This is my short story to section 2 in the 2001 HSC paper...there are some mistakes and some stuff that I'd change but I'll just leave it how it was...but it was done in about an hour...
DUMBFOUNDED!
'Woah!' Sitting straight up I start to rub my head, a searing pain running through my brain, throbbing rapidly. Blink. Blink. Slowly I get to my feet and sift the surrounding environment. Where am I?
Dead, grey-black plantations are scattered everywhere within my view: standing in front of me, hanging over my head and lingering along my peripheral vision. Red, hard terrain lies beneath my feet with large crevasses firming, allowing a dwelling for small, unknown creatures. I strain my head, working my brain to it's full extent, wondering, where am I? Am I dreaming? (A pinch on my arm says no). How did I get here? Am I on a different planet? Well there's only one way to find out.
I set out on my journey through the thick, dense forest, impertinent with what evil or what good things feed on this land. Slowly the dead silence creeps up on me, its annoyance springing to mind. Not even the sound of wind could be heard, nor its touch could be felt.
An hour's wandering has led me to the edge of the dark, ominous woods and now what lies before me is the one thing that I have been praying for - civilisation! A broad smile forms on my face as I pick up my pace, thinking about all the answers to my questions, thinking about safety in a domestic world, thinking about...food! Now that I think about it my mouth begins to water as I picture soft, iced cupcakes and cookies accompanied with a nice warm cup of coffee.
'Woohoo!' Closer and closer I get, bigger and bigger the town becomes. Seeing the houses and vehicles give me a sense of belonging and acceptance.
Suddenly the sound of music drums in my ears. Boom, boom-boom...boom...it sounds so eccentric and unfamiliar, painful to my ears, yet soothing to my soul. Just having some noise drowning out the dreaded silence is quite fulfilling vecause for a moment there I tho-
'Wha-!'
My heart skips a beat and I hold my breath. Slowly I take a few steps back and cautiously turn my head to peer into the perfectly screened window. I gape, my jaw hangs down to the ground. My eyes grow round, fixated on the most horrendous creatures I have ever laid my eyes upon. Words cannot describe these foul beasts, dancing to a beat much different to that back home. Is this for real? I attempt to rub my eyes for verification but my arms lay numb at the sides. Thoughts fly through my head, too fast for me to catch and a dizziness feeling sweeps upon me.
A glance is thrown at my direction and my heart tightens into a knot. Instantly I am faced by everyone, who continue to dance. I try to run but my legs have implanted themselves into the blue earth.
The monsters start dancing out of the house, out of every house. The whole town seems to have noticed my presence. I don't know how they knew but I can't stop and wonder about it. After much struggling to get my feet working I race up the hill, running and running as fast as I can, an adrenaline rush fills my veins, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.
I look back and come to a complete halt. They have stopped persuing me and I stand there watching them eerily dancing below me. Something seems to be stopping them. I look in fron tof me and I see the dead forest, with its hollow remains hiding in the dark shadows.
What do I do? I'm caught in the middle...stuck. I become confused and just hypnotically stare at the purple sky, and even though I am faced with a life threatening dilemma, a feeling of peace and serenity momentarily surges throughout my body. The natural scenery gives me the answer. No longer did the dead woods liik frightening...it looks beautiful and I walk into it without a doubt, oblivious to the aliens below.
