Writekids is pleased to announced the winning stories for our first international contest. The Writekids judges were overwhelmed by over 500 stories they received and equally impressed by the quality and imagination of submitted stories. Congratulations to the well-deserved winners. Five stories were recognized, and their authors will each receive cash prizes. The winners are as follows:
First Place: The Day When I Could Do Anything I Wished, by Sonia L.
Second Place: Wanderlust, by Ameesha R.
Third Place: The Chain, by Shankes K.
Honorable Mention: Life and Struggles, by Aakriti A.
Honorable Mention: Kudoclasm, by Riti S.
First Place
The Day When I Could Do Anything I Wished
The day when I could do anything I wished, I woke up beneath the mountains and the clouds instead of my bed. I woke up earlier than the birds. I woke up as a sun. As a sun because I wanted to know how it felt to be the source of light and hope in others’ life. I wanted to know how it felt to be centre of energy in the entire universe.
After I was done waking everyone up with my rays, I turned myself into a cloud. A cloud because I wished to know how it felt to be weak but strong at the same time. A cloud can be blown away by wind but the same cloud can make it rain. I wished to know how it felt to be able to disturb the centre of the energy, the sun.
Then i turned myself into a bird. A bird because I aspired to know what real freedom tasted like. Above the clouds, above the mountains, above residents, above everything, I got to know the feeling of actual freedom. Under the boundless sky, I was the master. No one could reach me. I was free and un-bothered.
With the wind of independence, I landed on Mother Earth and became an ant. An ant because I desired to understand the true meaning of hard work. An ant is constantly working and protecting its queen. It knows it can be stepped onto any minute by any creature but that does not stop it from working. It’s future is unsure and yet, it keeps working so hard.
With that, I also turned myself into a mother. A mother because I wished to know the feeling of pure joy when my child smiled and the despair when my child weeped. I wished to keep someone always above me, I wished to be selfless. I also came to know the feeling of relief when my child is smiled. When he smiled, I thought I could do anything in this world. Anything to make him happy.
But at the end of the day, I went to bed as myself. Myself because I have my own universe inside me which no one else can see. But I learned so much.
From the sun, I learned to be joyous and spread joy to others. If I’m happy, I can make others happy too.
From the clouds, I learned to believe in myself and not to underestimate myself. I might be weak but I’m strong in my own ways.
From the bird, I learned to be independent and not to misuse the wings of freedom. I can do anything but it doesn’t mean I should do anything.
From the ant, I learned that even though the future is a mystery, we should be engaged in making it better and not be bothered by the fear of death. Death is uncertain but we need to make sure that we don’t die stressing over it.
From a mother, I learned how to love. Love is a sweet thing which we all need in our lives. I learned the joy of giving without being bothered by what I get in return. I think that’s how it should be, giving without greed.
With all these lessons, I went to bed as me. But I drifted to sleep with a feeling of peace in my heart. That night, I slept soundly like a baby.
Second Place
Wanderlust
To a lot of people, travelling has been nothing but a sweet escape from this, sometimes bitter, place called ‘reality’. People with wanderlust are certainly not the richest, but always the happiest. After all, there are just so many tranquil places in the world, some of which are yet to be discovered. Some people travel to find themselves, whereas others, to get lost.
Had I been given a choice to travel wherever I wanted, I’d be the happiest person, at least, for that very moment .If someone asked me about the destination, I’d say, as if involuntarily; Nepal. Indeed, out of all the exotic places in the world, Nepal, for me, is the most beautiful. The rocky hills that cover themselves with a beautiful green blanket, the snow that dances on the top of the unforgiving peaks and the little darlings of the mountains, whose innocent laughter, poverty can never rip apart. Such an underrated country, with so much beauty shying away behind the Himalayas.
The day my country stops bringing a smile to my face, is the day I know, that I am a lost cause.
And in this country with such diverse beauty, there is this one place that has always been my ideal destination, a place that would be on the top if I had a bucket list, called Mustang.
Mustang, formerly the kingdom of Lo, is the isolated lap of the Himalayas. However, over the recent years, it has been gaining popularity for its signature dry lands and of course, its beauty. The upper part of the area, especially a place called Kagbeni, is believed to be geographically gorgeous but threatening. And that is exactly where I would go.
Kagbeni is a valley in Upper Mustang, popular for its mouth-watering apples and the local apple brandy called ‘Marpha’. These are easily the attractions as well as potentials of this place, but the actual treasure is the place itself. The undiscovered caves, beautiful dry mountains that resemble the sand dunes to some level, weirdly exquisite culture and the journey to the destination are the things that can be labeled as the masterpieces of the divine creator himself.
When it comes to travelling, I have always been a loner as I quite honestly enjoy it that way. But on this trip to Kagbeni, never in my wildest dreams would I dare miss out my friends. I have this group of six people, including myself, who I’d go to this trip with and I can’t picture us reaching there in any other way but riding our very own motorbikes.
Sure I’m a girl and I would be violating the stereotypes by travelling through my very own bike, but the rebel in me would do it. Yes, I neither own a bike nor can ride one, but I’d probably learn it for the trip itself. The one thing I have always believed with my whole heart is that; the only thing that can correspond with beauty is speed.So, we’d probably go there in our very own bikes, racing through the rough landscape and hiking the rest of the trail. When I reach there, I don’t think I’ll have the interest to do anything else but absorb the alluring Mustang and create the memories that I shall take to my grave.
Third Place
The Chain
“Anywhere?” I asked. ”Anywhere you want.” my parents said with a consoling look that I had been seeing since my grandmother died last month. My grandmother and I were very close and her death had somewhat devastated me. I remember, my hunger had disappeared on the day she died and I had been living on minimal amounts of food on the first week of her death. “I’ll think about it.” I said. My father then patted me on my shoulder and then they left my room. Due to Hindu traditions, we would not be allowed to celebrate Dashain that year. So, to lessen the melancholy that l was feeling and to hide the fact that we couldn’t celebrate Dashain my father planned a trip to visit any place of my liking.
I knew where I wanted to go but I didn’t say it right away because I didn’t want them to say that my decision was impulsive. My dream had been same from the time I turned fourteen, two years ago; to visit the seashore with my grandmother. It was a simple dream to any other person but like all dreams it would bring immense joy to my heart. “Grandma, where would you want to go if you could go anywhere?” I asked her when I was fourteen. That day I had to write an essay on any place that I would like to visit and I was very confused because there were so many places that I would enjoy visiting. “Why would you want to know an old woman’s wishes? The only place I’d like to go is to the temple by myself, the next day “, she replied. I knew that wasn’t an honest answer and I asked her many times after that but she gave me similar answers only. However, my curiosity was at its peak and I did something I’m not proud of. My father used to bring ‘rasbari’ every Saturday which my family enjoyed but my grandma couldn’t have them because of her health issues. So, I used to steal the leftover ‘rasbari’ in the night for her and the next day I used to tell my mum that I ate them. I said I would only give them to her if she gave me the answer and she agreed to our little negotiation. “I’d like to go to the seashore” she said. But the tone in her voice and the look in her face conveyed that she felt that she would never be able to reach there. “Your grandpa used to say the seashore is a wondrous place. You know how much he used to love painting. He had gone to a beach once and he painted a picture of it. It’s the one that hangs above my bed. He said he would take me there someday. But-” she suddenly stopped talking and immediately I regretted my actions. He had died shortly after their marriage and she was left with three children and her in-laws to take care of. Then she made the decision that would change the fate of my family. She decided to move to the capital city so that her children could receive education and also because she would find better jobs to pay for their education. Even these days, to move from a village to city, for a single mother of three children with nothing but a few sets of clothes and her jewellery (which would later be sold), is a bold decision but it was older times where people were more judgemental and less comprehending. But the decision was made and she would not reconsider it. So she left the village and moved to the city. Life surely is hard for a woman in an extremely patriarchal society, where a bride has to drink the water used to wash the feet of the groom in their marriage, and it surely wasn’t going to be easy for this mother of three. She was despised by her in-laws and her own family said she was a worm aspiring to grow wings. The society was crueler; they called her a prostitute. Despite those allegations, she worked in five places a day with an average of four hours of sleep per day. She worked in three places in the weekends. It’s ironic how an illiterate woman understood the importance of education and paid for her children’s education without any hesitation. Another example of her courage would be her decision to open a sweet shop. The shop did very well in the market and has become one of the most popular sweet shop in Kathmandu. Her courage has made her a very successful entrepreneur and since we have a roof over our heads, food to eat each day, and no need to take loans from others, we say we are a happy and a lucky family. She had maintained the delicate balance in between being strong and being kind and when her family asked her if they could send their children to the city for better education (after seeing her success) she said she would be delighted. A few people have lava inside them and if they get the required momentum they will burn all the hardships in their paths and warm the people near them. Her kindness and her bravery were why I respecter and loved her so much. She had also helped me to manage my anger and in many other ways that she would not be able to recognize. After she died, a silver chain she used to wear came to my possession. It could be worn by both sexes and so I have worn it since last month. I hope that chain will be a family heirloom in my family whose second owner is me. I feel the cool metal against my skin and I’m brought back to reality. I look at her picture on the wall and then to the clock. Then I sleep. As I open my eyes I’m in a beach somewhere. Grandma is very close to the water, in fact it’s covering her knees. I feel very happy to see her albeit the whole situation is illogical. I see the chain in her neck and as I run towards her she is slowly being engulfed in the waves. I see her lips stretching to smile but I reach where she is and she disappears and I wake up. This recurring dream has been troubling me from the week of her death and each time it gets more vivid. This time I got to see that there was a full moon and a few seashells lying in the sand.
The next day I wake up and during breakfast I tell my parents that I want to go to a beach; any beach. They say okay and tell me that it would take about a week to make the arrangements. I knew they would not say no because they would do anything to cheer me up. The next week, the panic of packing takes over the mundane ambience of my house and I see a certain vigour in everyone’s eyes as this is our first visit to the seashore. We reach our hotel in midnight, after a day and a half and we take rest. The environment of the hotel is very lively and the bright, colored lights add a sense of festivity. As we go out to see the places and people we are refreshed. The people are very friendly and the museum, zoo and art galleries were very interesting. The recurring dream, as its name, didn’t leave my mind and still attacked me every night. We also went to hike on a hill and we saw a deer there. The beach was also very beautiful. Endless shades of blue above, blue below and brown on the side was a picturesque site to see. I swam there with my family and as I went underwater I was lucky enough to see fish nearby. I called my sister to see it however, it went away very quickly and she said sarcastically “Yes, I can see it. Oh, it’s so cute.” which was a little annoying. Then on our last day we had dinner on the seashore. This is what I love about travelling; it brings the travelers together and makes us realize how big the world is and how small our life was. It makes us believe that there is so much more in the world and in our lives and also that there is so much left to learn. I was asked where would you want to go and my choice to go to the beach was correct and I would go there with no one except my family. The only remorse I feel is that my grandma, who would want to be here so much, couldn’t be here. I look at my chain, I smile and look up at the stars hoping that she is looking down. I went to sleep and the strangest thing happened in the dream. This time as I ran towards grandma I reached her and she embraced me but unlike other times the embrace felt very clod and sent a chill to my spine. I was woken right after the dream by my father. He said I was shivering. I said I had a nightmare and he advised me to take a walk outside. I said okay and as I was walking in the hallway I saw a flickering light slowly moving in the beach. I was very drawn towards the light as if the light was calling me. As I went towards the light, the image became very coherent. It was my grandma and she was smiling at me. I could see through her body as if she was made of glass. A burst of happiness came from my heart and my eyes exploded with tears that I was holding back till now. I went towards her and she embraced me. It was still cold but I didn’t mind this time. “Don’t cry now. Is this how you greet me?” she said with that warm voice of hers. “We miss you here. We always have to throw the leftover ‘rasbari’ away.” I said. “Well then, why do you bring the extras?” she asked. “Good point.” I say as I smile. “I just wanted to thank you for bringing me here. I had some unfinished business here and I think my soul was trapped in the chain. As you have brought me to the beach my desire is fulfilled and you have set me free. I just wanted you to know I’ll always be by your side. ”, she said. “But-” as I was speaking she was fading away in the darkness. “Goodbye” she said and I was beginning to comprehend the situation and I tried to hold back my tears and said, “Goodbye. Thank you for everything.”. She disappeared and I was looking up. The moon seemed to be brighter than other nights and it was a perfect circle. I went back to my room and slept peacefully for the first time after a month. The dreamless sleep had affected my waking up process and I felt very energetic as I woke up. The rays of the sun were bouncing against my face and I realized that many times, only in hindsight do we realize the purpose of an incident.