The Crash

Aquinas Grammar School, Y9B
10th February 2022

Chapter One: The Day Gerald Arrived


Illustration by Sinead Farry

It all started when the crash happened. My new friend had just moved in next door and I invited him over to watch some TV. It was an event that scarred me my whole life....

“What’s up, Gerald?” Marcus asked. They were in the living room, Marcus splayed out on the sofa and Gerald cross-legged on the floor. “What do you wanna watch?”

“I’d like to watch Peppa Pig,” said Gerald. 

“O-kkkk….” said Marcus reluctantly. He looked it up on Netflix. “What episode do you want to watch?”

“Peppa Pig’s First Day,” said Gerald. 

Marcus found the remote under a pillow on the sofa and hit play. He took a bite out of his burger as the theme tune started. The screen froze and there was an awkward silence.

“Do you enjoy Peppa Pig?” asked Marcus.

“Oh, I love Peppa Pig,” replied Gerald.

“Who’s your favourite character?”

“Madame Gazelle. Have you ever heard of the Bing Bong song?” asked Gerald.

“No, I haven’t,” said Marcus, puzzled. He was curious about Gerald; why was he so childish when he was only a few months younger?

“That’s my favourite song,” continued Gerald enthusiastically. 

“You’ll have to show me it one day,” said Marcus. 

“What are you eating?” asked Gerald. 

“A Big Mac with bacon,” said Marcus. “Washed down with Pepsi.”

“That sounds fabulous,” said Gerald. 

Just as Marcus was about to take a bite out of his Big Mac, there was a massive bang followed by a crash, upstairs. 

“Did you hear that?” said Gerald, fear in his voice, trembling. Marcus tried to remember if there was anyone at home, but as far as he could remember there was no one in the house. 

“Do you wanna go see what it was?” asked Marcus. They went out of the living room and upstairs to the attic. “It’s only used for storage; no one has been up there for years.”

Marcus opened the door, expecting to see a dusty, grimey room full of cardboard boxes but what he saw was not what he expected - white walls and expensive furniture. He froze, taken aback. He saw a figure in front of him. He heard footsteps and looked behind him - Gerald wasn’t there …