Windy Valley Secondary – Trials of the Young and Restless

by Shane Ann Connell 19.DEC.08

Miriam could see that she was trapped. The doorway was crowded by a group of policemen. A short, stout man, who Miriam immediately recognised as the detective, was asking the nurses questions. He ordered a few policemen to stay behind and the others to accompany him. They began to proceed towards Miriam. Miriam knew that there was nowhere to run.{{more}}

They would have lots of questions for her: How did she survive? Where did she live? She had already rehearsed the answers. She just needed to make sure she did not implicate Ras and his family.

As the detective got closer, she could clearly see his stern face, the deep creases on his brow. He looked at her. There was no smile on his face, no warmth in his eyes; he was on a mission. The detective looked away as he and the other policemen walked pass her and continued to Susan’s room.

Miriam breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t believe her luck. The disguise was working; after all, they were looking for a fair skinned, slender girl with long jet black hair.

Not a tubby boy with a short-cropped hair. Miriam smiled to herself. She felt confident that the other policemen at the entrance would not recognise her either. With her head held high she went to the doorway, but then froze. Her smile disappeared. The last person she wanted to see had walked in, her father.

As was his custom, he was wearing a suit with a white shirt. His heavy jaw was covered with a neatly trimmed beard, and his straight greying hair had a side part. Miriam knew that even in disguise, her father would recognise her. She couldn’t risk him seeing her. She needed to hide. Her only salvation was to hide in the toilets. If only she could get there before he saw her.

Her father was in discussion with the policemen; they pointed in the direction of Susan’s room. Her father thanked them and proceeded in Miriam’s direction. Miriam panicked, her father was coming for her. Miriam needed to hide in the toilet if she was going to be safe. She tried to open the door, but realised that it was locked, someone was inside.

She impatiently tapped on the door.

“Wait nuh” said the voice behind the door.

“Hurry up, please – please I want to vomit,” but the person behind the door sucked her teeth.

As her father got closer, she swore she could smell the strong odour of whiskey. It made her nauseous. The closer he got, the stronger the stale odour became. She repeatedly knocked on the door, again and again.

Everything was moving too slowly. She heard the toilet flush, yet the person took her time to come out. Miriam pressed her body hard against the door, willing her body to somehow melt through. Her father’s voice boomed again as he gave orders that under no account should anyone leave the building.

Then she heard a loud click, as the door was unlocked. Miriam opened the door and she forcibly pushed pass the woman, and was violently sick in the toilet. The person who left the toilet expressed her disgust and closed the toilet door for her. It was just in time, as she heard her father’s voice passing by.

At last she was safe, but how was she going to get out of the hospital now?

The Windy Valley Secondary series is fictional. Any resemblance to real events, places or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.