It’s surprising how even the littlest things can stay with you.
A bench beneath a tree. A creaky gate with rust. The sound of a school bell that meant something – Freedom, Fear, Fun. It was a long time ago, when we were just kids, running about halfway through a halfway that seemed never-ending. Everything felt like forever.
We played marbles in the dirt, drew lines with sticks, and fought over the rules like it was life or death. We played tag till our lungs burned, and the losers laughed. Our battles were over broken erasers and borrowed crayons, and our victories were measured in extra turns and longer lunch breaks.
Some days we would go off our new pens like they were treasure. Scented markers. Glitter pens. Pencil boxes with secret compartments were our pride. Our weapons. Our magic.
And when things got too hard – when a parent yelled, or a teacher scolded, or the world felt unfair – we threatened to run away. We packed a snack and disappeared behind the school, convinced we would never come back. Someone always found us. No one ever felt left for long.
We promised to be friends forever. Wrote names on benches. Buried secrets in jars. Laughed so hard it hurt. Cried like it was the end of the world when someone moved away. But the world never ended. It just changed.
Now, the school looks smaller. The colours are duller. The bell doesn’t ring for us anymore.
But still, if you stand there long enough, close your eyes, and breathe in the dust and memories. You can almost hear it, the laughter, the yelling, the footsteps, the stories we left behind….
And somewhere in that silence, you remember who you were. Who you still are, deep down.
Just a kid, with scraped knees and a too-big heart, believing the world is yours.
By: Safa Inaam- 8th Diamond
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