I could have saved her!

By Mahe Shah

This piece is about a dream I had recently. I usually never remember my dreams once I wake up, let alone ones so surreal and unrealistic! that's why i decided to record most of the details down as a short story, and selected a small section of it to use as an arc submission.

I was almost out of the door, Just as the threshold when my mom called my name. This was typical of her, the last minute errands that never ended. My phone was silently buzzing with the thousand and eleven messages from angry teen boys, all waiting for me - their star goalie. With an inpatient grunt, almost about to lash out at the woman responsible for my existence, I turned around and went back inside. All the time, tired eyes glued to my lifeline - the smartphone, multitasking between replying to the text and scrolling social media.

I was not prepared for the scene in front of me…. The reeking smell of blood got me confused. I looked up and spotted a pair of legs behind the sofa. With my curious mind, I went to check without knowing that this sight could change my life. Every step I took, the smell got stronger and stronger, leaving me terrified. I looked down, hoping this was all the dream, as tears filled my eyes, I took a step back. I saw my mom lying on the floor with her neck slashed, I could not tell if she was alive or already dead. I stood still not knowing what to do, with my trembling hands, I picked up my phone and quickly called an ambulance. Splash! I kneed down with my pants covered in blood, to check if my mom was still breathing. I could not feel her pulse, It was as if her body was not functioning. I tried pumping her heart, but nothing worked. I felt as if my whole life was coming to an ending, I could not even imagine what I would do without my mom. I kept believing that there was still hope for her but I knew that she was gone for good. If I was not so preoccupied with my phone, this would have never happened. I promised myself that I would find whoever did this and give my mom the justice she deserves.

I could hear the ambulance’s sirens outside my apartment and in less than two seconds the doctors arrived at my doorstep. Some cops also arrived at the scene and started questioning me. Everyone in the neighborhood was curious about what had happened. They carried my mom to the ambulance and left in a jiffy. The cops promised me that she would be alright and that they could save her but I knew that it was all a lie. Growing up I never had a dad, my mom would tell me stories about him and say that he was a brave and kind-hearted person. I knew that I would be sent to an orphan as I was still young to live alone, I was scared that I would never get the chance to play football again. After the cops finished questioning me, they started to look around for any clues or hints that could lead to the murderer. I was quietly sitting in a corner crying thinking about this accident and how I could ever live without my mom. I started to remember all the sacrifices she had done for me and how I never thanked her or appreciated it. The police told me that I had to gather my things and come with them to the police station as I was not allowed to stay at the crime scene. I asked the police what was going to happen to me but they told me not to worry, but obviously I was petrified. After waiting for a few hours in the police station as they were inspecting my house, they told me something that shocked me, though I had already predicted it……

After a few months had passed, I got adopted by a new loving family. Staying in that orphanage felt like an eternity, almost all the kids were getting adopted except me as no one wanted a 14 year old boy. I was really grateful to my adopted family, but there was still a huge burden in my heart that stopped me from believing them as my real parents or calling them “mom” or “dad”. I went to a new school, but that did not stop me from continuing to play football with my old school friends. I still remember that day when I was sent to the police station, they told me that my mom had died while they were performing the surgery. I knew that it was coming but I couldn’t help but cry over the fact that this was all my fault. I had to take therapy lessons to get over my horrific childhood but there was one thing that could never leave my mind which was to find the murderer who murdered my mom.

The end

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Rationale:

This piece is about a boy who lost his mom because he was too focused on his phone. I am more comfortable writing dark and sad stories as, to me, brainstorming ideas and developing unique ways to scare the readers is easier than other genres (not technically scare them).