The BARN

A Story by jess foreman

A story about a girl in the prairies in Canada who stumbles across a mysterious barn

BARN

An empty field, nothing inside but an old barn, a young girl noticed one day while walking through her Grandmothers farm.

She didn't know her Grandmother well, but she was left in her care after her mothers tragic death. Her mother often spoke of Grandma but not always in the nicest light, she remembered the stories her mother told her, worried that she will soon get the same/similar memories.

She kept walking around this farm, its very different to London the girl thought, no shops, no people in fact, just flat earth for miles. Another field to her left had corn growing, How high that corn is she thought to herself, she went in the field and lay in the corn and looked up to the sky with her hands behind her head, she gazed at the clouds overhead

"Its so lonely here". she chirped.

The longer she lay there the more she thought of that Barn and how she wanted to go in the huge red doors, but it was all bolted shut. Harriet then decided to keep looking around before the retched wrinkled Grandma called her in for supper.

One field there was pigs and a huge dirt puddle, Harriet giggled to herself

"I wonder what the old hagg would do if I were to dive into that puddle and get all dirty".

she kept walking and saw the workmen in the other fields plowing in the enormous field of wheat.

This is a strange country thought Harriet, they speak with a different accent and have to grow their own food, how odd.

Her mind raced for that barn with the red doo; how she would love to turn the barn into a play barn.

Dogs barked in the distance and the cows mooed. Harriet what her new school would be like, or if she even needed a school here as all she has seen is farms, no shops or business in what they call the prairies.

She hears a bell ringing, which was Grandmas call for dinner. Her Grandmother stood tall in a long night dress with worn out flower pattern on it, she had wrinkled stockings on, she smelt of Elderberry flowers funnily enough, her face stern but looked as though there was a soft side to her very deep down. Her arms were crossed resting over her prominent tummy, she looked like she never took care of herself cosmetically. Harriet was scared of her, grandma moved her arm to the left and without expression on her face she said sternly like she would to her farm animals

"IN"

So Harriet wondered inside, the house smelt so good, she could smell the stew on the old stove.

"Fresh Vegetables, picked today by myself" explained Grandma

Harriet just nodded and said "ok".

"Now up to the washroom to wash your hands before supper". said Grandma

On her return from the washroom her Grandmother inspected her hands for dirt, when she agreed all was clean she pointed to the orange bowl on the table and said "Eat".

Harriet gulped worried what next would happen. Harriet complemented her Grandmother on the stew "Smells wonderful nana"

"My name is Grandma Eve, now eat up" she explained.

Harriet blew the hot stew and sniffed the air, she so much wanted to tell her Grandma Eve that it smelt as good as her mothers, she ate the entire bowl and was very satisfied.

she looked around and saw no telly, her eyes big and in shock, the place looks so boring thought Harriet.

She finally braved herself and asked "What do you do for fun here Grandma Eve?"

"No time for fun really child" she replied

"Now off to bed"

Harriet pulled a face staring at the clock on the mantle piece it showed 7pm

"I'm ten years old mum lets me go at 9oclock" Harriet protested

"Well I'm not your mom" said Grandma

So with a bent back and slumped shoulders Harriet went off to bed.

She brushed her cute blonde hair with a brush her mother would brush her hair with, She thought of her mother so beautiful and kind and young, Harriet was wondering how her mother could of grown up in this fielded Canada, its boring but mother always had great memories. As she lay thinking of her mum tucking her into bed her eyes closed and she was fast off to sleep.

The next day brought sunshine and a cockerel screaming his alarm at 5am. Harriet woke rubbed her eyes and looked out the window, only to see Grandma already up feeding the pigs. Harriet went downstairs through the old wooden flooring and huge oak doors, the pig food smelt good enough to eat Oats, Apples and even carrots.

Grandma Eve explained to her how she needs a good big breakfast as they had lots of work to do on the farm, but Harriet had other things in her mind, she wanted to play and explore.

Grandma boiled some eggs and made grilled bacon and two sausages for Harriet's breakfast. She put the food on the table and said "Eat up child"

Harriet gulped and wondered if this was the pig she saw yesterday in the field.

She ate her breakfast, and her mind was set, today is the first day as a farm girl.

She was shy and spoilt thought Grandma as she watched her finish all her breakfast and drink her cold orange juice.

First Job:

Pig sty

Harriet was cleaning the smelly pig sty, in the overalls her grandmother had given to her, Harriet was thinking how she hated this job and she wanted to go inside and paint her nails. Harriet's hair was tied back and she had dirt on her face, she was very unimpressed with this.

As she shoveled the pig poop and laid down fresh hay for their beds she started to sing an old song her mother would sing to her, “smile, smile this will only take a while.” And she thought she heard something off in the distance Harriet paused…wiping the sweat off her brow she decided it was nothing.

Job 2

Preparing supper

Harriet was very tired after her time in the pig sty, she looked down at her overalls and frowned, they looked worse for wear, she said “goodbye.” To the pigs and headed for the house. The house looked so close but seemed to take a long time to get to it. Her grandmother gasped at Harriet for she looked just awful and dirty, she told her to go get cleaned up and help prepare the supper.

Harriet was just drying off from her bubble bath, which she thought felt so nice to finally be clean, she started brushing her beautiful blonde locks when again she heard a noise it was a twinkling high pitch noise, she shook her head and headed down the rickety stairs to the kitchen.

In the big black wood burning stove she saw a roasting turkey and the smell was Devine, it felt like a warm cozy hug to have a hot stove with beautiful fresh smelling meat and fresh doughy buns made by grandmother. Harriet closed her eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the wonderful smell.

Grandma handed Harriet the cutlery to set the table.

“Go get some fresh thyme from the herb shed Harriet.” Grandma eve demanded.

“Dinner sure smells delicious grandma eve, I can’t wait to have some. I will be right back with the thyme.” explained Harriet

Grandma eve let out a tiny crack of a smile and said “ thank you girl.”

Harriet skipped out the door with her little basket and with her little pigtails in tow and went to the farm shed for the herbs, Harriet had not seen so many pots of herbs, she was confused on which ones to grab, so she took a pick of a random herb and skipped merrily out of the shed, but as she was making her way back to the house when she heard that noise again!

She turned and thought this will only take a moment, if I went to investigate that sound, she skipped off into the fields and the noise got louder and louder, and to her surprise it brought her to the Barn, she tried yet again to enter this barn, but it was still bolted shut. She went all around the Barn for another entrance when she saw some earth upturned beside it, she began to dig and dig until she found a small hole which she crawled into.

“WOW” gasped Harriet, as she looked around, the place was dusty and huge inside, it was empty apart from a bunker door in the ground, she looked around and sneezed from the dust a few times. She pulled at this door so hard but it would not open she began singing that same old song again that her mother would sing to her “smile, smile this will only take a while.”

Then to her surprise the door opened, but it only opened ajar, she snook in and realized there was a whole new world down there.

It was beautiful…blue sparkling streams rainbows in the sky, the air was that of not what she had smelt before, it was fresh and crisp, there was that sound again that high pitch twinkle sound that came from the streams, this place was amazing it was like she had found paradise in a shed, how confusing for Harriet.

She heard a small whisper coming from the close by brush Harriet crouched down, “she’s here, she’s here I can’t believe it” whispered the little mouse.

“What? You speak” exclaimed Harriet.

“Hello I’m Harriet who are you? And where am I?” She asked.

Clearing her throat the mouse answered “I’m Polly I live here and have heard of a child coming again, this really is exciting” replied Polly .

“OK!” Said Harriet “this is all way to much for me, my mother had told me bedtime stories that seem to very similar to this place, is this THE land of Kenzauria? “

Polly smiles and nods, “yes Kenzauria it is… the place where young minds make our world turn, we have been frozen for many of years no one to keep this world running. No young minds have found us for over 30 years, we knew your mother aurora and her best friend Kenzo they found this world, and it seems you, miss Harriet, have awoken us now, we are alive again through you. This is a place of wonder and imagination.”

Harriet's eyes are wide at this point, she never ever had thought this would be here. “ What, do I do?” Asked Harriet.

Polly smiled and shrugged her shoulders,” maybe go explore your world child, a lot of things here.”

“I must get back to grandma Eve with her Thyme for dinner, she will be wondering where I am.” Explained Harriet.

She turns to look for the door, which seems to be missing.