For a Moment
By Lakshna, age 17, United Arab Emirates
The sky above her head was dark, like her dreams. But that was where the similarity ended. Her dreams were dark and they frightened her. The sky was dark but inviting. It looked like it had tiny diamonds strewn all over it, like a myriad of patterns on a painting by a toddler. She was lost, lost in thoughts that seemed alien to her.
She felt a part of herself awaken. The hopelessness inside her was growing. But in this moment it all seemed insignificant. All the darkness inside her felt like a pile of dried autumn leaves that could be blown away in a light gust of wind. For a moment, the grass beneath her seemed like a bed of eiderdown. The wind caressed her body like the smooth ripples of a lake spreading in concentric circles. If only such feelings lasted forever. If only things weren't made complicated.
Something about the irregular stillness around her seemed to arouse her, stimulate her. She wanted to stay there forever, lying in the arms of the inviting earth, wrapped in the gentleness of the wind, gazing upon the simmering beauty of the stars. Time slowed. The feeling of calm spread, enveloping her in an embrace of comfort like a merry fire in the winter, soothing her like the soft words of a lover. For a moment, everything was fine.
