"Untitled"

Golden Sponge Stick 2010
Short Story Competition Results

Anastasia from Sancton Wood School won second prize in the 11 - 13 category for this
untitled story about a visit to the underworld with a blood-curdling twist at the end

An excerpt from "Untitled"

The horse reared high on its hind legs then crashed to the ground, with me under it. My vision was clouding, my mind slipping into a dark abyss and my last thought was that I knew I was falling into an eternal slumber. As I lay there listening to the muffled voices, a feeling of utter still washed over me and I heard my heart drumming in my ears. The beat was getting feeble. I was dying.

I awoke on a dirty riverbank. I was face down in the mud, and it was smeared on my face. I picked myself up and wiped most of the mud off with the back of my hand. The air around me was a thick mist, and I struggled to peer through the gloom. I stumbled forward, hands stretched out so not to walk into anything, when my toes just touched what felt like cold water. I fell to my knees and stared at the water, at my shimmering reflection. As I bent forward, my shoulder length blond hair skimmed the surface and as I watched the ripples dance before me a smell hit me like a fist to the face. I leapt back, crawling on my elbows away from the water. The smell terrified me; for it was the foreboding smell of death...

Anastasia Maseychik (12)

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