• Mystery/Thriller Genre Winner of the 2018 Fruit Awards •
Just imagine, for a moment, that you were trapped; trapped inside a book, a story with no way out. Just imagine that you weren't real, only a character, only a work of fiction. Just imagine...
Songs to listen to while reading: Turn Your Face by Little Mix Safe Inside by James Arthur
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"She's awake."
I groaned slightly, struggling to stay conscious. My fingers instinctively twitched and felt around, coming into contact with a pair of soft bedsheets.
What the heck?
My eyes flickered open, but I instantly regretted it and screwed them tightly shut again. A small lamp was sitting on the table next to my bed. It wasn't very bright, but to me, it's dim flame seemed to pierce my very skull, giving me a splitting headache. I began to cough, my chest heaving with pain.
"Quick, Reg, bring her some more broth and a towel too," a woman's voice instructed him urgently.
I heard the sounds of someone's boots clomping across the floor and a door opening and closing.
I heaved a deep sigh and whispered in a cracked, ragged voice, "Where am I?"
"No need to worry, my dear, you're safe now," came the kindly response.
Slowly, I opened my eyes again, relieved that they had adjusted to the room I was in. There was a small, open fireplace at one end of it and a strong, sturdy bed frame, the one on which I rested, situated at the other end. A closet and a row of roughly-made wooden cabinets lined the wall to my left. The wallpaper was a light brown colour, giving the room a rustic look. An elderly woman, who sported glasses and a tight greying bun, was seated in a chair by my side, a basket of knitting by her feet.
"W-what ... what is this place?" I inquired, my mind muddled with confusion and anxiety.
"Wait till Reg gets back with the broth," the woman replied. "Eat first and then, we'll tell you everything."
I shook my head and laid back. This was the second time in a very short period that I'd been knocked unconscious and woken up with no recollection whatsoever of the events that'd happened beforehand.
What is wrong with me? I wondered desperately, rubbing my temples with my fingers. This is getting beyond insane.
Just at that moment, the door swung open and Reg walked in, carrying a container of broth and a small hand-towel. Together he and the woman helped me sit up and spoon-fed me, refusing to answer any of my numerous questions until after I'd eaten.
Finally, they both settled down on the edge of the bed, their hands interlaced.
I looked at them expectantly, my eyebrows raised. "Well? How did I get here?"
"We found you, unconscious, in the woods," the woman explained. "At first, we were both woken up to some major racket going on from the town of Precipitous. We had never heard the like before. So we both went outside and ventured a little ways into the forest to see what was going on. Reg was looking through his binoculars and saw you tumbling down the hill. Later you collapsed and he set out to fetch you. I returned home and began preparations for your arrival."
