‘Never’ by Lucy Clayton, Year 10, Fallibroome Academy

Paralysed with fear;frozen in place,terror was my constant companion.Each creak and clang
resonated through the winding corridors of the unsuspecting house,the place that was once
my sanctuary is now my shield from the horrors outside these four walls.Smash!I jolted from
my bed,alarmed by the sudden harsh sound as it reverberated throughout the entire
house.My curiosity had got the best of me and I had decided to investigate,but I had to stay
alert,aware of my surroundings:had to remain silent.
Stealthily I crept down the stairs,avoiding each creaky floorboard,and holding my breath.
Spying through the narrow gap in the bannister,I hoped and prayed that she wouldn’t notice
me.She couldn’t notice me.
Shattered Emerald green glass littered the hard wood floors,liquor splattered everywhere,as
it seeped from the broken bottle.There she was,stumbling and swaying with another bottle
clasped in her hand,she seemed to be both on the verge of tears and the brink of bellowing
her frustrations to the uninterested world.
“I told you,but you never ever listen!”,she roared,and thundered across the room,getting
closer to the shadow I was hidden in.Rapidly advancing in my direction,She dragged each
foot in front of the other,as though she was relearning how to walk.
Abruptly,she paused in place and her line of vision met mine.
She stared into my very soul,clutching at each and every single insecurity I hid deep.I
froze.All the comfort I had once associated with her:lost.Lost like a river running into an
unknown sea,being thrashed about by forceful tidal waves.Suddenly,her hand that claimed
the empty glass grew a foot taller above her greased head.
For a split second,I noticed a smirk slither across her broken visage,and I had come to a
realisation that there was one thing I needed to do and that was…
RUN!
Sprinting up the carpeted staircase,shooting past each closed door,straight to my room.
“I’m gonna kill ya!” she slurred,the effect of intoxication was intense and always controlled
her.She followed me,speedily staggering up each step,reaching for me;just out of reach.
I launched open my bedroom door,nearly snapping it off of its rusted hinges,and i slammed it
shut.Collapsing in front of the one thing that kept us apart;just inches apart from one
another.I put all the pressure I could possible gather against that door,and I cried, as she
screamed.
“Open the door!”.No.”OPEN THE DOOR!”
“NEVER.”