Princess in a New Land
A couple of days ago Cassie had a home and a nanny that catered to her every need.
Suddenly, her whole world had transformed and she found herself alone and miserable. Cassie’s last memory of home was a hand covering her eyes and a smelly cloth held against her mouth. The fumes had burnt her throat.
She woke in a dark metallic crate; the sides felt like aluminium. It seemed no bigger than a packing box. She could feel that her ears were pressurised and she cried out as her body slammed into the sides of the container. It was obvious it was being unloaded.
‘Ouch!’ she screamed out as the container landed with a thump. Her bottom hit hard and she felt her whole spine adjust, and not in a good way. Cassie was unable to stand up in the confined space and she started to cry, not yet able to grasp what was going on. The drugs she had been given were still making her groggy.
Her sobs were so heavy that her lungs and stomach began to hurt from the deep gulps of air she was trying to suck in. Cassie tried closing her eyes, which didn’t help either. Her head ached and she felt violently ill from the smell of herself being locked up for she didn’t even know how long . She thought it might have been a couple of days by the way her stomach twisted with hunger and she was so dehydrated, her sobs were waterless.
She heard someone turning a key in the padlock on the door and she sat very still, waiting for a face to peer in at her. Cassie shook with fear as she listened to the sound of doors slamming as the vehicle sped off. It was only then that reality sank in.
I’ve been left to die.
Cassie’s adrenalin kicked in; feral instincts made her howl like an animal. She lashed out with her legs, booting the section where she had heard the key used. It was stuck. Cassie curled her legs tight and pounded on the door. After using every ounce of strength she could muster, the door fell open.
She stayed inside for a long time, scared to look at where she was. She focused her eyes. The scorching sun stung and bit into her pupils as it shone inside the crate. All she knew was that she had been dropped off in bushland somewhere.
Cassie finally plucked up courage and ventured out, forcing her aching body to walk towards a dead tree that had toppled over nearby. Using one of the stumps that jutted out, she undid the knot that bound her hands together. Cassie wiped her face, stood up and realised that even though her body was stiff and sore she had finally been released from her captivity. She was happy to be alive. Free at last!
Cassie stretched, glancing around for water, a sign, or a road to follow. The vehicle must have veered a long way off the main road to get her to where she was, as there were only tyre marks in the dirt as far as she could see. If I follow the tracks, will they lead me back to the road? Or is it a trick to take me further away from civilisation?
Disorientated, she decided to head in the opposite direction, not trusting her kidnappers. The bush began to thin out until there were just sparse trees and bushes that poked out of the fine and powdery red dirt. She frowned as a whirlwind picked up the red sand, stinging her eyes and sticking to her clothes and body where she was perspiring.
‘Great,’ she grumped. ‘Now I must really look a sight.’
She gazed down at herself, wondering if she did find a road if someone would pick her up. I look and smell disgusting. The wind whipped up again. She could barely see two feet in front of her and the heat in the wind was unbearable. Have they dumped me in a desert somewhere? She wiped the dirt off her face and hands but it just smeared and felt worse. Every step she took she forced herself against the strong wind. How much worse can this get? She trudged along, trying to find some sign of civilisation.
Cassie thanked the heavens when she finally stumbled across a road and found a sign. Left will apparently take me to a mining town called Mt Newman, right to a town called Perth. Mt Newman was only a few miles away. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she had eaten and there had been no sound of a car. Therefore, walking was her only option and she begun to trek her way along the dusty, partly covered road towards Mt Newman.
The sun beat down on her fair skin and the wind scorched her arms and face. Sadness overwhelmed her as she realised she might die before getting to the town. Thirst took over her every thought as she pushed harder against the howling wind.
Keep moving! She kept yelling at her body. Surely it couldn’t be far now. The thought swam around in her mind repeatedly.
She heard a car coming. A horn blasted. Turning in her dazed state, Cassie realised that she was walking in the middle of the road. The utility truck skidded to a stop. Pain screeched within her as she fell and rolled herself away from the loud motor.