enough as it is.”
“No, no I’m not here to laugh at you, it’s just I’ve been having dreams too.”
“You have?” Robin looked thoroughly surprised
“Yes, about earthquakes.”
“Earthquakes? I thought I was the only one.”
“So, you are having dreams?”
“Yes. Hi, I’m Robin.”
“Winifred.” The girl repeated.
“Do you wanna come over to my house?”
“Sure.”
Robin was happy for the rest of the day, she had made a new friend and she now knew she wasn’t paranoid. But there was a lump in her stomach, knowing that maybe her dreams were telling the future. Robin tried to avoid Andrew for the rest of the day by ducking into toilets and classrooms. She was glad when the day was finally over. Robin took the bus and walked home with Winifred.
“I’m really glad I met you.” Wini said as they crossed the road.
“Me too” Robin replied as they reached the house.
When they were both inside Robin sat Wini down at the kitchen table and she sat opposite her.
“So tell me everything.” Wini said. Robin told her everything then Wini did the same.
The next day when Robin came to school there was something on the bulletin board. It was a clipping from the school newspaper, “Earthquake Nightmare”, by Winifred D., Everything Robin had told Wini was there.
“Great article isn’t it?” Robin turned with a squeal. She hadn’t realized that Winifred had sneaked up behind her
“What?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m on the school newspaper. I needed an article and here you were just dying to tell me.” Robin was astonished; she had made and lost a friend in two days. Wini turned and walked away. How could she do this, she trusted her and now everyone would think she was a freak.
“Robin?” It was Andrew, Robin tried to run away but Andrew was faster. “Hey!
I’ve been looking for you everywhere, what’s with you and Amanda and this article. Robin is there something I should know?”
“Yeah,” she replied, “but after school.”
“Okay.”
Robin had to endure strange glances from people for the rest of the day. Everyone knew about the article.
At home robin didn’t want to think about anything. Knock. Knock. Robin’s mum was at work and Ruth wasn’t home yet. She walked over to the door and opened it, “Hey Andrew.”
“Hi. Now what do you want to tell me?” Robin sat Andrew down on the couch and sat down next to him.
“Okay, well it all started like this...” Robin told Andrew everything, from her first dream to Winifred.
“Amanda thinks I’m crazy and for all I know she’s right.”
“We have to tell someone.”
“We can’t.”
“What if it’s true?” Andrew sighed, “Here, come with me.” Andrew took Robin outside and they started walking. “If there’s an earthquake, think what would happen.” They reached Andrew’s house.
“You’re right,” she said, “bye.”
“Bye” and he went inside.
A minute must have passed and Robin was running for her life. She needed to get home, she needed to get away. She could feel the ground cracking, splitting under her feet. She reached the house and got inside, she went straight to the T.V. “It’s an earthquake” she heard Ruth saying.
It had come and passed, just like that. Robin had turned on the T.V. “An earthquake has cut out this part of town, right down the middle.” The reporter said.
“Cut off!” Robin screamed, she turned off the T.V.
“Oh my god” - Robin’s mother screamed - “we have no food; we’re cut off from everything.”
Days had passed. Robin had received a call from Amanda saying sorry.
There had been no damaged made to anything but that part of the town. She had another dream too, she was walking on thin air over the crack, and it was so confusing. Andrew and Amanda came to visit.
“So this new dream of yours, “Andrew asked “it was about the crack?”
“Yes” replied Robin.
“Maybe it’s a bridge” Amanda speculated.
“A bridge?” Robin asked.
“Yes, that would explain you walking up and down.”
“Of course,” Andrew exclaimed, “a bridge to connect us to the rest of the town.”
They told Robin’s mum and she thought it was a great plan. Robin’s mum told the mayor and the plan was in action, it would take a while to build a bridge.
Once the bridge was built everyone was happy to get back to town. Not so much the kids, they had to go back to school. Robin felt great, her dreams had come to some use and as for Winifred, she got kicked off the school newspaper and had to apologise to Robin.
“Robin, wake up, your going to be late” it was her mother.
Robin’s parents had divorced when she was young and her brother Aaron was away at University so she was stuck with her 15 year old sister, Ruth.
Robin jumped out of bed while pushing her curly, brown hair back from her forehead. Robin dressed into her winter school uniform; Robin is 16, in year eleven and goes to Welsh High School. They live on the coast of Tasmania. She went downstairs for breakfast. When she had finished, she and Ruth started off to school. Robin was always cautious of were she put her feet ever since she ran out onto the street and got hit by a car. She was seven then. It was a miracle she even survived. They reached the bus stop and Robins best friend Amanda came around the corner “Hi”, Amanda had long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, she and Robin had been friends since they were babies.
“Hey” Amanda replied, they both walked onto the bus when it arrived followed by Ruth.
When they reached school Robin went straight to her locker, she had English first period. Robins dream was stuck in her head all day, taunting her.
When the day was finally over Robin got home and flopped onto the couch and switched on the TV, there was an ALERT on the news “Big earthquake coming” the man on the news said, panic in his voice.
“Aaah” Robin screamed.
“What is it?”
“Huh?” Robin woke with a fright; Ruth was sitting on the couch next to her watching ‘Fairly Odd Parents’.
“You fell asleep” she said
“What? But the earthquake, its coming”
“What earthquake? It was probably a bad dream”.
Robin went to bed without dinner, she couldn’t eat and she couldn’t sleep, she had pictures of the alert sign in head all night. She had to tell someone about these dreams, someone she trusted, Amanda.
Morning finally came and Robin didn’t get any sleep. ‘Knock, knock’ Amanda, Robin thought, she opened the door “Andrew!”, Andrew was Amanda’s brother and Robins friend, maybe she could tell him about the dreams.
They reached the bus stop “So what’s on your mind?”
“Huh?”- It was as if Robin had just woken up - “nothing, I’m fine”
“Come on, I know you well enough to know something’s up.” They reached the school and the school bell rang, Andrew rushed off. Everyone rushed inside the classroom, Robin sat near Amanda, “I have to tell you something.”
“What?”
“In private” Amanda could tell Robin was worried.
“Okay” she said, “after class”.
Surprisingly class went quickly and after Robin took Amanda out into the yard.
“Okay, what is it?” Amanda sat Robin down on a bench.
“I’ve been having some dreams.”
“Yeah, we all have dreams, Robin.” She couldn’t help laughing.
“It’s always the same dream, I’m walking and the ground starts to shake and crack.”
“It’s just a dream Robin, it doesn’t mean anything.”
“But I had another one last night and there was an alert on the T.V. about an earthquake.”
“We never have earthquakes.”
“Anything is possible, and the ground has been shaking a bit.”
“Robin, you’re being paranoid,” Amanda sighed, “I have to go” and in an instant Amanda was gone. She didn’t believe her.
“Excuse me?” Robin spun around “Hi, I’m Winifred, sorry but I overheard, you’ve been having dreams.”
“Yeah, but if you’re here to laugh at me don’t even bother, I’m feeling bad enough as it is.”
“No, no I’m not here to laugh at you, it’s just I’ve been having dreams too.”
“You have?” Robin looked thoroughly surprised
“Yes, about earthquakes.”
“Earthquakes? I thought I was the only one.”
“So, you are having dreams?”
“Yes. Hi, I’m Robin.”
“Winifred.” The girl repeated.
“Do you wanna come over to my house?”
“Sure.”
Robin was happy for the rest of the day, she had made a new friend and she now knew she wasn’t paranoid. But there was a lump in her stomach, knowing that maybe her dreams were telling the future. Robin tried to avoid Andrew for the rest of the day by ducking into toilets and classrooms. She was glad when the day was finally over. Robin took the bus and walked home with Winifred.
“I’m really glad I met you.” Wini said as they crossed the road.
“Me too” Robin replied as they reached the house.
When they were both inside Robin sat Wini down at the kitchen table and she sat opposite her.
“So tell me everything.” Wini said. Robin told her everything then Wini did the same.
The next day when Robin came to school there was something on the bulletin board. It was a clipping from the school newspaper, “Earthquake Nightmare”, by Winifred D., Everything Robin had told Wini was there.
“Great article isn’t it?” Robin turned with a squeal. She hadn’t realized that Winifred had sneaked up behind her
“What?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m on the school newspaper. I needed an article and here you were just dying to tell me.” Robin was astonished; she had made and lost a friend in two days. Wini turned and walked away. How could she do this, she trusted her and now everyone would think she was a freak.
“Robin?” It was Andrew, Robin tried to run away but Andrew was faster. “Hey!
I’ve been looking for you everywhere, what’s with you and Amanda and this article. Robin is there something I should know?”
“Yeah,” she replied, “but after school.”
“Okay.”
Robin had to endure strange glances from people for the rest of the day. Everyone knew about the article.
At home robin didn’t want to think about anything. Knock. Knock. Robin’s mum was at work and Ruth wasn’t home yet. She walked over to the door and opened it, “Hey Andrew.”
“Hi. Now what do you want to tell me?” Robin sat Andrew down on the couch and sat down next to him.
“Okay, well it all started like this...” Robin told Andrew everything, from her first dream to Winifred.
“Amanda thinks I’m crazy and for all I know she’s right.”
“We have to tell someone.”
“We can’t.”
“What if it’s true?” Andrew sighed, “Here, come with me.” Andrew took Robin outside and they started walking. “If there’s an earthquake, think what would happen.” They reached Andrew’s house.
“You’re right,” she said, “bye.”
“Bye” and he went inside.
A minute must have passed and Robin was running for her life. She needed to get home, she needed to get away. She could feel the ground cracking, splitting under her feet. She reached the house and got inside, she went straight to the T.V. “It’s an earthquake” she heard Ruth saying.
It had come and passed, just like that. Robin had turned on the T.V. “An earthquake has cut out this part of town, right down the middle.” The reporter said.
“Cut off!” Robin screamed, she turned off the T.V.
“Oh my god” - Robin’s mother screamed - “we have no food; we’re cut off from everything.”
Days had passed. Robin had received a call from Amanda saying sorry.
There had been no damaged made to anything but that part of the town. She had another dream too, she was walking on thin air over the crack, and it was so confusing. Andrew and Amanda came to visit.
“So this new dream of yours, “Andrew asked “it was about the crack?”
“Yes” replied Robin.
“Maybe it’s a bridge” Amanda speculated.
“A bridge?” Robin asked.
“Yes, that would explain you walking up and down.”
“Of course,” Andrew exclaimed, “a bridge to connect us to the rest of the town.”
They told Robin’s mum and she thought it was a great plan. Robin’s mum told the mayor and the plan was in action, it would take a while to build a bridge.
Once the bridge was built everyone was happy to get back to town. Not so much the kids, they had to go back to school. Robin felt great, her dreams had come to some use and as for Winifred, she got kicked off the school newspaper and had to apologise to Robin.