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.

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