Outstanding Stories » Lost

“Lost” is one of the outstanding stories (sub-junior) of the second biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Suryansh Virmani, GIIS (PG Smart Campus), Singapore.

Lost

I, like so many of other normal kids, keep losing my erasers, pencils, water bottles, lunch boxes and all other random things. I could never, however, let go of the idea that maybe these things don’t stay left in one place. Maybe they get life the moment they are lost and start scavenging around. Or maybe they time travel. As I think about these things, I also wonder what happens to lost pets or kids that are reported missing to be never found again.

I did not need to wait long to find my answers. One evening, after school, I had an argument with my mother about studying for exams and staying away from television. As we quarrelled, I felt extremely annoyed so I quickly opened the main door and rushed out into the streets under the starry night sky. I was running really fast so I could get away from my mother, who was following me.

I didn’t know how but all of a sudden I went out cold.

I found myself walking on fine silk, and when I looked down I saw nothing but whiteness. I then looked around and saw nothing again but whiteness. I realized that I stepped on something solid so I picked it up. On it were written the words –

Feriza Velazquez

It was my eraser. The one I had lost in my classroom when Carlos was juggling with a few erasers, including mine, and dropped it under the desk.

I couldnot understand what was happening. I knew that it would impossible to find my eraser here, in such an odd place, so I looked around more. I found a pencil - which had the same markings carved out. I knew that I had to be in a parallel world where all lost things go.

As I kept walking, I came across my friend – Alejandro, who went missing playing football on the streets. His parents and the police are still looking for him everywhere. He looked very filthy, his clothes were torn and his palms and feet were muddy. Alejandro stretched out his hand so that he could shake hands with me. I reached out my hand and touched his palm. He smiled. But suddenly through the corner of my eyes, I saw his legs were disappearing into flakes. It reached to his head and just like that, all of him was gone. Then I fell out cold again.

I found myself in the arms of my mother. She was sobbing. I started to sob as well. I really did not want to go there, get lost again. I know now that I want to stay with my mother – I’m glad she found me when she did.