Story Contest 2017 #1 - Outstanding Stories » A Wild Kenyan Dream

“A Wild Kenyan Dream” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual Short Story Contest 2017 written by Alekna Paul, The Netherlands.

A Wild Kenyan Dream

The blazing sun shone through the windows. Its warmth burnt my back. As I tried to get up from the hard mattress, which was laid on the muddy floor, there was a knock at the door. Stumbling onto my feet, I staggered to the sound of knuckles banging on dense wood. It was my friend, Hasana. She's tall, has straight hazelnut hair and is just an ordinary school girl, like me.

If you were wondering, I have no parents. No siblings. No proper home. My parents died 7 years ago in a car crash. They were walking across the street of Nairobi City when a car came towards them at alarming speed. Then death, for both of them. I'm an only child and I live in a small home. The only thing I have left is my school. Every day, at exactly 07:00 a.m., Hasana comes to my door and we walk to school together. But today was different.

As usual, Hasana arrived and together we strolled to Nairobi Academy. However, out of nowhere a black Jeep approached. We knew what this meant and it was not good. I broke into a run. My heart was thumping, my head spinning. I felt like I was going to die, just the same way as my parents did.

The next minute I knew, a dusty old sack was flung over my head and I couldn't see a thing. I screamed and yelped as hard as I could and even my lungs started to hurt. But then, my mouth was shut with masking tape. I felt a pair of hands grip tightly around mine and I was pushed into what I think was the Jeep like some sort of game called pass the parcel.

I was alive though. So was Hasana. I couldn't believe we made it but, something wasn't right. We weren't at the school nurse’s office, or at home. As I was wondering where we were, I heard a voice. Instantly, I laid back down and closed my eyes. "WHERE ARE THEY!" I heard a man shout in a deep raging voice. "W-where a-are w-what s-s-sir?" Another man replied with a stutter. I could hear footsteps marching up and down the echoing room with a grunt from the man with a deep voice. 5 minutes later, the sound of the footsteps faded away and I fell asleep again.

After an hour, a hand was on my shoulder shaking me. My mahogany coloured eyes slowly started to open. It was Hasana. "Wake up Amani, wake up!" She whispered in my ear. My eyes flickered and I squinted to see a dark damp dungeon.

Immediately, I sat up in complete and utter confusion. I looked around, but I wasn't in the dungeon that I saw 10 seconds ago. I was at my home with Hasana at my side. " Haraka Amani, quickly or we're going to be late for school. I was shouting from outside for you to open the door but then I found the key in the flower pot."

"What?"

"Just come on Amani or I'm leaving without you."

"Coming, coming" I said hurriedly.

As Hasana and I shut the door behind us on the way to school, I thought of the dream I had. The last time I dreamt was 7 years ago when my parents died. That reminded me today was my birthday and the death anniversary of my parents.