Hallucinate

BY HAYLEY FERIGO
Chapter 21

Hallucinate 2

Thirsty, rushing water flowing, with a bitter lemon to flavor. Thirsty, pelting rain pouring from the misty sky, the earth is damp and moist. Thirsty, ice cubes melting in the refrigerator, pouring chilly liquid, Dehydration.3

Courtney's shoes are heavy and sweaty on her feet. Her whole body is covered in perspiration. There is the same scenery all around her, gritty sand until it meets the rugged horizon. Her feet tread along, the pace slowing with each step. She reminds herself with each movement, not too much further. But it seems the reality is; the road never changes direction. She wouldn't be alive by that time. She would never find her family. But she couldn't give up. She was already dead in that empty town, a walking corpse. She had to keep believing, she had to survive. Memories. Her mind is mysterious. Something is becoming unburied, she almost feels she is in the past. Flooding memories.4

The monster is filled with rage. It moves around the room like a shadow, cursing and pacing. Courtney whimpers in the corner, not understanding. Somethings happened. Her mummy's not here. Whats the problem daddy? You protect me from monsters but now I'm afraid. Why daddy? Because you are the monster. Please mummy, tell me where you have gone. The creature pulls Courtney forward, yelling in her pitiful face. He wobbles her head, she becomes dizzy as stars fill her eyes. She is defenseless. The monster then clutches her head in his hands, pulling her close. He mutters words of regret, tears now spilling from his sorrowful eyes. The words he has spoken are screaming in her mind. They will never find out Courtney, never. They won't take you away, you are all I have left. I swear to god I shall never hurt you. She fails to understand. The father returns, the monster now gone. They will never find out.5

Courtney's breaths now come in gasps. She is walking directly towards the setting sun, now a great orange perched atop the mountain crests. In the gathering dusk, the cactus's fling shadows of giants across the pebbled earth. Courtney hears sounds. She thinks of rattlesnakes and scorpions. The desert seems to be a brown wasteland of prickly scrub, whose only propose is to serve as a setting for the majestic cactus's, which look like devils fingers reaching towards the sky above. She walks never ending miles, weaving around the washes and gullies, the Maricopa's looming lavender in the distance. The desert scenery is spinning. The earth is speaking to Courtney. The stars begin to whisper.6

She hears familiar voices. The voices are arguing. Mummy's eyes water, she is pleading innocent. Daddy doesn't show his usual love and affection, nor does he show sympathy. Something is growing inside him, that even he himself can't understand. Its the monster developing. Mummy screams as the monster slaps her pale cheeks. Courtney thinks Daddy should be hugging Mummy instead, but she hasn't seen the monster he is about to become. Mummy throws lamp shades and other objects around the room, admitting secrets. Words bounce around the walls, cheating, unfaithful, divorce. Something flashes in the monsters eyes. He moves closer.7

The desert is misty in the darkness. Creatures come out to hunt at this time of night. Courtney finds shelter in the distance. There is a neglected wooden hut falling apart. She shall survive the night, but tomorrow might be a different matter, she hasn't found food in two days. She follows the moonlight to the shelter, eager to rest her aching limbs. Once inside she lays herself on the sandy floor, shivering as she drifts into restless sleep. Something is stirring inside her. Something is about to reveal itself. 8

The sight is blinding her. Mummy is dragged along by the monster, she is yelping and pulling away. He moves towards the shed, a frown engraved in his face, eyebrows kitted together. Something explodes inside Courtney, she stamps her feet together, pleading at the creature to leave mummy alone. She tells him she will give him so much love he won't need mummy's anymore. He doesn't seem to believe or even hear. Courtney doesn't know whats about to happen but she screams her lungs out. Mummy's clothes are ripping apart, her face is smudged with filth, her beauty hidden by terror. Everything goes pitch black. The screams are deafening. Courtney now understood. The word echoed in her mind. Murder, murder, murder. Her daddy was a murderer. 9

Courtney awakened to the sound of vultures screeching. She lay silent. The plane going to Australia, the men in uniforms. It had been so obvious. Now that the last piece of the puzzle had been fitted into place everything made sense. She had wasted her entire life searching for something that had never existed, a loving family. Dust flew as the first car in days hurtled down the empty road. She almost felt disappointed, she was going to survive. She closed her eyes and decided to let the opportunity pass.10

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LIVING THE SIMPLE LIFE summery12

Answers seem buried in her mind ....... unwilling to reveal themselves.213

Courtney lives in an empty criminal town in the outback of Australia. But her hearts desire is to be in England with her father and she will risk anything.314

Courtney struggles to survive emotionally in a dysfunctional Aboriginal foster family. When her foster brother is seen taken away by the police, Courtney decides to escape.415

Left alone in the dangerous desert, Courtney finds herself dehydrated and starving. The only motivation is the memory of her father. She has to keep believing to survive. Courtney begins to hallucinate and memory's begin to unfold, but when the shocking truth is revealed, will she loose faith and motivation which is essential to her survival?