My Short Story Blog

by Kiara Mathur 

Author’s Note: This piece is about a girl who learns to respect others’ property. It was inspired by the Burke Museum.  This unfinished story is an opportunity for your own dream ending!

I am called Tahoma, and this is my tale.  

Not long ago, I ventured upon a wonder filled journey–an adventure most unique.  I glided through time in my shovelnose canoe and learned a moral on the way.

I was riding the waves on the ocean next to my homeland. Everything was going well until the Fish Problem emerged. The Fish Problem was that the fishermen captured all of the fish, so there were none left.  The solution to this problem was that the best canoers were called to look for a new land with lots of fish.  I was chosen because I am one of the best canoers in the tribe. What I didn’t know was that this was going to be the most dangerous and wondrous adventure of my life.

I and a few others set out to find a new island.  My dog and I spent days looking until we found Moloto.  My entire tribe had never heard of Moloto.  But here we are: Moloto. 

It was a beautiful island with lots of flowers and wildlife.  We decided to explore the island before returning home to share the news of our discovery.  We found a mysterious looking hut.  I knocked on the door, but there was no one inside. Strange, I thought.  

My dog Toto and I forgot about the hut encounter until after we had moved to our new home.  Everything seemed fine at first, but then an earthquake shook the ground and a voice came from the skies.  “You have disrupted the island of Moloto.  Now, you will face my wrath!” 

Oh, no! I have put my entire tribe in danger. I need to fix this. I went back to the hut to see what  I might have done, and I noticed a hidden door. I excitedly ran to it, opened it, and stepped in.  It was dark and creepy.

On the walls, there were illustrations of different gods. There were also illustrations of the people of the island working in the sun, farming, bringing water from the river, and moving through time.

Moving through time? How is that possible?As I looked more closely at the picture, I accidentally bumped a painting with my elbow.  Startled, I jumped back in surprise as a wall opened.

Cautiously, I pulled out what seemed to be an oddly shaped ball.  I noticed a big, red button on it.  I pressed it, and I heard counting.  

I rushed to my shovelnose canoe for cover, and I found myself in a tornado of colors: blue, orange, red, green, yellow, and pink.  As the winds subside, I find myself in a river, but not the river of Moloto. I see other people in the distance, and I run to them for help, but they don’t seem to notice me.  It’s like I am not present. I have never seen these people before.

I look down to the oddly shaped ball, and I notice markings next to the red button that read “1200.” Oh, no!  This must have been the reason the big, booming voice came from above. The voice wanted to protect Moloto’s secrets. I pressed the red button again, and found myself in the present.  I returned the globe to its hiding place…