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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Aging / Maturity
- Published: 05/30/2017
The Stars Beneath My Bedroom
Born 1989, M, from Sydney, AustraliaThe Stars Beneath My Bedroom
Word count: 1399
There’s a place, under the house; beyond the graveyard of broken-down lawnmowers where light couldn’t enter. The Black Hole I called it.
I feared this place.
He’d gone in, I was sure of it. On my hands and knees, I searched, hoping as I crawled over the abandoned TV tables and bicycles too rusted for further adventures, that I’d find him. He’d be happy and dirty, sniffing about the place.
He’d gone in many times. I thought nothing of it, other than I’m glad it’s not me in there. That little tunnel under my bedroom struck fear into my soul.
It had been six years since my first trip into the Black Hole. I’d hoped it would be my last. Monsters lurked in there. I’d encountered eight-legged ones that left my skin itchy and red. But it was the ones I hadn’t encountered; the ones you read about in books that I feared more. So no, I never followed Rocky in. He was tough. I didn’t worry … much.
I’d yell his name and within seconds he’d be at the back door, smiling.
My big, brown Mongrel Bullterrier.
He always came back …
That morning in June mum talked with dad. They spoke quietly and away from my brother Marcus and I. It was difficult to understand much of what they were saying. Only, Old Rock is on his last legs. I’d never heard that expression before. I didn’t like it.
I stood at the backdoor, and called his name.
He didn’t come.
The sun shone, but the cold chill of the winter breeze took its warmth. The backyard felt empty and not only because my dog wasn’t there. It may sound crazy, but the coldness in the air, felt to me like it was stealing its spirit.
I called again.
He didn’t come.
The Black Hole – It had taken Rocky!
I jumped the steps almost tripping as I landed. Ducking the cobwebs I headed under, on my hands and knees, towards the Black Hole. I stopped at its entry. Kneeling, like in prayer, I stared into the place I feared the most, picturing what I may find. I mumbled a few words, asking something out there to keep Rocky and I safe. Then I started to crawl in. Dad was always hoping for problems to fix themselves so never got things done. If I didn’t get Rocky out … he may not come out. This sense of responsibility gave me strength. It was okay to be scared as long as I did what needed to be done.
Into the dark, I shook with every step. The tingle of creatures crawling on my skin came, as I moved further into the tunnel. I slapped at my arms, then my head. They were rolling in my hair, I could feel them. But I found no monsters … just hair.
I heard breathing.
‘You shouldn’t have come,’ a voice said, deep and slow.
I froze.
‘Sam?’ It said louder.
‘Yes?’ my voice echoed.
‘Go home,’ It said. ‘Please.’
My mind could’ve been playing tricks on me. That voice could’ve been the lounge room Television, just above the floorboards, I thought. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t stop me. No quest I’d ever read ended with, he sat there, afraid in the dark … and then went home. I was scared, but I was determined to be strong.
I saw light, flickering ahead.
Light in the Black Hole? I laughed. Nothing made sense. I’d crawled a mile in a tunnel that should’ve been metres long. And now there was light, allowing me to see in the dark. There were no floorboards above me, so I stood. I saw a campfire, crackling small clouds of smoke by a pond. I felt its warmth and saw impossible stars, shining in a sky under my bedroom.
Rocky lay there, by the fire. I smiled, putting aside what didn’t make sense. He smiled back. Relieved to find my pal unharmed, I sat by him and let out a big breath.
‘Sam. This place is not for you,’ said a voice, distant but clear.
I’m not frightened, I told myself. These things – even the ones that bite me – can’t stop me from taking Rocky home.
‘Where are you?’ I asked, then wondered if I wanted to know. Seeing the creature had nothing to do with my mission. I put my strongest voice in my throat and said, ‘Actually, I don’t care. Rocky is coming home!’
I heard a small flurry of wind.
‘Yes, but perhaps a new home,’ said the voice.
‘No,’ I yelled, holding tight to Rocky’s collar so the invisible creature couldn’t take him. A chill blew about us. The campfire seemed to twist and stretch, as the flurries of wind kept coming. I shivered, holding as tight as I could.
‘It’s not your choice to make Sam,’ said the voice, sounding closer.
There was nothing scary about the voice. Amazed at myself I let go of Rocky and raised a funny, little boy’s fist to the sky. ‘Listen!’ I said, gritting my teeth. ‘I don’t know who you are, but we’re leaving. Come on Rock.’
‘That is not your choice,’ It repeated.
‘Be quiet!’ I screamed, then yanked hard at Rocky’s chain. ‘Rocky, Come on!’
He looked at me with big, loving eyes, but didn’t move. Instead he lowered his head and stared at the fire. It danced with the wind.
‘Rocky?’
It came from across the pond. A shadow, gliding across the surface, with shining, silver eyes. It was the shape of a cat. I threw a rock, hoping to scare it away. The rock sailed through it in flash of lightning and a thunderous roar.
‘Who are you?’ I asked again, my heart pounding in my chest.
‘A ferryman,’ said the creature, with what I could see now, were coins for eyes. ‘But you may call me Silas.’
Slow and Stiff, I stood, fearful once more. It ran through me, like adrenaline. This creature was the cold I feared. The winter taking the joy from my backyard.
It laughed. ‘No Sam, I’m a guide for creatures who need to travel.’ Silas said, answering me as if I had spoken. It floated, just by the water’s edge, high above the ground.
It lit the world, those eyes.
Then I was in my backyard, with Dad talking by the fence with Jackie our neighbour. Marcus kicked a football; Rocky rolled on the grass and I was happy. The winter breeze comes … and I am cold and lonely.
Back, by the campfire it started to rain.
‘There’s no monster of the cold Sam. You’re speaking of perspective. You can choose how you handle change,’ Silas said, with the compassionate voice of a dear friend. ‘Rocky is a creature of unshakeable love, protecting you as you wish to protect him … but he is tired and ready for the beyond. Allow him to choose – that is love … and all the understanding you need.’
Silas’s coin eyes fell from the sky. Then he was gone.
I stood there for a while – thinking – crying – crying, whilst thinking. The campfire still shone bright. ‘Okay,’ I whispered. ‘I’ll try.’
Rocky moved closer, sniffing at my feet. I sat again, letting him put his head on my lap and together we watched the campfire. After minutes, I grew the courage and said. ‘I’ll be okay boy. You don’t need to protect me. Just whereever you go, know I love you.’ And I kissed his head.
The fire got small, but danced in the rain and wind that no longer felt so cold.
To lose our dear friends is never simple; and that morning, my understanding of love meant never saying goodbye. It’s so easy to get greedy. But I learnt that love endures. The decision to let go, no matter how hard … is part of the magic of real love.
Our separate adventures awaited.
I walked my friend to the boat, docked curiously in the small pond. Silas’s coin eyes sat by the water’s edge, shining in the grass. I picked them up and placed them in the boat, paying the ferryman for Rocky’s voyage. He licked my hand and jumped in, sailing away, slow with a big smile. He barked joyously.
I headed back, past the extinguished campfire, full of love for my departed friend.
The Stars Beneath My Bedroom(Michael Dartnell)
The Stars Beneath My Bedroom
Word count: 1399
There’s a place, under the house; beyond the graveyard of broken-down lawnmowers where light couldn’t enter. The Black Hole I called it.
I feared this place.
He’d gone in, I was sure of it. On my hands and knees, I searched, hoping as I crawled over the abandoned TV tables and bicycles too rusted for further adventures, that I’d find him. He’d be happy and dirty, sniffing about the place.
He’d gone in many times. I thought nothing of it, other than I’m glad it’s not me in there. That little tunnel under my bedroom struck fear into my soul.
It had been six years since my first trip into the Black Hole. I’d hoped it would be my last. Monsters lurked in there. I’d encountered eight-legged ones that left my skin itchy and red. But it was the ones I hadn’t encountered; the ones you read about in books that I feared more. So no, I never followed Rocky in. He was tough. I didn’t worry … much.
I’d yell his name and within seconds he’d be at the back door, smiling.
My big, brown Mongrel Bullterrier.
He always came back …
That morning in June mum talked with dad. They spoke quietly and away from my brother Marcus and I. It was difficult to understand much of what they were saying. Only, Old Rock is on his last legs. I’d never heard that expression before. I didn’t like it.
I stood at the backdoor, and called his name.
He didn’t come.
The sun shone, but the cold chill of the winter breeze took its warmth. The backyard felt empty and not only because my dog wasn’t there. It may sound crazy, but the coldness in the air, felt to me like it was stealing its spirit.
I called again.
He didn’t come.
The Black Hole – It had taken Rocky!
I jumped the steps almost tripping as I landed. Ducking the cobwebs I headed under, on my hands and knees, towards the Black Hole. I stopped at its entry. Kneeling, like in prayer, I stared into the place I feared the most, picturing what I may find. I mumbled a few words, asking something out there to keep Rocky and I safe. Then I started to crawl in. Dad was always hoping for problems to fix themselves so never got things done. If I didn’t get Rocky out … he may not come out. This sense of responsibility gave me strength. It was okay to be scared as long as I did what needed to be done.
Into the dark, I shook with every step. The tingle of creatures crawling on my skin came, as I moved further into the tunnel. I slapped at my arms, then my head. They were rolling in my hair, I could feel them. But I found no monsters … just hair.
I heard breathing.
‘You shouldn’t have come,’ a voice said, deep and slow.
I froze.
‘Sam?’ It said louder.
‘Yes?’ my voice echoed.
‘Go home,’ It said. ‘Please.’
My mind could’ve been playing tricks on me. That voice could’ve been the lounge room Television, just above the floorboards, I thought. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t stop me. No quest I’d ever read ended with, he sat there, afraid in the dark … and then went home. I was scared, but I was determined to be strong.
I saw light, flickering ahead.
Light in the Black Hole? I laughed. Nothing made sense. I’d crawled a mile in a tunnel that should’ve been metres long. And now there was light, allowing me to see in the dark. There were no floorboards above me, so I stood. I saw a campfire, crackling small clouds of smoke by a pond. I felt its warmth and saw impossible stars, shining in a sky under my bedroom.
Rocky lay there, by the fire. I smiled, putting aside what didn’t make sense. He smiled back. Relieved to find my pal unharmed, I sat by him and let out a big breath.
‘Sam. This place is not for you,’ said a voice, distant but clear.
I’m not frightened, I told myself. These things – even the ones that bite me – can’t stop me from taking Rocky home.
‘Where are you?’ I asked, then wondered if I wanted to know. Seeing the creature had nothing to do with my mission. I put my strongest voice in my throat and said, ‘Actually, I don’t care. Rocky is coming home!’
I heard a small flurry of wind.
‘Yes, but perhaps a new home,’ said the voice.
‘No,’ I yelled, holding tight to Rocky’s collar so the invisible creature couldn’t take him. A chill blew about us. The campfire seemed to twist and stretch, as the flurries of wind kept coming. I shivered, holding as tight as I could.
‘It’s not your choice to make Sam,’ said the voice, sounding closer.
There was nothing scary about the voice. Amazed at myself I let go of Rocky and raised a funny, little boy’s fist to the sky. ‘Listen!’ I said, gritting my teeth. ‘I don’t know who you are, but we’re leaving. Come on Rock.’
‘That is not your choice,’ It repeated.
‘Be quiet!’ I screamed, then yanked hard at Rocky’s chain. ‘Rocky, Come on!’
He looked at me with big, loving eyes, but didn’t move. Instead he lowered his head and stared at the fire. It danced with the wind.
‘Rocky?’
It came from across the pond. A shadow, gliding across the surface, with shining, silver eyes. It was the shape of a cat. I threw a rock, hoping to scare it away. The rock sailed through it in flash of lightning and a thunderous roar.
‘Who are you?’ I asked again, my heart pounding in my chest.
‘A ferryman,’ said the creature, with what I could see now, were coins for eyes. ‘But you may call me Silas.’
Slow and Stiff, I stood, fearful once more. It ran through me, like adrenaline. This creature was the cold I feared. The winter taking the joy from my backyard.
It laughed. ‘No Sam, I’m a guide for creatures who need to travel.’ Silas said, answering me as if I had spoken. It floated, just by the water’s edge, high above the ground.
It lit the world, those eyes.
Then I was in my backyard, with Dad talking by the fence with Jackie our neighbour. Marcus kicked a football; Rocky rolled on the grass and I was happy. The winter breeze comes … and I am cold and lonely.
Back, by the campfire it started to rain.
‘There’s no monster of the cold Sam. You’re speaking of perspective. You can choose how you handle change,’ Silas said, with the compassionate voice of a dear friend. ‘Rocky is a creature of unshakeable love, protecting you as you wish to protect him … but he is tired and ready for the beyond. Allow him to choose – that is love … and all the understanding you need.’
Silas’s coin eyes fell from the sky. Then he was gone.
I stood there for a while – thinking – crying – crying, whilst thinking. The campfire still shone bright. ‘Okay,’ I whispered. ‘I’ll try.’
Rocky moved closer, sniffing at my feet. I sat again, letting him put his head on my lap and together we watched the campfire. After minutes, I grew the courage and said. ‘I’ll be okay boy. You don’t need to protect me. Just whereever you go, know I love you.’ And I kissed his head.
The fire got small, but danced in the rain and wind that no longer felt so cold.
To lose our dear friends is never simple; and that morning, my understanding of love meant never saying goodbye. It’s so easy to get greedy. But I learnt that love endures. The decision to let go, no matter how hard … is part of the magic of real love.
Our separate adventures awaited.
I walked my friend to the boat, docked curiously in the small pond. Silas’s coin eyes sat by the water’s edge, shining in the grass. I picked them up and placed them in the boat, paying the ferryman for Rocky’s voyage. He licked my hand and jumped in, sailing away, slow with a big smile. He barked joyously.
I headed back, past the extinguished campfire, full of love for my departed friend.
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