On the Wall

Mahesa Nala Anindhito
Grade 8B

In a dorm room devoid of any positivity, Peter stood atop his messy bed. In front of him was what seemed to be a hanging rope. Even without eyes, it stared menacingly at Peter, persuading him to jump. The view from on top of his bed had never felt higher. Peter took hold of the rope, scared of what he was about to do next. His knees rumbled in fear, and his heart pounded like a hammer. Everything started to blur—the unthrown packages of unhealthy snacks, his dirty clothes on the floor, and piles of books on his desk. All he could see was the rope that, at this point, was the one grasping his hands.

“Peter!”

Suddenly, his anxious trance was quickly disrupted by the sudden knocking on his door made by his landlord. Peter let out a sigh of relief as he let go of the rope.

Peter exited his room, making his way to the front door. He barged through all the dirty clothes and finished wrappers on the living room floor. The front door creaked loudly as Peter opened it. “Yeah?” Peter answered with a delighted tone, ignoring what he had just been through. Behind the door was his shaggy old landlord with a feminine figure standing behind him. “Following the unfortunate expulsion of your previous roommate, we have assigned a new roommate for you. Meet Alice.” The landlord stepped aside, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman the same age as Peter. “I’ll leave you two be.” The landlord then walked away. “Hi,” Alice greeted Peter with a tender smile. “Hi,” Peter greeted back. “Come on in.”

They introduced themselves to each other as Alice unpacked and settled into her new room. The day passed as usual, with Peter not finding enough courage to go through with his plan. When the morning arose, Peter was surprised to smell a delicious aroma entering his nose. As he opened his door to exit his room, he was amazed to see the whole house shining clean. Following the scent, he was met with a delicious breakfast cooked by his new roommate, Alice.

This was only one of many instances where Alice had been an amazing roommate. Day after day, she seemed to outdo herself in everything she did. Not long after, Peter followed suit—cooking, cleaning, shopping, everything with Alice. He started to feel more fulfilled as his life turned for the better. Before, every morning was just a step closer to death. But ever since Alice entered his life, everything became brighter. Some people might want a person like the sun, lighting up their day. But Alice was Peter’s moon, shining light and hope into his dark night.

As Peter became better, he soon realized that the hanging rope in his dorm room was nothing more than a rope. Its sinister aura seemed to dissipate with each passing day. One day, he decided to take action. Looking at the rope, he grabbed a kitchen knife. He grasped the rope with tenacity, feeling a sense of adrenaline and rage. He put the knife right on the rope and sliced it off his ceiling with unyielding strength. Finally, his heart had been set free.