Weekly Writing Competition
Writing Competition
Later Years
Before by Teagan Kaye 12D
Memories of a bygone existence
Lacking the phrase ‘social distance’
People weren’t so terrified
Those vulnerable needn’t hide
It wasn’t so often that they cried
Frankly, it wasn’t so often this quantity died
People forbidden to mourn the dead
Too high a risk, the virus could spread
People resemble aliens, creatures
Cloaked in masks, gloves, no recognisable features
Survival instincts initiated
Turned against each other in fear-fuelled hatred.
In a previous time
Prior to being considered a crime
Parks were occupied by cavorting friends
They’d laugh, bicker, and always make amends.
Thousands of jobs now obsolete
Unsure if they can eat this week
Families dispossessed of income
Expressions woefully depicting glum
Celebration of occasions in unity
Presently a stark anomaly
Video chats replace human interaction
Periodically serving as a brief distraction
Perhaps forthcoming
The miracle of overcoming
The plague of malady
Imperative is comradery
Middle Years
Paper Planes
By Kiara Simcocks
July 10, 2020
There’s a girl I see at the station sometimes. A girl I can’t help but notice. She has beautiful long hair dyed in an array of different colours. She is always in the same rainbow scarf. Today she is wearing a shirt with the words ‘be strong’ on it in pink letters. I need some of that shirt’s advice right about now. I guess that’s why I admire her, she’s so brave. I’m not brave. I don’t even have the courage to talk to her.
July 12, 2020
She’s here at the station again, this time in a penguin shirt instead. She is speed reading a book I couldn’t make out the name of. She walked past a young girl, sitting on a small red blanket with a cup in front of her. She hands the girl the book and drops a coin into the cup. The young girl smiled and yelled her thanks out to her as she walked away. She was so kind to do that.
July 15, 2020
I just arrived home to my apartment after going out to get groceries. And then I saw her. Out the window of my apartment. In the apartment across from mine. I see her through the window. It was wide open. After a slight panic attack and cleaning my room (so she doesn’t think I’m messy because that would be a disaster), I decided it was now or never. I grabbed a piece of paper and began jotting things down. Introducing myself. I folded it into a paper plane and prayed it would make it. I watched it glide across the wind and land perfectly on her window sill. She walked over and brought it in, unfolding it as she walked. Now all I must do is wait.
July 19, 2020
It has been a few days since I threw my first paper plane to her window sill. We now send planes back and forth every day. Her name is Rayla and she works at a coffee shop near the station and she has invited me to go on a date with her there. After a bit of screaming and pumping my fist in the air, I tried on about ten different outfits to decide what to wear, after a bit of thinking I decided on jeans with a white collared shirt. Basic, but nice.
July 20, 2020
I spoke to Rayla for the first time in person today. Since she worked at the coffee shop, we got the food on the house, and it was delicious. We chat about everything and everyone, she is not scared to share her opinions. She was wearing her rainbow scarf with her hair tied up into to small buns on her head. I told her she looked beautiful. I met some of her friends at the coffee shop and I think they like me. After having coffee, we decided to go to a roller-skating rink. Classic first date spot. Of course, she was amazing at it, me on the other hand, fell flat on my face. She offered her hand to help me up. I took it and didn’t let go.
July 23, 2020
I flew Rayla a plane today asking her to come on another date with me, I am still waiting for her reply
July 25, 2020
Still waiting.
July 30, 2020
Still waiting
August 1, 2020
I am getting very worried about Rayla. She hasn’t replied to my paper planes in the last nine days. They are all still sitting on her window sill.
August 3, 2020
Rayla showed up on my door step today. As soon as I opened my door for her, she jumped into my arms and began to cry. I held her while she wept and invited her inside. She explained to me through sobs that her Grandmother had gotten incredibly sick and she has been in the hospital for the past week helping her. She began to apologize to me for not replying to my planes, and I just hugged her tight and told her there was no need to apologize, and that she was being so brave even telling me what’s going on with her. I was so glad she could trust me.
August 6, 2020
Rayla’s grandmother died yesterday. I sat with her all day while she cried and help her with anything she needed. She told me that I was so kind. She told me everything that happened and a made a batch of cookies we could share. She told me she was glad that she could trust me.
August 23, 2020
Rayla is going away in a few weeks. She is going around the world with her family to all the places her grandmother wanted to visit, she tells me she was going to be gone for about a year. Upon hearing that information, for the first time, I cried in front of her. This time, she was the one holding me.
August 31, 2020
Rayla left today.
September 10, 2020
I want Rayla to come home.
August 23, 2021
Rayla came home today. I was overjoyed. I missed her so much. I cried and cried until I had no more tears. We spoke for hours.
August 20, 2023
There’s a girl I once saw at the station. A girl I couldn’t help but notice. I thought she was so brave. So confident. So strong. I thought I would never be like that. And I was wrong about a lot of things, but that’s true enough, isn’t it? I will never be brave like Rayla. I can only be brave like me, and when I think about Rayla. I want to be brave. When I’m with her, I feel like I can do anything.
I guess that’s why I love her.