Creative writing from Year 11 student Harry Hansen

I have been walking for about three hours and I am drowning in my own sweat. I’ve been out in this disguised, wild looking bush where the birds won’t be quiet, trying to get out and I haven’t had much luck achieving that. I’m walking around out here like a headless chook. I have no choice other than to follow my nose and hope for the best.

As I squeeze through tightly packed bush, I feel my body flinching every time a branch scraps across my sweaty skin, trying to hold the pain in, as I grit my teeth. Every step it feels like I am getting tangled in vine-looking bush and losing strength.

Curiously, I make my way weaving through trees, dodging logs and avoiding pot holes. All I see is the rooftop of the trees which is protecting me from seeing the ugly looking, dull sky. I see a blanket of crunchy leaves and rotten logs with Huhu grubs peeping out. As I’m creeping through the thick bush, I see the footprints of the living animals, which are probably watching me cross their territory at this point. I can smell the scent of the spongy mud that is beneath my feet. Also the smell of freshly fallen rain, that drips off the tree leaves and falls down my back. I can feel my woolen socks becoming more saturated with every step I take, as I’m battling my way trying to find Silivar Station.

It came to my mind that my wife and kids are probably sitting in front of the fire wondering where I have got to. I am hoping someone has realized that I’m not back and they have sent people to find me. The sun is falling, it’s almost like I’ve made no progress of finding my way out of here.

So I thought to myself ‘I better make the most of the last of the sunlight’. I make my way curiously trying to find some sort of bush clearing or a sign of making my way out, I look from left to right, scanning for any sort of way escaping to get home to my family.

As I stroll through I spot sun rays beaming at me from a distance from the corner of my eye, at that moment it felt like I had just been given a get out of jail free card, I was buzzing! I used all the energy I had left to sprint to that clearing, and just get the hell out of here. I just emptied what I had left in the tank.

An hour later I was sitting in front of the toasty fire with my family, drinking brew. I thought to myself about how I could of died out there and I’m so lucky to be alive.

By Harry Hansen