A Dramatic Story by a Student!

I love to publish writing by my tutees, and this story is by Aarav.

"Anna, come quick, I have something urgent to tell you, "Jack said in a worried tone.

"What is it Jack, I am really busy right now," Anna chopped back, evidently annoyed at the distraction.

"Th - The hospital called, Mom has one week, " Jack stuttered , tears welling up in his eyes.

“No this can’t be, ” Anna cried in disbelief , crumbling to the floor.

“Wait, wasn’t there that medicine that cures all types of terminal illnesses like this?” Jack remembered,  hoping he had figured out a solution .

“Oh yeah, it’s in the middle of the Misty Woods,” Anna disheartendly muttered.

“ Wait, isn’t that scary woods where they put the hyper-aggressive animals,” Jack said fearfully, as he was really scared of encounters with animals. Just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine.

“Yes, but we have to go, and now we have a week, pack your things and let's go.”

And so, they went towards the Misty Woods, true to its name , with Anna hopeful of retrieving the antidote and Jack dreading the encounters with the animals. As they approached the Misty Woods they finally settled down on some flat land and started setting down their tent. A deep howl emerged from the bushes, followed by an ear-piercing scream from above. From the  sense of dread that filled Jack’s stomach, to the taste of defeat, to  the smell of sweat, everything seemed to be closing in on Jack and Anna. As countless birds, wolves, tigers and even bears started to close in on them they ran, dropping water and food on the way and they sprinted as fast as they could until a log, camouflaged into the background with moss surrounding it , caused Jack and Anna to trip. The tiger, which seemed like the leader of the animals was mere metres away from tearing them both apart.

A train of thoughts ran through both their minds. "What would mum think when she found out that  her children died in her last days?”.” How can we get out of this situation?”. 

Beads of sweat dripped down Jack’s forehead. He was shaking in fear. Time almost came to a halt for the siblings. It was as if everything was in slow motion. 

The thoughts that raced through Anna’s mind were worrying ones. She had brought  Jack here too. She was going to be responsible for his death and just the thought of that made her want to cry. 

However, when Anna couldn't see a possible way out, in what seemed like a flash, Jack rummaged through his bag of the few remaining supplies left and pulled out a phone and threw it at the tiger. 

Jack had thrown the phone with such force and accuracy that it gave the tiger a bloody nose. The other animals were shocked at seeing their leader injured and they scampered back into the woods. This gave Anna and Jack an opportunity to escape, getting further and further away from the life-threatening situation, until the animals were out of sight.

After walking through the woods for hours, Anna went to grab something to eat. Her stomach was growling but as she opened the bag she realised that there was only enough food to last one day. She panicked. They might not make it in time. Now would they die of hunger? She asked Jack whether he had any other food supplies and they both realised that they would have to ration their food and double their speed if they wanted to get the anti-dote on time and make it back. 

As it felt dark, Anna and Jack decided to rest and sleep for the night. They perched themselves on tree tops so that they wouldn’t be supper for the animals. Jack said to Anna that they should take turns to sleep so that one of them could always be on watch in case of any unknown danger. 

The next morning, they finished their remaining food and continued their journey. Now with much lighter bags they could move a lot quicker. They were about to rest when Anna thought that she saw a gleaming emerald in the distance. She convinced Jack to explore that part of the wood. As they closed in, they encountered a dark grey, cold, hard pedestal and on top of it lay a glass vial.

The glass vial was glowing with a green liquid inside. Anna and Jack jumped up and down with excitement as they both knew that they were staring at the antidote. Just as it had been described by the doctor!They had finally found it! The set off on their journey home and the adrenaline of finding the antidote meant that both Jack and Anna didn't feel either hungry or tired anymore. They had managed to get back to hospital with the antidote,  and against the odds , they survived!