“The Mystery” by Allyster 7B

Ryan loved watching the squirrels. Outside the window, brown squirrels were moving around in the blood gold orange leaves Loudly, Mr F rapped his table ‘What are you DOING”! He retreated inwards, cringing as students turned their heads toward him “S Sorry sir”, he mumbled, embarrassedly as laughter rang around the room. Stupid, idiot and dum-dum were just everyday names people threw at him. It didn’t bother him very much, but he had begun to harbour a small ball of hatred for the people who laughed and jeered at him

His only friend in school was the ‘cool kid Alex’. Alex was his only friend, but he was only friends with Alex because of the treatment he got when he was around him When he was walking home from school with Alex, Sam, Gabe and Trish, who usually jeered and laughed at him, smiled politely and greeted him with respect. Every day, Alex used him as his scapegoat, whenever they joked around or threw erasers at the teachers, he was immediately blamed

“Get off the field newbie! You're literally trash!” Alex hollered

“ O-okay, lemme get you a glass of water.” Ryan stammered, feeling angry and hurt. He loved the feeling of being respected, but more than ever, he loved the feeling of having a friend

After being harassed after school, Ryan trod sadly through some fields before reaching his ramshackle house. It was almost midnight and he was a pathetic sight, bruised and bleeding and skinny as a twig “Stupid school, stupid teacher”, he grunted, angrily kicking at the weeds surrounding the porch. After opening the door, he imagined a family waiting for him, ready to support him and help him through his troubles But this fantasy was shattered as he saw his uncle, drunk and splayed across the couch Looking up at Ryan, his uncle spat on the floor.

“What is up with you boy!’ He shouted loudly, raising a fist and hurling his empty bottle of alcohol at Ryan “If you EVER bother me again, I’ll kill you I swear to god.” His uncle groped for the next bottle, drool trickling from his lips but before he could throw it, Ryan ducked and the bottle burst into sharp shards of glass above his head.

SLAM! Ryan strode into his room and locked the door Bright flashes of red raced around his blurred vision Deep inside, he did really love his uncle, but more than anything, he wished that he were more supportive, more caring, more like a real family The next day, Ryan was awoken by a loud knocking on the door He heard men outside shuffling around Confused, he threw off his covers and opened the door

“Boy”, a policeman said, “I’m sorry for your loss We found him in the lake beside your house ”

“Him?” Ryan replied, his voice cracking.

Ryan walked out the house, and stood at the edge of the lake. In shock, he saw his uncle lying there with a tortured expression on his face His skin was puffy and red and he looked the worst Ryan had seen in a while

“Did you hear or see anything?” The policemen asked.

Ryan vaguely nodded, still in shock

He couldn't handle it After hours of staring at his reflection in the water, Ryan eventually found the courage to head back into the house Staring pointlessly from his room, he stepped on a phone The screen cracked and buzzed but it looked functional. After turning it on he gaped at the last message that his uncle had been sent. A message appeared on the screen It was the liquor store owner Ben, demanding he pay his debt It had got to the point where Ben had threatened his uncle that if he did not pay up, he would have to take action Ryan walked slowly away, his footsteps pounding in a rhythmic beat.

As he squatted behind the school wall, Gabe spotted him huddled there. “His uncle’s kicked the bucket!” They jeered ”This loser is gonna go to the orphanage!” They laughed even harder, and threw dirt and twigs towards him Even though he hated his uncle, he couldn’t stand the bullies making fun of his death He grabbed hold of a stone, raised it back and... dropped it. He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t throw the stone. Racked with sobs, Ryan collapsed next to a concrete wall “I can’t do it,” he thought He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut to stem the flow of tears If everybody who made him upset was gone, he would be happy right?

He sat on a wooden chair, reading a newspaper The damp paper grew stiff as the chilly air of winter blew around the room He leaned in, smelling the smoke and remembering faces around him charring into ash The fire that had roared to life in Gabe’s house had killed everyone in the vicinity of the area. Clenching the paper, Ryan stabilised his breathing and reminded himself of his surroundings I'm in the neighbourhood of Surrey, he stated to himself calmly. The police confirmed my uncle drowned in a pool that night. Weirdly, he seemed out of touch with the world and time Every time he closed his eyes, flames flashed and a match thrown into a gas tank, and every time, he woke up from the dream to find himself back in this hell

The cold crack of frost beneath his aching feet startled him Looking over at his reflection, he smiled “Hello, me ” He laughed - but it was not him His frosted facial features were too stiff to move, yet the reflection spoke: “I’ve gotten rid of all your problems. Are you happy now?”

He heard his uncle’s pleas of help echoing in the night. “Water! Help I’m drowning”. He screamed as his face slipped under the lake. “Help me boy!” He shouted,his face mottled with anger and fear. But Ryan stood and stared, watching as his face cries turned into pleads and begs before he sank below the surface and was gone And Ryan laughed into the night sky and he smiled at himself in the water. “I've made your little world a better place ”

He wasn’t sure if he was the person in the mirror or if he was looking at the ice, for he was looking at himself and laughing He reached out and the reflection reached out too, before he watched the reflection draw a grin as he set the world alight Below the insanity, Ryan still held a semblance of his past life Tugging away from the allure of the fantasy, he tried to pull his gaze from his reflection but to no avail. “Come with me”, the reflection smiled through his teeth

“Who would notice that we were gone?”

Painting by Camillo 9A