Trapped

Sarah and her mum lived in a glass house in the middle of an ocean. They lived there for as long as she could remember. Often, she'd reached out to touch the window before her and found only emptiness. An emptiness that remained after the coldness she felt within herself. She had always been told that the world beyond the window was inhospitable, a place to be feared.

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Her mother warned her about the creatures lurking on the other side of the glass. "They are hungry," she said but did not say anything else.

Now as an adult, she understood that the world beyond the window was home to predators. Some were large, some small; some flew through the air while others slithered along the ground. All were dangerous if one chose to cross their paths.

She thought about the birds that sat outside, pecking away at the seed that hung from its feeder.

Perhaps they knew something she didn't know. Could these winged creatures fly across town? Did they have the strength to travel so far from home?

Perhaps she should ask them.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed in her ears, bouncing back and forth until it disappeared into nothingness. She opened her mouth again and tried once more.

No answer came.

She waited for something to happen, for the sound of an approaching predator or perhaps the call of a bird. But there was only quiet.

She watched in amazement as something moved beneath the window's surface.

As a fish swam closer to the water, she saw something else: a black shadow came out from the depths. Its dark form stretched out, reaching for the hapless fish.

Instinctively, she closed her eyes.

She heard a loud thud and opened up to see the glass had shattered, and the monster that had been trapped inside now crawled free.

Unable to flee out of fear, she watched helplessly as the monster swallowed a fish whole.

"Help me!" she cried. "Please, someone help me."

She called out to the neighbors. No one answered.

They too had their windows, their own lives, to keep them occupied. No one cared about the girl standing at the window, watching as the monster consumed everything in its path.

All hope was gone.

The creature lunged forward, ready to eat her too. She stared in disbelief as the monster tore open a hole in the window.

For a moment, she thought the beast had broken through. But she soon found out her mum was right. She was safer inside the glass house than out of it. She wouldn't last a day outside the window.