English Assignment

Short Story Writing

By Madhavi Madala

Salvation

It was an early Saturday morning. The sun was just waking for its day ahead and Sara and Michael were getting ready for the big day. The long awaited day was finally here. After weeks of preparations, their plans were going to come to fruition. ‘The Rock’, they often thought aloud, its mysterious surroundings would be the perfect venue for today’s events.

Sara and Mike, both in their late teens, dressed themselves quietly; not wishing to wake their troublesome father. In the shelter of their own plans, they were blissfully unaware that their plans and actions would change the course of history forever. They tiptoed down the creaky stairs, into the kitchen to grab a last bite, knowing it would be their final meal “in this God forsaken hellhole,” Mike would often say. In silence they ate their Vegemite sandwiches, not needing to say what they knew was in the other’s mind.

It was 5:15. Time to leave. Sara carefully pulled open the twisted wooden doors of the lifeless house and stepped out into the wilderness of the backyard. While he was still rich and successful, their father had bought an opulent mansion on the edge of the forest lining the lower slopes of Mount Macedon. Warmth and love had once filled the house while their mother had still occupied it. Now the mansion was nothing more than a cold empty shell, veiling the sadness and sorrow of a broken family and the malodorous stench of a drunken father. Sara would often wake at night, drenched in sweat and wide eyed in panic, constantly in fear that her father would pull out his belt again. She would lie in her bed, desperately hugging her pillow, the sting of the leather on her bare flesh dying out into a throbbing pain.

The two started the steep ascent through the bush, up the hill towards Hanging Rock. The journey was surprisingly quiet. Since birth Sara and Michael had been inseparable. Their few friends would often ask why they would fraternize with their brother or sister. They were twins … two peas in a pod. They were as alike as two hairs on a balding man’s head. And they walked on so, perhaps for an hour, perhaps more, perhaps less – they had lost complete track of time.

Weaving through waist-high bracken and dogwood, leaping across small boulders and trying to avoid mud puddles, the twins made their way up the rock surface. After climbing for another hour or so, they reached the top of a hill surveying on one side a vast valley of green shrub and patches of dew coated flowers. Bees and butterflies scurried about from flower to flower, blissfully ignorant of the nameless horrors of the world. On the other side, was a cold, dark, desolate looking area, overgrown with weeds and vines creeping onto boulders and a thick canopy of massive trees. Fallen trees and decaying logs were scattered along the dense undergrowth of the woods, providing the homes for various insect and reptilian life forms. They moved forward, dodging overhanging branches and rocks, hearing the snapping of twigs under their feet like the crunching of bones by a carnivorous beast.

By now, the sun was up and high and Sara and Mike were walking through haloes of shimmering light made by the shine of the sun through the canopy of trees, somehow giving them an angelic beauty. Every now and then they would encounter an abyss or dangerous ravine, obscuring their path and constantly giving them a need to change routes. It seemed like they floated across the rough ground, manoeuvring their bodies to the twists and turns of the bush’s jagged surfaces and thick tree growth. A bilby would often pass by and gaze at them in transfixed awe, as

Seventeenth of February 2000

“2 teens missing near Hanging Rock,” the newspaper headlines read. “Exactly one hundred years after the mysterious disappearance of 2 school girls and a teacher, another group of middle aged teens have gone missing at Hanging Rock,”

though trying to tell them something. Why did it do that? Did it know something the twins did not? Was it trying in a last desperate attempt to warn them of an unknown danger?

Dismissing the bilby, Sara turned around to find that they had finally reached the edge of the forest and had entered the picnic ground. The place was a cleared patch of tables and camping ground, just overlooking a cliff edging away into the ocean. Michael absently stepped forward eyeing the area, and tripped over a loose stone, falling over in an embarrassing display of awkwardness, much to the amusement of his sister. Humiliated and slightly wounded, he made his way over to the edge of the cliff, looking out into the emptiness of the vast ocean. ‘Are you sure about all this?’ he asked, uncertainty evident on his face. ‘I mean, is this the only way?’

‘Come on,’ said Sara reassuringly. ‘Think about it. We could have our old lives back. We could be loved again and be free of all the misery we’ve had to be put through for so long. And besides, it’s not like we’re leaving behind anything important.’

‘I suppose not. Well, I guess this is it then. You ready?’

‘Ready as ever.’ With that, they held hands and jumped, plummeting into the foamy blue waters and jagged rocks at the base of the cliff.

Flying, as free as a bird. That’s what it felt like in that last fleeting second as they came hurtling down into the jagged rocks and raging waters of the deep blue sea. Darkness consumed them as they penetrated the water. Sara found herself waking to the chirping of birds, the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings and the caressing breath of a gentle wind. Was this the place? As she looked around, she saw flowers forming a pathway as far as the eye could see, until it curved away behind a fence of hedges. Roses, hydrangeas, lilies, begonias and with a gasp she noticed pansies in patches of red, purple and pink, their gentle fragrance reaching out to her, teasing her to join them. She turned to see Michael sprawled on the ground, his breath coming in deep, heavy bursts. Running over, Sara tenderly rested a hand on his cold cheek. Almost at once, the warmth from her fingers spread through his body, enveloping him, his breath returning to normal. He slowly opened his eyes, momentarily blinded by the brightness of the area. Looking up, he recognised the place immediately. The lush green grass, the flowers, and the deep blue sky. He had often dreamt of the place, as had Sara. He would wonder how such a beautiful place could be confined to only the depths of his mind. ‘How long have we been here,’ he asked only to find that the other did not know. Suddenly he remembered something from his recurring dreams. Something that was missing from here.

‘I know,’ Sara said knowing what he was thinking. ‘I don’t know where she is either. But we have to find her, Mike. That’s why we’re here.’ Nodding, Mike followed her, walking through the swaying flowers which seemed to be whispering this way… this way. The path twisted and turned until it finally ended in a mahogany archway. And there she was in a single white gown, her long golden hair flowing onto her shoulders, a loving smile on her pale, beautiful face. ‘Mum,’ Sara muttered, running to her, loving her warm embrace, all hatred and bitterness leaving her as she knew that from now she would be happy. Happy in a mother’s embrace.

“2 teens missing near Hanging Rock,” the newspaper headlines read. “2 teenage siblings have been found to be missing. Following an investigation and several attempts by the local community to find them, tracks were found heading up towards Hanging Rock. However, the tracks seemed to have disappeared at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. It is thought that the two twins had committed suicide on Valentine’s Day three days ago. The area has been famous for its connection to the mysterious disappearance of several members of Appleyard College exactly one hundred years ago. No further details have been revealed by local authorities and investigations are still taking place to solve this Valentine’s Day tragedy.”

Madhavi Madala