Page 6

Just to let you know, I’ve got a few more things to add.
“Aunt Mabel, I’m home!” I yelled when I opened the door to my house. My mum’s off on a business trip this morning, and I’m a bit disappointed that she’s already left just as I got in. But I knew this was bound to happen at some point.
“Oh, welcome home dear,” Aunt Mabel said as she appeared at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me. “I rustled up some corn bread for your afternoon snack. How was your first day?”
I thought about today’s events and one word came to mind. “Eventful,” I replied. My back started to hurt and I winced. As it happens, the pain in my shoulder has spread to my back as well. “Aunt Mabel, I’d really love to try your corn bread, but my back’s been playing up. Do we have more Epson Salt?”
“Gosh, dear. I’m 53 and you’ve had back pain before, right? She laughed. “I’ll get you some. It’s in the shed at the back of the house.” She started turning away from her previous work and started heading downstairs.
“Hang on, Aunt Mabel. I could get it,” I said and she froze on one of the steps.
“You sure about that?” she said, her voice laced with concern.
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I was out there. I want to see if it’s changed.” I smiled, and her face softened.
“OK, just be careful. Don’t go out into the woods,” she said sternly. I laughed. That was something she used to say a lot when I was little. She didn’t have to remind me. Those woods were pretty scary.
I opened the door that led to the back yard. The air was so cold it made me shiver. I felt a bit shaky, and I rubbed my arms to try and warm them up. I found myself staring at the woods. It always made me wonder what was hidden in the depths of the trees and the fog. I always thought it was a bit weird that my mum never put up a fence to stop any wild animals from coming onto our property.
Then, out of nowhere, I saw something blurry fly through the trees and I totally freaked out. But, true to my nature, I froze. That was something I did a lot when something creepy happened when I was on my own. But when I looked at the creepy woods again, there was nothing. It’s just the same fog and strange darkness. I was probably hallucinating again. I laughed at myself for being so stupid and carried on walking to the shed.
I was just about to unlock the shed door when I heard a growl and something running through the trees again. I dropped the key and turned around. What on earth was that? I thought. I looked around nervously, hoping that I was just imagining things again.
But, of course, bad luck was attracted to me. My heart started pounding when a huge grey wolf came out of the trees. But it was too big to be a wolf and a little too small to be a bear. And it certainly didn’t look like a bear. I know this might sound strange, but the thing looked a lot like a werewolf.
I was pretty scared when the grey wolf got closer and closer to me. It was taking it slow, as if it was trying not to scare me. I thought, “Oh no, I’m too late,” and started running towards my house. The wolf let out a howl, and I heard it running towards me. I shouted for help, but no one could’ve heard me. Not even Aunt Mabel. She was probably washing clothes and humming some old tune, not even realizing that I was going to die soon.
I turned to check if the wolf was getting closer. Didn’t I learn from scary movies never to look back? I was having a bit of a rough time of it at the moment, what with tripping on a rock and falling over. I felt the tears start to stream down my face. I was pretty much ready to go. In no time at all, the wolf had me pinned to the ground. I was finding it hard to breathe because of how heavy it was. I was tiny compared to this beast. I let out a yell when I felt its teeth sink into my shoulder. The pain was absolutely unbearable and I felt like crying.
Before I was engulfed by the darkness, I looked up and saw deep blue eyes staring back at me. I’ve definitely seen those before somewhere. I asked myself. But before I could answer that question, I was already pulled into the pitch black.
I jumped up. The first thing I saw was darkness. The only sound was my heavy panting. My shirt was sticking to my sweaty back. I took in my surroundings and realised that I was only in my room. I was snug and cosy in the dark purple blankets of my bed. I got back down and relaxed. Thank God it was only just a dream, I thought.
I got back up again pretty sharpish. I don’t remember falling asleep in my bed last night. I remember going back to the shed to grab some Epsom Salt and seeing the mythical creature that appeared right before my eyes. I quickly shook those thoughts away and laughed at myself for being stupid. This place was driving me nuts. There was probably some virus in the air.
I checked the time and saw it was already six in the morning. School starts in about two hours. Aunt Mabel usually wakes me up at this time, but she hasn’t come into my room yet. She probably overslept. I tried to stretch my back by putting my arms over my head, but a sharp pain shot through my right shoulder. I gasped and put my arms down.
I was wondering if the mythical creature would have actually bitten me. I was wondering whether I might have caught a bug? Oh, please don’t be rabies! I gasped again. Would I have been dead?
I got up from my bed and switched on the lights. I ran over to my mirror and looked at myself in horror. There was a massive bite mark on my right shoulder. It was still a bit red, but it couldn’t have healed this quickly. I ran my hands over the new sore, grimacing when I felt pain. Was it all just a dream?
I had so many questions, but no one was around to ask them. What was that creature in my backyard? What will this bite mark do to me? Will I become sick and suffer? Will I die? Or had I already passed away? I had so many questions and it all got me in a bit of a headspace. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night’s episode. I was absolutely petrified.
I made sure I wasn’t dead, then rushed out of my room and down the stairs. I found Aunt Mabel at the front door, having a quiet chat with someone. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. If I was dead and in heaven or hell, Aunt Mabel wouldn’t have been here. I was still alive for sure. Hold on a minute – would the beast have killed Aunt Mabel as well? I got all tense and laughed at myself for being so silly.
“Thomas, I’m afraid I’m busy right now. Your daughter is asleep and you’re drunk,” Aunt Mabel said.
“Oh, come on, Mabel. I’m not drunk.” Not at all! Hah, bit!” The man’s voice was slurred and he chuckled. I got really angry when I realised it was my dad’s voice. “I just want to talk to my daughter, that’s all. She’s been a bit of a spoiled brat recently. “It’s about time someone showed her a thing or two.”
I strolled over to the door and kicked it open a bit. The smell of alcohol hit me. I felt a bit sick. My dad’s hair was standing on end all over the place. His eyes were all watery and his smile was really getting on my nerves. His tie was undone and he had vomit stains on his white shirt. “Talia, I missed you! Please talk to me!” He took a swig of his beer.
“Dad, go home. I don’t want to talk to you,” I said crossly.
“Tali, what happened to you?” My dad asked, his eyes welling up with tears. “You’ve been so tough lately,” he said, burping. I looked at him in disgust. ‘Lately’ is the word.
I called out to him, “Go home, dad, to your lovely wife!” and shut the door in his face, just to be mean.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten, trying to calm myself down. “Honey, you alright?” Aunt Mabel’s southern accent made me feel much more relaxed.
I looked at her and smiled gently. “Yeah. Let’s just forget about it. Next time, I want you to call the police.” She nodded, looking a bit sad. She looked at me with a cheeky grin and a bit of a smirk on her face after about five seconds, and then pointed her finger at my bitten shoulder.
“So, who was in your room last night? It looks like the young guy thought you were delicious, hon.” She asked, and I looked at her in horror. Aunt Mabel gave me a wink and carried on. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your mum you’ve already lost your virginity. As long as you’re careful and it’s not my problem if you get pregnant, there’s no problem. Did you use protection? Darlin’, if you need some, I can buy you some.”
“Lalalala,” I shouted while covering my ears. My face was definitely as red as a tomato. This was a bit of a weird topic. “Aunt Mabel, I’m not giving up on the big V just yet. You know I’m on the lookout for the right one. Ew, that was gross, Aunt Mabel! You’re one crazy old woman.” She looked at my shoulder, clearly shocked. I wanted to tell her it was a mythical creature, but I would sound like a madwoman. She’d send me to the doctor again and refuse to leave until she got an explanation.
She let out a sigh and winked again. “Whatever you say, love. Whatever you say,” she said sarcastically.
“Aunt Mabel, am I dead?” I asked. I was still curious about it and just had to ask. I mean, what would you do if you were in a situation and you didn’t know if you were dead or alive?
Aunt Mabel gave me a strange look. “Are you sure I’m the one who’s off their rocker?” She laughed and walked away.
Just to let you know, I’ve updated the document with the latest info.
Kieran wasn’t joking when he said I was going to regret everything I did to him. He’s been on my case for the past two weeks. Whether it was chucking rubbish at my head during class, tripping me up while I was running in gym, messing with me, or spilling his drink on my homework, it was always something. He even got a bit carried away with the old-school stuff, like filling my lockers with soda, which made everything really sticky, and spilling his drinks – again – on my lunch and even egging my car! I mean, seriously, egging my car?! So childish.