The Death Toll

Ayla was her name. It meant light, but her eyes were dark, clouded and unreadable. The sun in the sky lit up the town she lived in, but everywhere she went, she brought darkness. Flowers bloomed on the bright green grass she walked on, but to her, the ingenuous field felt like cold, hard concrete. At night, the stars shone and sparkled, but she closed her eyes, hoping to shut them out. The moon called out to her and the crickets sang in perfect harmony, but the only tune she heard was that of her own heartbeat. Laughter and music filled the ears of the town’s people as they danced through the night, but the only music in her ears were wild screams.

Nobody knew her. Nobody cared enough to, but she was never truly alone. She had the screams with her, the voices around her and the shadows she swore she saw, but couldn’t quite touch. She spent her days trying to kill them, kill the shadows that taunted her, but she never got as close as to catching them. They surrounded her, whispered to her, and glared at her. They told her stories.

Stories of those who had died painfully, in agonizing ways and stories of those who still live on, but only await their death. Stories of those who brought light, happiness and glory to their name and stories of those who tried but have failed. Stories of those who chose right and are loved and stories of those who chose wrong and are outcasted.

But the stories she loves the most are the ones where the person doesn’t know exactly where they belong. Besides, not everything is wrong or right, light or dark, white or black. There are some shades of grey.

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Emma is a ninth grade student in Ontario, Canada. She is a 14 year old human rights

activist and animal lover. When she was writing this piece, her main inspiration was the dark and eerie novels of Anothony Burgess such as A Clockwork Orange. As a major YA Fantasy reader, Emma has read a lot about shadows and they intrigue her because of the mysterious aurora surrounding them, so she added them into her own written piece.

Her Instagram: @emma_li_06

NERAK on Instagram: @nerakwrite