Creative Writing homework

Senses, Pain and Shoes

For this, I was told to adapt my writing from what I was doing in class. We were instructed to create short stories (or flash fiction) based on the senses, pain and a pair of shoes. I will say I'm not very proud of the last two but I do like the first one and hope you do too.

The soft crackling crunch echoed from my boots as I made my way up the uneven path. Looking up, my eyes gazed around at the dancing trees, the wind swaying them gently. I liked to sometimes come up here, as it was a place I could be at peace and be left to my thoughts. I loved the way the leaves tumbled down from their branches and the way the sunlight pierced through every tree. There was just something about this place that was... perfect.

Now the path merged with the rocky landscape and I had to clamber over fallen trees and boulders, which were most likely there because of previous landslides. The rough rock grazed my skin and battered my clothes as I slid to the safety of the other side, almost making me lose my balance. My feet carried on leading me upwards, towards the top where I always went. When I finally reached there, I let myself sit down, close my eyes and listen...

The hushed sound of Woodlarks and Blackbirds cracked through the morning breeze and was carried far away. If I opened my mouth in just the slightest way, I could almost taste the sweet air and smell the soft dew of the damp grass I was sat on. Silently, my eyes opened and I stared at the wonders in front of me. From here, I could see the outgoing forest and the trees within it. Each one seemed to twinkle in the light and every now and then, a bird or two would dart across them and out of my sight. In the distance, I could hear the faint cry of someone calling and their dog barking back. My back began to ache, so I allowed myself to lay down onto the spongy grass, the hairs of my neck spiking at the crisp droplets which rested on the blades with me. Although the back of me was cold, my front was hugged by the sunrays, leaving me half warm. I couldn't help but smile as my eyelids closed once again and I let myself slip away into a familiar, hazy dream.

My heart leapt as I awoke with a start. On my leg, I could feel a sharp pain, which scratched away at my skin. I swiftly sat upwards to check what was there but became calm once again once I saw it was just a couple of twigs, which must have slipped from one of the branches above me. My fingers soon threw them to one side and I got up, stretching my body. The sun had now travelled further towards the middle of the sky and so I decided to head off home to do whatever awaited me. I took one last glance at the beautiful view before making my way back down towards the way I had come.

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My mind was blank as I scrolled down my Facebook, each post being clicked, watched and then blurred away with another swipe. There wasn't usually much on my newsfeed but I sometimes liked to flick through and look at an image or video every now and then. Silently, I came to the next post. It was a shared video from one of my friends from school and seemed to be another harmless animal rights campaign from another well-known celebrity. This time it was someone called Stella McCartney and had the topic of why she didn't use leather. I thought I might as well watch it, as I had nothing better to do, so clicked the video and turned the volume up. It began harmlessly; Stella McCartney began talking about what the video was going to be about.

Then the images began.

Animals- cows, sheep, rabbits- dangling by their feet on conveyer belts, all struggling to move. What was this? Men and women with sharp knives sliced easily through their skin and opened it up, revealing the blood. Oh my god. The clip changed, now showing cows locked in pens as they were herded one by one into a small cage, the gates at the end locking their heads in place. They couldn't move, they couldn't escape. It cut to what she said was dehorning, red emerging from the white horns. Her voice continued to speak, telling me that everything I was seeing was done without anaesthetics. The cows cried- they screamed- and I knew I couldn't bear to watch anymore. But even though I wanted to click off, even though I wanted to get it out of my mind, I couldn't find the will nor strength to move. I just watched and as I did, my heart raced faster and faster.

The images cut again to another hanging cow.... No! My mind screeched at me to stop it the second I saw the blade the man held but I couldn't do anything. No, no, no, no, no, please....He soon ripped the skin off of the innocent creature and my eyes watched in horror as the streams of red gushed down its flesh. No. Oh god no. I thought I could keep it in but the second she said it- the second I realised- I lost it. This was being done to them while they were still alive, while they were still conscious. Oh my god. Tears blurring my sight, the images finally cut back to the woman and I tried my best to forget the images, the screams but the clip was soon cut back to herds of cows being led to their deaths. I watched as the herders broke their tails and rubbed chilli peppers into their eyes. Stop it. Stop it now! I went to lift my hand but the second I did, I thought to myself no. You're half way there. Be strong, be stronger than you are. Watch it. Watch it! My hand dropped. The images moved to another conveyer belt. Only one or two were kicking their hooves but when they did, sprays were turned onto them, chemicals spread all over their bodies. I couldn't watch this anymore but when I finally went to stop it, the images stopped and I was greeted a last time by the woman, who ended the video, leaving me alone with my thoughts. My mind flashed back through all the clips and images and sounds and all the lives lost until only one thing remained in my thoughts, the first and only thing I could think and I couldn't bear to realise what I had only just come to ask myself; What have we done?

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Sarah made her way through the room and towards the small chest of drawers, which rested in the corner. Her finger wrapped around the nearest handle and tugged it open, revealing the piles of tiny trousers, shirts, dresses and even diapers. A soft smile crept onto the corners of her mouth as she closed the drawer and opened the next. This one was full of books and toys but it still wasn't what she was looking for and so she closed it. Sarah's arm reached down to the last drawer but she couldn't quite reach. Her body leant forward but the handle was still too far away, so she stood herself back up to catch her breath.

"You're really taking your toll." She giggled at her stomach

"Need some help?" a voice asked from the doorway

Looking up, the woman saw her sweetheart and son entering. The boy rushed over and gave his mother a hug.

"Danny said he wanted to see his sister's room." They told their pregnant fiancée "Plus, I figured you'd need a little help."

"Thank you." She answered, taking rest on the nearby sofa "Danny?"

"Yes?" the boy chirped back

"Would you be a darling and open that bottom drawer for me?"

"Yes mummy."

As he did what she had asked, Robin sat next to their fiancée, softly kissing her cheek.

"What is it you want out of there?" they asked her, cuddling them closer

"Just those." She smiled back as she pointed

"These?" Danny asked

"Yeah."

Danny brought them over to his parents, gave his mum what she had wanted and perched himself onto Robin's lap. Sarah held the little shoes up to her stomach and stared at them. Each shoe just fitted in her palms and felt so delicate to her touch.

"Those were yours when you were little." Robin told their son "Before that, they were your mother's."

"Why did you want them mummy?"

"I'm just wondering what they'll look like on your sister and if she'll like them." She answered, gently stroking the soft fabric

"She's going to love them." Robin told her

"Can I have some chocolate now?" Danny asked

"Go on then." Sarah chuckled

He ran out of the room, leaving the two alone. Robin stood up with ease but Sarah struggled, eventually needing the help given by her fiancée's hands.

"Now I know what it was like for you." She giggled to Robin

"It kills but it's worth it." She smiled back

"Yeah... speaking of which, we better go check to make sure he doesn't eat all of our treats."

The two made their way to the doorway but when they got there, Sarah realised she still had the shoes. Robin took them back to the drawer and closed it, leaving the room with Sarah's hand resting in her hand.