Jezabel of the Ghetto by Mariam Fuzail
Photography
Lost & Found by Ananya Sharma
Non-Fiction
Found
Grow. “(of a living thing) undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically; progress to maturity”(Oxford Dictionary).
My hands felt clammy against the white netted skirt. The same skirt my friend would wear, and fit into perfectly in 2 years. And of course, it would be too short to ever fit me the same again.
Lost. And. Found.
Those spectacular blinking pixie lights in the dawn of the morning, orbiting with the whole universe, layered over my eyes as I stood up to my feet. The crowding of children began to peel through the dazzling stars in the sky. My ears filled with the sounds of children cheering like the water filling to the top of a cup, ready to drip out if moved too quickly. My vision jerked open as I began to saunter towards the door to the right of me.
The last time I have to walk through these doors, I mused. I allowed the shoulders around me to push me back and forth as I took steps forward in order to exit the doors. My eyes darted across the bright white room, squandering for my parents and younger brother. I spotted my father first, and began to squeeze through the remaining people. I was spit out of the tight crowd right in front of my parents, and bounced up, embracing them into a hug of joy.
“I’m finally free!” I squealed as I jumped up and down.
“Be careful Ananya,” my mom advised. “Don’t fall, those heels are not as easy to move in as you think!”
I tilted my head in confusion and shrugged. “Okay! I’ll be careful. Now let’s go!” I exclaimed. I dashed to the school doors with fingerprints splattered on the grey handles. I looked behind me, and one last time felt the cool breeze of my favorite place. Other than my house of course. My school. I turned back towards the clear transparent doors, pushed them open, and entered the outside area. I spun on my heel hoping to reenact one of those Bollywood movies I had watched a few days ago. Oh, that twirl of freedom. I began to spin as air filled inside my lungs. I fluttered my eyes open, but suddenly felt the air clasp out of me as my ankle jerked sideways.
“Ananya! Careful!” my dad cautioned as he placed his hands on my shoulders.
“Right. I’m sorry. I’ll be careful,” I muttered. I walked to the car with caution, heel to toe, similar to a balance beam, and felt my smile begin to plaster over my face. My stomach filled with butterflies, and my heart filled with freedom.
I chose found that day.
I chose found.
LOST
Grow. A process of maturing resulting in a desire to change a past experience in which one has failed to achieve growth in the way desired.
My right leg trembled against my right palm as my clammy hands clutched the crisp edges of the golden envelope. My pointer finger tiptoed to the center of the circular sticker and traced it in ease.
“Thank you so much for coming everyone! We will miss you guys next year! With that, I urge you to exit through the doors to the right of you,” the man bellowed.
Those flashy flickering white LED lights peering through the cracked TV, orbiting with the whole universe, layered over my eyes as I stood up to my feet. The people near me concaved against me, as the LED lights hazed into the background of the shoulders in front of me. I began to walk with the crowd, allowing the pushes to ripple through me. I was in a state of shock.
“Ananya! I’m here!” my dad called.
I jerked my head towards him.
“Coming!” I exclaimed.
My heels softly clicked against the wooden floor as I began to glide through the crowd with ease. I reached my father and smiled.
“How did you not trip through that crowd?” my dad laughed as he placed his arm around me.
“I don’t know,” I muttered as I snuck a smile under my breath.
My mom and brother hugged me from my left, almost making me jump in shock.
“We are so proud of you beta,” my dad smiled. “Don’t be upset. What’s wrong?”
“I just feel like I’m going to miss this,” I explained.
My mom’s warm hand layered over my shoulder.
“You will be onto bigger and better now. Don’t be worried about it!” My mom exclaimed.
If there was anything I had learned, it was bigger did not always mean better. But regardless, I smiled and nodded. I gazed in front of me towards the black doors with the grey bar filled with clammy fingerprints. I felt my mouth clench as I swallowed hoping to push the lump in my throat away. I closed my eyes tight hoping to suck in the drizzle from the chocolate brown sky. My dad didn’t tell me to say goodbye this time. I was doing it myself. I placed my fingertips on the cold grey bar and pushed it open. The cold air brushed past me as I began to saunter to our car. I took a deep breath.
“Goodbye,” I whispered as I nodded my head in reassurance.
I chose lost that day.
I chose lost.
AND
Grow: A process of the acceptance of maturing filled with both regret and excitement.
I stroked the delicate baby blue collar-- my favorite part about it because it was soft-- on my shirt. My shoulders felt weighed down by the heavy backpack slung on top of my shoulders. The doors were similar to the one’s from earlier grades, but there were many more, each one being somewhat more narrow. I began to blend into the line in front of the door with the most people, but I immediately slid out. I slid in front of the door next to it, without any rush, and pulled on the fingerprint free handle, my fingers being the first ones to lightly smear onto it. I pulled the door towards me, and walked in, feeling a crowd of people gather behind me. The air was fresh and crisp. I glanced around me with barely any familiar face to identify as a friend of, but nobody I knew was there. I continued to saunter inside, glancing at the map in my hand as subtlety as I could.
“There are cliques, that’s for sure,” I muttered. I reached an intersection in the long hallway with walls covered with a blanket of snow.
Left? Wait no. Right? I thought to myself.
I wasn’t going to be late on my first day. There was no way. My heart said left, so I listened. I was introduced to the towering buildings that everyone referred to as students. My chocolate chip brown eyes dart around the room. Everything seemed so.... different. All of the individuals seem grown up, and suddenly, I was one of them. It felt like I had lost. All of these individuals had their own future, and suddenly, I was apart of that. I felt like I had found. I tapped my leveled shoes on the ground before continuing to walk down the endless hallway.
Lost. And. Found
I chose and that day.
I chose and.
Grow. “(of a living thing) undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically; progress to maturity”(Oxford Dictionary).
My hands felt clammy against the white netted skirt. The same skirt my friend would wear, and fit into perfectly in 2 years. And of course, it would be too short to ever fit me the same again.
Lost. And. Found.
Those spectacular blinking pixie lights in the dawn of the morning, orbiting with the whole universe, layered over my eyes as I stood up to my feet. The crowding of children began to peel through the dazzling stars in the sky. My ears filled with the sounds of children cheering like the water filling to the top of a cup, ready to drip out if moved too quickly. My vision jerked open as I began to saunter towards the door to the right of me.
The last time I have to walk through these doors, I mused. I allowed the shoulders around me to push me back and forth as I took steps forward in order to exit the doors. My eyes darted across the bright white room, squandering for my parents and younger brother. I spotted my father first, and began to squeeze through the remaining people. I was spit out of the tight crowd right in front of my parents, and bounced up, embracing them into a hug of joy.
“I’m finally free!” I squealed as I jumped up and down.
“Be careful Ananya,” my mom advised. “Don’t fall, those heels are not as easy to move in as you think!”
I tilted my head in confusion and shrugged. “Okay! I’ll be careful. Now let’s go!” I exclaimed. I dashed to the school doors with fingerprints splattered on the grey handles. I looked behind me, and one last time felt the cool breeze of my favorite place. Other than my house of course. My school. I turned back towards the clear transparent doors, pushed them open, and entered the outside area. I spun on my heel hoping to reenact one of those Bollywood movies I had watched a few days ago. Oh, that twirl of freedom. I began to spin as air filled inside my lungs. I fluttered my eyes open, but suddenly felt the air clasp out of me as my ankle jerked sideways.
“Ananya! Careful!” my dad cautioned as he placed his hands on my shoulders.
“Right. I’m sorry. I’ll be careful,” I muttered. I walked to the car with caution, heel to toe, similar to a balance beam, and felt my smile begin to plaster over my face. My stomach filled with butterflies, and my heart filled with freedom.
I chose found that day.
I chose found.
LOST
Grow. A process of maturing resulting in a desire to change a past experience in which one has failed to achieve growth in the way desired.
My right leg trembled against my right palm as my clammy hands clutched the crisp edges of the golden envelope. My pointer finger tiptoed to the center of the circular sticker and traced it in ease.
“Thank you so much for coming everyone! We will miss you guys next year! With that, I urge you to exit through the doors to the right of you,” the man bellowed.
Those flashy flickering white LED lights peering through the cracked TV, orbiting with the whole universe, layered over my eyes as I stood up to my feet. The people near me concaved against me, as the LED lights hazed into the background of the shoulders in front of me. I began to walk with the crowd, allowing the pushes to ripple through me. I was in a state of shock.
“Ananya! I’m here!” my dad called.
I jerked my head towards him.
“Coming!” I exclaimed.
My heels softly clicked against the wooden floor as I began to glide through the crowd with ease. I reached my father and smiled.
“How did you not trip through that crowd?” my dad laughed as he placed his arm around me.
“I don’t know,” I muttered as I snuck a smile under my breath.
My mom and brother hugged me from my left, almost making me jump in shock.
“We are so proud of you beta,” my dad smiled. “Don’t be upset. What’s wrong?”
“I just feel like I’m going to miss this,” I explained.
My mom’s warm hand layered over my shoulder.
“You will be onto bigger and better now. Don’t be worried about it!” My mom exclaimed.
If there was anything I had learned, it was bigger did not always mean better. But regardless, I smiled and nodded. I gazed in front of me towards the black doors with the grey bar filled with clammy fingerprints. I felt my mouth clench as I swallowed hoping to push the lump in my throat away. I closed my eyes tight hoping to suck in the drizzle from the chocolate brown sky. My dad didn’t tell me to say goodbye this time. I was doing it myself. I placed my fingertips on the cold grey bar and pushed it open. The cold air brushed past me as I began to saunter to our car. I took a deep breath.
“Goodbye,” I whispered as I nodded my head in reassurance.
I chose lost that day.
I chose lost.
AND
Grow: A process of the acceptance of maturing filled with both regret and excitement.
I stroked the delicate baby blue collar-- my favorite part about it because it was soft-- on my shirt. My shoulders felt weighed down by the heavy backpack slung on top of my shoulders. The doors were similar to the one’s from earlier grades, but there were many more, each one being somewhat more narrow. I began to blend into the line in front of the door with the most people, but I immediately slid out. I slid in front of the door next to it, without any rush, and pulled on the fingerprint free handle, my fingers being the first ones to lightly smear onto it. I pulled the door towards me, and walked in, feeling a crowd of people gather behind me. The air was fresh and crisp. I glanced around me with barely any familiar face to identify as a friend of, but nobody I knew was there. I continued to saunter inside, glancing at the map in my hand as subtlety as I could.
“There are cliques, that’s for sure,” I muttered. I reached an intersection in the long hallway with walls covered with a blanket of snow.
Left? Wait no. Right? I thought to myself.
I wasn’t going to be late on my first day. There was no way. My heart said left, so I listened. I was introduced to the towering buildings that everyone referred to as students. My chocolate chip brown eyes dart around the room. Everything seemed so.... different. All of the individuals seem grown up, and suddenly, I was one of them. It felt like I had lost. All of these individuals had their own future, and suddenly, I was apart of that. I felt like I had found. I tapped my leveled shoes on the ground before continuing to walk down the endless hallway.
Lost. And. Found
I chose and that day.
I chose and.