literary,
“Happy birthday to youuuuu!”
A huge smile spread on my face as my friends and family excitedly told me to make a wish. I closed my eyes, wished on the burning candle, and blew it. Everyone cheered and clapped. My parents removed the now smoking candle in the shape of the number three, and everyone moved to slice the cake. A friend went over to me and asked me what I wished for. I said, “It’s a secret!” I gave her a toothy grin. “But I’m sure it’ll come true!”
My parents lift me up and put a small toy tiara on my head. They called me “princess’ and I knew the candle had done its job.
~~~
The wind whispered in my ear as I laughed and talked with my parents.
The picnic in the park was great, and the food was really good! The grass tickled my feet when I stretched them beyond the picnic mat. I held onto the tiara I’ve always worn since I was three years old. It already fell, I wasn’t going to let it get dirtied! Mommy then pointed to a fluffy looking flower and said, “Look sweetie, a dandelion!” she plucked it and handed it to me. “Make a wish, then blow the dandelion.” I curiously stared at it, made a wish, then blew. I watched in awe as the fluffy-looking strands danced in the wind. I wondered where my wishes went.
We went home with me holding that toy sold in the park that I’d always wished my parents would buy me, but with my dandelion wish not granted.
~~~
I sat at the table writing a Christmas list.
I had to include every friend, every family member, and every relative in the list or else someone won’t receive a gift. My mom walked up to me. “Why don’t you make a wish list? Santa might give you what you want, you’ve been a good girl this year.” I smiled up at her. “Okay, after I finish this list,” I said. She walked away and I smiled to myself, knowing my parents have always been the ones who gave me my wish, not Santa.
That Christmas, my friend told me the gift I got from my parents was really cool. I only smiled, knowing I didn’t put what I really wanted on my wish list because my parents couldn’t give it to me.
~~~
“...987, and this is 988…”
I just learned a bit of origami, and at the moment, I was making paper cranes. I heard of a story about making a thousand paper cranes to make your wish come true, and I wanted to try it out. I know there’s a chance, a huge chance, that my wish might not be granted and this whole crane thing was just a fun, little story, but I still wanted to try it out. There’s no harm in trying, right?
I finished the thousandth crane after some time. I made a wish and hoped for the best.
Months, years later, I was still waiting and hoping in vain. I picked up a crane and tore it to pieces.
~~~
I looked away from the ceiling to check the time on my phone.
11:09 PM, it read. I sighed and went back to staring at the ceiling because I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t sleep, even though my eyes were already bloodshot. My mind wandered. I was stressed and tired from school, but my mind was as active as an athlete in training. Sighing, I looked at the time again. 11:11, it read. Almost automatically, my brain sought for a wish. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, ever since I learned about the 11:11 magic, but none of my wishes have come true. I think of this now as a sort of ritual, something to fool myself that there’s still hope. I stared at the ceiling again.
My mind repeated the wish I made like a mantra until 11:12 came.
I didn’t expect anything to happen. Nothing did.
~~~
I walked out of a restaurant with my friends, laughing.
We had decided to hang out today, as a break from all the things we’ve been doing. We were at a mall, window shopping and buying food and other things. We passed by the decorative part of the mall where a wishing well stood. My friends’ eyes lit up. They approached the well asking each other for coins. I gave one of them a coin so they could make a wish. Her face lit up as she took it and thanked me. My friends threw their coins in the well and turned to me. “You aren’t making a wish?” one of them asked. I shook my head with a small smile. “I don’t do that anymore.” They turned to me and looked at me with odd expressions, one of them bordering on hidden sympathy.
~~~
I sat down on the grass and let the cool night air touch my cheeks.
I closed my eyes, trying to calm my distraught self. How can life be so merciless, apathetic? Everything was stressful, there’s so much to do. Life is moving too fast and I can’t keep up. I always felt hopeless, helpless, as if I’m swimming against a strong current. I opened my eyes, feeling tears falling down. I wiped them off. Why was I in so much despair? I pulled my knees closer to my body, wrapping my arms around them. I felt the wind, the grass, the dandelions swaying gently in the breeze. This park was as beautiful as the day my parents and I hoped. I had not hoped nor wished in years.
I looked up at the sky and looked at the stars. I wonder how many people still hoped, still dreamed. I wonder how many people have wished upon these stars.
A shooting star passed by to my surprise, and I hurried to make a wish. The action seemed almost alien to me. But maybe it was time to hope again.
Literary: Of Life and Wishes
“Happy birthday to youuuuu!”
A huge smile spread on my face as my friends and family excitedly told me to make a wish. I closed my eyes, wished on the burning candle, and blew it. Everyone cheered and clapped. My parents removed the now smoking candle in the shape of the number three, and everyone moved to slice the cake. A friend went over to me and asked me what I wished for. I said, “It’s a secret!” I gave her a toothy grin. “But I’m sure it’ll come true!”
My parents lift me up and put a small toy tiara on my head. They called me “princess’ and I knew the candle had done its job.
~~~
The wind whispered in my ear as I laughed and talked with my parents.
The picnic in the park was great, and the food was really good! The grass tickled my feet when I stretched them beyond the picnic mat. I held onto the tiara I’ve always worn since I was three years old. It already fell, I wasn’t going to let it get dirtied! Mommy then pointed to a fluffy looking flower and said, “Look sweetie, a dandelion!” she plucked it and handed it to me. “Make a wish, then blow the dandelion.” I curiously stared at it, made a wish, then blew. I watched in awe as the fluffy-looking strands danced in the wind. I wondered where my wishes went.
We went home with me holding that toy sold in the park that I’d always wished my parents would buy me, but with my dandelion wish not granted.
~~~
I sat at the table writing a Christmas list.
I had to include every friend, every family member, and every relative in the list or else someone won’t receive a gift. My mom walked up to me. “Why don’t you make a wish list? Santa might give you what you want, you’ve been a good girl this year.” I smiled up at her. “Okay, after I finish this list,” I said. She walked away and I smiled to myself, knowing my parents have always been the ones who gave me my wish, not Santa.
That Christmas, my friend told me the gift I got from my parents was really cool. I only smiled, knowing I didn’t put what I really wanted on my wish list because my parents couldn’t give it to me.
~~~
“...987, and this is 988…”
I just learned a bit of origami, and at the moment, I was making paper cranes. I heard of a story about making a thousand paper cranes to make your wish come true, and I wanted to try it out. I know there’s a chance, a huge chance, that my wish might not be granted and this whole crane thing was just a fun, little story, but I still wanted to try it out. There’s no harm in trying, right?
I finished the thousandth crane after some time. I made a wish and hoped for the best.
Months, years later, I was still waiting and hoping in vain. I picked up a crane and tore it to pieces.
~~~
I looked away from the ceiling to check the time on my phone.
11:09 PM, it read. I sighed and went back to staring at the ceiling because I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t sleep, even though my eyes were already bloodshot. My mind wandered. I was stressed and tired from school, but my mind was as active as an athlete in training. Sighing, I looked at the time again. 11:11, it read. Almost automatically, my brain sought for a wish. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, ever since I learned about the 11:11 magic, but none of my wishes have come true. I think of this now as a sort of ritual, something to fool myself that there’s still hope. I stared at the ceiling again.
My mind repeated the wish I made like a mantra until 11:12 came.
I didn’t expect anything to happen. Nothing did.
~~~
I walked out of a restaurant with my friends, laughing.
We had decided to hang out today, as a break from all the things we’ve been doing. We were at a mall, window shopping and buying food and other things. We passed by the decorative part of the mall where a wishing well stood. My friends’ eyes lit up. They approached the well asking each other for coins. I gave one of them a coin so they could make a wish. Her face lit up as she took it and thanked me. My friends threw their coins in the well and turned to me. “You aren’t making a wish?” one of them asked. I shook my head with a small smile. “I don’t do that anymore.” They turned to me and looked at me with odd expressions, one of them bordering on hidden sympathy.
~~~
I sat down on the grass and let the cool night air touch my cheeks.
I closed my eyes, trying to calm my distraught self. How can life be so merciless, apathetic? Everything was stressful, there’s so much to do. Life is moving too fast and I can’t keep up. I always felt hopeless, helpless, as if I’m swimming against a strong current. I opened my eyes, feeling tears falling down. I wiped them off. Why was I in so much despair? I pulled my knees closer to my body, wrapping my arms around them. I felt the wind, the grass, the dandelions swaying gently in the breeze. This park was as beautiful as the day my parents and I hoped. I had not hoped nor wished in years.
I looked up at the sky and looked at the stars. I wonder how many people still hoped, still dreamed. I wonder how many people have wished upon these stars.
A shooting star passed by to my surprise, and I hurried to make a wish. The action seemed almost alien to me. But maybe it was time to hope again.
0 comments: