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Broken by Anais Lazaredes

Winner – Children Category

“Smash!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she sobbed as I raced out of the house. A burning fire of anger smouldered in my chest. I ran, hoping to extinguish the fire. But the fire just burned brighter until it engulfed me. I bolted into the woods, terrified by this anger within me.

I knew that it was only a trinket, but it seemed to keep my heart and soul together; when that snow globe shattered, my heart and soul did too. It was the last gift that had received from my Nanna who sadly passed away. The one gift that I had from her was now a pile of smashed glass and glitter in a puddle of water. I ran. Then I stopped, wheezing and panting. I was lost. I had no clue where I was. I blushed at the thought of the last moment in my room. My friend Dianna had been there. I groaned, realising that this would be all over school on Monday.

Why did I react like that? How would I ever live it down? How do you actually say sorry to a friend when you’ve acted so irrationally?

I stumbled along, exhausted, no idea where I was. The gnarled roots tripped me with every step, as though they were deliberately trying to injure me.

I tried to climb a tree to find my bearings, but my guilt weighed me down and made my several minutes of struggle feel like hours.

Nanna would be so disappointed in me. If she were here, she’d immediately command me to come down. She hated me climbing trees as she said that I’d ‘give her heart-failure’. For the first time ever, I wished that she were here, even if it was just to scold me.

When I finally reached the top, I saw nothing but the sun setting on the horizon. It would be night soon and I had to find my way home before dark, but I was exhausted…and a bit ashamed. I started my descent, but you couldn’t really call it that, more of a tumble and crash from my viewing spot.

Wincing, I got up and brushed myself down and turned at the sound of my name, “Anne! Anne! Darling, where are you?” I ran towards the voice of my mother, arms outstretched, and buried my face in her hair, “Promise me that you’ll never run away,” she sobbed and squeezed the air out of my lungs. “Promise,” I croaked meekly.

We walked slowly, hand in hand back to our home at the edge of the woods. On returning home, my mother insisted that I go straight to bed. Diana wasn’t there, picked up by her mother. I guessed that I would have to apologise in the morning.

I realised that yes the snow globe was important, but I still had memories to remember Nanna. And I still had a future to look forward to with Diana. After all, keepsakes break and get lost, but memories last forever.

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