She Stole My life

Amal’s POV (14-year-old Amal) “Amal, don’t go near the riverbank, the tide is too strong!” My mother’s loud voice echoed from uphill to the lonely riverbank, but I continued running anyway. “Amal, stop… stop running!” “Mummy, I am careful enough!” I shouted back while still running towards the river as the wind blew my hair all over the place. I looked back and saw her expression, which was a mixture of worry and hesitation, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I continued running. Soon I stopped close to the riverbank, tapping my feet near the shore as the waves washed up to my legs while I pretended they were chasing me before running back again. I could faintly hear my mother cursing as she threatened to report me to my father, but I didn’t care. Living close to the beach had its own perks. I could choose to be the first or the last person on the shore and enjoy nature when everywhere was quiet, with little or no strangers around. Only the cries of the seagulls and the sound of the waves filled the silence. Soon, I sat down to watch the sunset, my favourite part of the day, smiling as I admired the beautiful scenery. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a heap of sand far from where I was sitting, but it definitely hadn't been there earlier today. Or had some aliens started building a sand house and abandoned the project halfway through? I first learned about aliens from the storybooks my best friend brought me whenever she returned from visiting her cousins in the city. Quickly, I stood up and rushed towards it. Maybe I could help them complete the house. As I got closer to the heap of sand, it looked much taller and bigger than I had imagined. What were they trying to build? I looked back, already worried that my mummy would come to pick me up soon since it was already getting dark. When I finally reached the sand heap, I was so shocked that my eyes widened as I stared at the human body lying there, covered with sand and looking so lifeless and unrecognisable. I stood rooted to the spot for a brief moment before screaming, “Mummy!! Daddy!!!” I continued screaming their names as I knelt beside the body, hurriedly brushing the sand off with both hands. From the hairstyle alone, I could already tell the person was a boy, but I couldn't see his face clearly because darkness was already beginning to settle in. As soon as I wiped his face with my clothes, I heard footsteps rushing towards me from behind, but I ignored them and focused on checking whether he was still breathing, just as my mother had taught me. Soon they arrived, and my mother gasped the moment she saw him. With the help of my father, they carefully turned him over and laid him on his back while my mother pressed against his swollen stomach. A moment later, water gushed out from both his mouth and nose, but he still didn't wake up. “Honey, come. Let's take him inside. His body is getting cold, and his pulse is very weak,” my mummy said urgently to my father. Before she could remove her coat, my father stopped her and took off his own instead, wrapping it around the boy before gently lifting him into his arms as we hurried back to our home uphill. Soon we reached home, and my father carried him into the only spare room we had, which my mother normally reserved for visitors and patients who couldn't return home after treatment. Yes, my mother is one of the village healers, which according to her, is a gift that has been passed down through our family for generations. I stayed in the kitchen, helping her boil hot water and prepare the medicinal herbs she wanted to give to the stranger we found at the beach. I couldn't help worrying about the little stranger. “Mummy... he won't die, right?” I couldn't help voicing the only thought on my mind as my eyes filled with tears. My mother turned and pulled me into her arms. “Don't worry, baby. I will do everything I can to save him, okay?” I quickly nodded and wiped my tears. “Stay here and watch over the fire. I'll be right back.” She picked up a bowl filled with hot medicinal liquid together with a few other things from her medicine basket before walking back into the room. After a while, she came back again, and I couldn't stop myself from asking another question. “Mummy... What about his mummy and daddy? Won't they be worried about him?” “They will, of course. But hopefully they will find him soon. Tomorrow, I'll report this to the mayor so he can help us locate his parents.” “Okay.” I sat beside the fire, watching as my mother and father went into the room and came back out over and over again. I could clearly see the worry written across their faces each time they checked on him. They kept whispering to each other, making sure I couldn't hear what they were discussing, and they didn't allow me inside the room either. Soon I dozed off, worrying about the boy and wondering when he would finally wake up. 🥀 (Dream) I had a dreadful dream where I found the stranger on the beach, but this time he was already dead. I was crying and shouting for my mummy to come and save him when she suddenly appeared, pulled me away from his body, and... I woke up with a start. 🥀🥀🥀 It took me a moment to realize that I had fallen off the chair where I had dozed off. I immediately jumped to my feet and hurried towards the room, but the bedsheet covering me tangled around my legs, sending me crashing to the floor again. Yet the dull pain was nothing compared to the only thought running through my head. The stranger. I quickly got up again and rushed towards the room. Just as my hand reached for the doorknob, it turned, and the gloomy faces of my daddy and mummy came into view as they stepped out. The expressions on their faces alone made my heart skip a beat. “How is he? Mummy... he's still alive, right?” I asked, unable to stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks as they remained silent.