“All in my Head” by Emeline 9B

The thuds of people falling are preceded by deafening gunshots, one after another. The coppery smell of blood. Pain in my arm My breath grows shorter and shallower as I feel my knees buckle The last thing I see are the grim faces of soldiers as they carry me to the camp Then, darkness

The light streamed in through a gap in the curtains, waking Margaret from her sleep She groaned as she tossed and turned, eventually half rolling half dropping out of bed The alarm went off, and Margaret rubbed her sore back as she reluctantly hobbled into the bathroom to get dressed, cursing the strict elderly care schedules - a seven in the morning wake up call Out of nowhere, a car engine started on the street below, loud as a gunshot.

The gunshot still rings in my head, as a nurse bandages up my wound Her eyes look up to me to scan my face In them, the unspoken question, what is a woman doing on the battlefield? To make an answer up would be to lie to my own country, yet to reveal my identity, a crime punishable by death

Immediately, Magaret began to weave possibilities for such a fast getaway at such an early time, switching on an almost dormant feeling in the corner of her mind - excitement She squinted out of the window, taking the scene all in, when she caught something out of the corner of her eye - a shadow - so brief she would have missed it were she not paying attention. Her mind instantly perked up, rejuvenated.

I still have the sense to keep quiet, to simply ignore the nurse’s searching eyes. Instead, I contemplate my decisions and thank that British military jacket - the only item that confirms my identity as an ally Had I not been wearing that out there - I don’t dare to think about how I would have been left to bleed to death

At that moment, Margaret felt as if she dared to do anything - as if she could do anything She grabbed her walking stick and attempted to clamber out of the window with a childish sense of glee A hint of guilt tugged her mind about leaving Eddy - her husband - at home; it was soon replaced by a playful grin that worked across her face as she headed to where the shadow escaped to Just like in the olden days, she thought to herself excitedly. Except this time, it’s all real. No more games.

No, no, no, no, I think to myself, distress replacing gratitude, as I feel around my jacket My documents! This can’t be real, it can’t be. The documents that I am - was - in charge of, that I was responsible for, are missing. A feeling of dread starts to creep its way in, wrapping its bony claws around my heart and clasping on tight The thought of those precious documents in someone else’s hands, especially the German’s, makes me feel sick to the stomach. Where could they have gone? No, no, no.

Yes, Margaret thought to herself as she caught sight of the fleeing shadow again The wind brushed her brittle hair, and rattled her frail body as she ran, waving her walking stick in the air. To others around her, the sight was quite something Hair curlers falling off, dressed in a nightie, and barefoot, the old lady could hardly have attracted more attention. Yet unknown to all observers, Margaret was pursuing a dangerous fugitive who had just robbed the museum of some incredibly valuable documents, and had, as became increasingly apparent, just missed her getaway ride

Everything is going wrong today First, I miss my ship ride as a stowaway to England, which landed me here, and now I have lost the most important documents of this war - they shouldn’t have sent me I know a woman seems less threatening, less suspicious, yet I look incongruous amongst the motley of injured and ill men.

As the conspicuous old lady raced down the street, she stopped suddenly, panting, at 3A Wimbledon Road, and knocked three times. Before long, out came a young man, not more than twenty years old, bleary eyed from sleepiness As soon as he had gotten a proper look at Margaret, his eyes widened in shock and he took a step back

“Grandma?! What are you doing here?”

“Shhh you’ll attract too much attention Mikey! I’m tracking down a criminal who just so happened to pass my window as I was getting ready The problem is, she’s led me on a wild goose chase and I haven’t the foggiest idea where she is.”

“Oh, grandma,” Mike rubbed his brow wearily

The general rubs his brow disapprovingly “First, you fail, losing the documents completely, possibly even to the Nazis,” he spits the word out, “and to top that off, you get people to notice you ” His accusations cut through me, sharp as a knife, and I hang my head in shame.

“I’m sorry, you’re just not cut out to be a spy.”

“I don’t have time for your games right now I need to get ready for school Chem starts in an hour”

“Games?” Margaret scoffed “No, these are not games It is real Eddy’ll tell you ”

“Grandpa Eddy?!” Mike couldn’t mask the surprise in his voice. “He died in the war, and I know you’ve been having a hard time acknowledging that, but you have to put that behind you ”

I reach my front door when I realise something is wrong. The door swings open by itself, welcoming me back. Immediately, I’m on guard, gun at the ready Once inside, I find my house in a wreck, my belongings are strewn aside and the windows are shattered. My heart is in my throat, pounding hard and fast, but as I step into my bedroom, it stops

Margaret’s heart was racing. “Eddy? Dead? No it can’t be. I just spoke to him last night!” She turned on Mike with wild eyes

Lying in bed is my Eddy, peacefully dozing away, but for the unmistakable hole in his left chest, crimson in colour, stark against the white bed sheets

Mike rubbed his eyes, “You’ve been having your visions again? Oh grandma I’ll text Mrs Malone to get you ”

This is my fault. MY fault. I gave us away.

“No don’t, Eddy’s alive!” Margaret was indignant “Just help me catch this criminal ” She desperately searched for ways to escape from this reality.

Tell me this isn’t real Please

Mike let out a resigned sigh as he looked into Margaret’s eyes, full of unshed tears “Okay grandma, one more time ”

Margaret smiled, clapping him on his back. “Attaboy! One question. After a lifetime of draining my tears, I get up, kiss my Eddy goodbye, and pack my things - I can’t risk them finding little Tessie, who will never know her father now As I head for the door, ready to disappear and never come back, I look back, one last time When I speak, my tone spills over with sadness. “Oh, Eddy,”

“Who would notice that we were gone?”