Lili Forgács
Lisa is a fifteen-year-old girl living in a detached house in the suburb of Manchester. She lives with her parents, but one evening they got a phone call from work and needed to leave. This meant that Lisa was left alone for the night. She wasn’t surprised and frightened at all. It wasn’t the first time, as her parents were doctors and got emergency calls very often.
She had a great evening plan: watching her favourite series on Netflix while having popcorn and chatting with her best friend on the phone. It was perfect and she had a wonderful time, but nicely and slowly she fell asleep.
She was dreaming about a Safari tour with her parents, where they saw exotic animals like elephants and giraffes. She was stroking a sunbathing cheetah, when she heard a strange noise and got up immediately. She listened carefully, but she heard only silence. “Maybe it was just in my dreams,” she thought and started to go back to sleep, when she heard it again. It came from the attic. Now she was a little bit nervous.
“What could it be? Maybe a robber? No, in case of robbers I would hear footsteps, but I’m sure that the noise isn’t the sound of footsteps. But then, what? Maybe Magna? According to legend, a giant (called Magna) lives in a forest which is really close to here, and maybe he got hungry and came here. No, it’s impossible. There is no food in the attic.”
This was her train of thought. She became more and more tense but curious at the same time. She created many alternative possibilities, but none of them seemed real.
“I should check it out. But what if I never come back again? That’s ridiculous. Lisa, you are almost sixteen, giants don’t exist and you won’t die. Pull yourself together!”
This is how she decided to find out what the source of the noise was. She grabbed a torch, put her phone into her pocket, and put on her dressing gown and slippers. She started to go upstairs. The closer and closer she came to the attic’s door, the louder and louder the sound became. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She didn’t expect the sight at all. A little bird had gotten trapped somehow in the attic and wanted to get away.
“Oh, sweetheart! I’ll help you” she said and opened the window. The bird flew away.
The next morning Lisa told her parents how bravely she had behaved and how she had saved a life. Her parents were really proud of her and gave her a kiss on her head. Since that time, every evening before going to sleep, Lisa has been checking the sky to find out if she will see the thankful little bird. Most of the time, she does.