“A Hope, A Word” by Lucy (Soyun) 10C

Hope, the word which possesses the meaning-of positive in desiring, is my name I always thought magical living things were real, like in a fairy tale Having tons of imagination, this was just a routine in my life The illusion which emerged inside my head kept dragging me into an unrealistic world Perhaps this was the reason why my name was called Hope If anyone asks me what I usually dream about, I would say that I imagine myself deeply immersed in an unknown world Then the person, who gave me the inquiry of “philosophy”, would say that I’m out of my mind My father also shook his head when he heard my personal opinion of dreams And this is my thought about it “What is the point of living when you can't do the things you desire to do?” I chose not to care about what others have forced me to I would always read books about fantasy and adventures Drastically excited, the red beating machine was bumping inside my body I stepped towards my father's library where most of the books were stored My dad made sure not to come inside his room otherwise he would allow me to But I was too excited to think ahead I was looking for a book with other stories about fictitious creatures Then, I found myself in front of a desk drawer It pulled my arm and forced me to grab its handle The drawers were open-nothing I reached out to the dark shade and felt something woolen-it was a book! As I opened the book, the wind flipped the papers. There were ripped papers in between pages. There were only three pages that were left behind. I wondered if my father used it. But this one looked like an abandoned book. I thought this could come in handy as a notebook for me to write my thoughts. When I hid the book inside my bag, the door shouted with a creek sound. It was a person who interfered with my life. When he saw me in his private room, he started yelling at me. He was nagging at me saying, "Hope! I told you not to come into my library!"

I didn't like him scolding me I tried to clarify that I was getting a book to read, but he only thought I was making an excuse I don't even know why he is so obsessed with it Not wanting to hear his words anymore, I walked out of the room 'Who calls that a dad?' I thought "Bam!" There went the door Shut me in a cage like a poor animal. I didn't come out until my dad forced me; it was dinner time.

I decided to do as he told me to because hiding myself in a room won't help me anymore Instead of talking to my father, I thought about rushing towards my room But this indifferent, chit-chatter kept talking to me It felt like his words went through my right ear and left through my left ear But this one thing kept my ears open It was when he said we were going to move house

"To where? When? What about my friends at school now? Why are you telling me this right now?" I tried to sound calm

"It's not going to happen straight away, Hope. We have at least half a year."

"But this is our home. What else is our home?"

I wondered why he wanted so much to leave this house All he talked about was nonsense What about all the memories with mother? Well, I don't want to leave my real house It is like my shelter, my mother's arms Now you don't have any feelings for her? Do I have a decision? If you want me to, then take me You have the authority to make me change my mind anytime What? It's the truth

With tears bursting out, I couldn't hide my expression There was a flood in my room I pulled out the book I found inside my father's desk drawer and wrote down the disappointments I had today Describing each emotion of my feelings at that time I was exhausted I quickly wrote the last line saying that I wish he didn’t bother me anymore After writing it, I said good night to the fireflies above my bed and slept The sun rose; it was the next day My dad was knocking on the door, trying to wake me up Is it just me, or do you always say to your parents that you are awake, then go to sleep again? I do that sometimes-ending up getting late for school. Luckily ,today was not the same, but everything was still gloomy. And I was still upset because of my father deciding without considering my thoughts. After school, I usually do my homework first-but like I’ve said, I don’t feel like doing work today. So I just sat on my chair and pulled out the diary. My feelings were telling me that something was wrong. The color of the written text was changed into gold. It seemed like gold ink, and looked like it wasn’t going to rub off easily. Felt something shivering inside my body, I quickly tore down the page. The ink was still there, glowing. Then I had this thought of my dad disappearing I Hurried, ran to my father, worried, panting There were no signs of him No one was there and it was the middle of the night Now I wasn’t satisfied with my wishes I asked them for more privacy, they gave me a dark void instead. It made me sob with nothing left behind. As I cried, I tried to find him outside. But it was too dark, so I came back home. Then I thought, ‘When was the last time I’ve searched for him?’ I was the one who didn’t listen, I was the one who didn’t care. It was no use blaming myself. He was gone. Vanished like a shadow of nowhere. Made my hearts torn instead of tearing down the pages. How I wished my mother was here. How I wished my father came back. I walked towards the desk again, hitting it. I pulled out the handle of the desk drawer-this time, something was there. A note, saying, Hope, even though it seems like I dislike you, I love you I love you so much darling

It made me burst into tears, and said, “I love you too dad ” My eyes were closed - - - “Hope! Hope!” I could hear dad’s voice. I opened my eyes, and the one who I was desperate to see was standing right in front of me. I didn’t have time to think about what had happened. I was just relieved that he was here

At first, I didn’t know how valuable this person was. At least I do now. I’m not going to ask him to walk toward me because I’m going to. Love you dad.

“Coming of Age” by Swati 10C

Jade, abnormally, didn’t wake from her slumber when her alarm tinged this one dawn Her eyelids restricted her to be conscious She quietened her alarm and floated back into her dreamless sleep After a couple of hours, her body eventually chose to collaborate with her mind The clock on her bedroom wall indicated 9:00 AM As her gaze locked on the clock, she realized she was an hour late for an eminently essential meeting Jade scrambled out of her sheets and dressed in her work clothes She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, dark circles under her eyes and knotted hair; she improved the disarray and darted out of her apartment Jade started the engine and accelerated to her office "How could I let this happen? This meeting was going to bring my business to its full potential and I'm late " She violently screamed at herself Her mind was too preoccupied to observe herself accelerate past a red light Everything blackened within seconds

“Jade? Wake up dear” murmured an unfamiliar lady to Jade Jade’s eyes slowly peeled open, the glow of the world blinding her vision A captivating lady was seated on a rocking chair beside her The unknown lady had short hair that was coated with streaks of silver and dressed herself in a mint-green cardigan and flower-patterned skirt She eyed Jade with a delicate smile, dimples flattering her face

“Um Miss, Where am I and who are you precisely?” Jade questioned.

“My name is Beatrice, I am an advisor, and you are in the afterlife! Well, eventually you will be. This is a location halfway between life and death, it's where certain individuals arrive, where they understand the errors they made in their mortal lives. This is to ensure everyone will live in tranquility in the immortal world"

“Slow down Beatrice, afterlife? What are you indicating by that? Am I dead?" Jade gradually initiated panic in herself

"Deep breaths Jade, unfortunately, you passed away in an automobile collision close to 7 hours ago Its okay, there is no need for panic, you are in a harmless place” Beatriced comforted while simultaneously calming down Jade

"How could I have generated mistakes in my life? Do you what my life was like, it was flooding with success and cash. Everything anyone could desire, how is that an error in any way?" Jade ranted. “Darling, your life may have been filled with fame and money, but was it supplied with any love? Let's get you out of this bed and we can have a small discussion on that sofa, alright?” Beatrice took the hand of Jade's and enabled her to sit on the couch “Lets watch a scene” Beatrice said as she turned on the projector

Jade observed herself organizing her heels alongside her others by her front door. She sat down, pulled out her laptop from her bag, and was greeted by blue light - illuminating her face. The sky was painted with pigments of orange, yellow, and blue. She started typing, which continued for hours until the clock on her wall revealed 12:00 AM. She got herself prepared for bed and sank into her mattress. Beatrice paused the video for a moment and turned to Jade “Do you understand what you did wrong in this video?” Jade replied with a clueless facial expression “Let me show you a couple hours later”

Beep Beep Beep. Jade fluttered her eyes open to gaze at her alarm ; 5:00AM. She got out of bed and started to make her coffee. She truged over to her desk and started typing.

“This routine of life was a constant for you Jade, from dusk until dawn, you were drowning yourself in the same blue light Every minit of your life consisted of your business It had been over half a decade since you went out with friends Your family only sees your face through pictures in news articles Meetings, Food, Work, Sleep - the only 4 elements in your life.“ Beatrice lectured Jade. Jade couldn’t comprehend what the issue with her past life was.

"Let's play another video for you” Beatrice suggested Jade agreed, she wasn’t grasping the matter and needed a better context of the situation When the projector screen turned on again, she saw herself 18 years old, dancing and singing with her mates on prom night Recollections of moments flooded Jade’s lifeless mind, and the enchanting colors of life came back to her She recognized the feeling - joy She initiated a conversation with Beatrice about moments from that evening and the two ladies laughed about some of Jade's specific flashbacks she could recall Jade felt alive - she relived those moments from years ago And she experienced feelings that had been suppressed for a prolonged duration

“Remember your 15th birthday party which was scheduled by your friends?” Beatrice asked curiously “Yes, I do! Can we watch it?” Jade answered

“Of course, we will” Beatrice beamed back

Both women watched mini Jade and her party. She intended to have a straightforward birthday and desired to stay home, but her friends had other schedules for her. They prepared a picnic birthday party with arts and crafts activities and group games to be enjoyed by everyone at the party. Jade admired the moments of her younger self and gradually began to question her adult life, and started wondering why the same feelings didn’t occur during her adulthood. Beatrice noticed her reflection and wanted to show one last video to Jade to make her truly understand the wrongs in her life.

“You don't recognize this memory but I wanted to show it to you because I think you will really appreciate it” Beatrice spoke whilst modifying the memory on the projector. Jade didn’t even recognize herself. She was four years old and was reading her favourite book. Sitting beside her was her mother. After Jade had read the book to her mother, her mother told her,

“Make sure you live a life like the character in this book - lead by happiness - and don’t let anything stop you from being the happiest girl in the world”

Jade finally realised her mistake at that moment Becoming an adult doesn’t mean all work and no fun, there must be a balance Jade never found that balance, it was on one extreme side of the spectrum She hadn’t seen her family in over 5 years, she didn’t make any friends, she never went out, never went to parties and didn’t take part in the joys of living That was the mistake and she understood it now

“Coming of age isn’t about throwing your fun away and being disciplined, its about living an enjoyable life with maturity”