“This is so stupid,” she groaned, pushing her chair back and stretching her arms. It was getting late, and the workers at the coffee shop had already made it abundantly clear that they should leave. He had been gently suggesting the same thing, but she had to submit this paper on “The Lady or the Tiger?” by tomorrow, and three and a half hours and four lattes had only added about a paragraph to her computer screen. “How is it even a question? Imagine it’s us; I tell you to go right, there’s going to be a lady behind that door, no matter how pretty she is. It doesn’t matter what I want, if it saves your life, and if you get some shot at happiness, isn’t it worth it? Watching you with someone else would hurt, but at least you’d be alive.” Her rant was met with silence, which stretched so long that she had to ask, “What? Would you do something differently?”
“I’d go left,” he said, his voice even and sure, almost daring her to question him. “I’d go left because I know you’d try to save me, but I’d rather die than dedicate my life to someone who isn’t you.” He didn’t know what had prompted the declaration. Maybe he was going insane from sitting still in the coffee shop for so long. Still, he knew every word he said was true. He’d stay here forever with her if he had to. He wanted to spend his life with her. His hand went to his pocket, where the ring was hidden. ‘Soon,’ he told himself, ‘I’ll ask her soon.’
An old yarn lies in the woods
At the base of a tree,
Colors faded over time,
Protecting that tree.
Nature ignores the thread.
As leaves crowd it out,
The yarn still lies there
And circles its base.
Alone, without a face,
The world tried to erase
This yarn of fate.
It still lies in the woods.
Maybe I'm flying
On wings of glass.
Any moment
I'll fall and crash,
But don't make me stop,
Please don't.
Maybe it hurts
Too much to let go.
Maybe I'm just not sure
How to say no.
I don't want to stop.
Please don't give up.
Maybe I'll crack,
But I won't let myself break.
I'll get up again,
Learn from each mistake.
I'm never going to stop.
Please don't give up on me.
These wings of glass,
They seem unsteady.
Life is tough.
Am I ready?
Nothing can make me stop.
I won't give up on me.
Have you ever considered that things are more than they seem? That there’s a whole world hidden beneath this one? That anything is possible? That we should cherish our resources, just in case? Kayla hasn’t.
Kayla doesn’t even know the basics of this world.
For most people, their first memory is a fuzzy little blurb from when they were a small child. Not for Kayla. She has to be around fifteen years old (nobody knows for sure), but her first memory is of a traumatic experience just a few weeks ago.
She found herself floating on her back in the middle of some cool, quiet place. She must have been asleep moments before. The sun beat down on her cheeks, and she felt wonderfully content with her blonde ringlets floating around her and her graceful arms flung wide. Then she rolled over. Cold shock hit her full in the face like a thousand tiny needles as fire exploded under the skin between her eyes. She jumped up and her heart dropped when she realized she was falling. She opened her eyes wildly, but saw nothing but tangible darkness. It was trapping her. The fire spread to her lungs, burning
fiercer until she thought her body would explode. She opened her mouth to cough or scream, but was met with the thick taste of rot. She writhed, kicking her arms and legs with the little strength she had left as the invisible enemy pursued her. It was no use, no matter which she turned, it was all the same. All black. All painful. Her mind was racing like a guinea pig on its wheel, so fast that she couldn’t catch any of the thoughts. Tears stung her eyes. Everything hurt. The world was spinning. That was when she saw a murky, green-brown light. She wasn't thinking at all, all she knew or cared about was reaching that light. Her own body was a blur as she thrashed with all her might. At last she bobbed up into blinding sunlight, coughing fiercely and gasping for air. She fell under again almost immediately, but kicked her way up once again. The water almost seemed angry, though. She was only able to hack out one strained shriek for help before it forced her under again. This time she stopped fighting. The world was already dark. Now it was going numb, too.
"Are you sure that's all you remember? Sarah asks as Kayla finishes retelling the story.
"Uh huh,” Kayla replies in a hollow tone. "After that I woke up on the beach and you were there, and we started talking. You mentioned a friend named Kayla and I thought that was familiar. You know what happened since then." She says it all without any emotion, fiddling with the pink petals of a nearby flower as she talks. They are hidden in Sarah's garden, which is between Mrs. Wilson's house and the shed that serves as Sarah and Kayla's bedroom. The shed is tucked back into the dry weeds where nobody notices it. Because nobody ever goes back there, the garden is a bit secret. The reason it has to be secret is because clean water is scarce in the town. It needs to be brought in from other places, but it's getting scarce there, too. Not only does Sarah need to share her rations to make the flowers grow, she needs to protect the flowers from the toxic rain. Because of these inconvenient factors, gardening is illegal. Sarah can't give up her garden, though. It's the only place where she feels like she can breathe, both literally and mentally. Now sunlight is slanting through the leaves and landing on the rusty bench where Sarah and Kayla sit. Sunflowers are growing up to their left, and the ground ahead is carpeted in purple. Two white butterflies are playing in the air, and a bird chirps not far away.
"I know what happened from there up until you saw those butterflies and said they reminded you of something. What was it?"
“I don't know.”
"Well, think! Don't you want to remember?" Sarah presses gently. Kayla shruggs.
"Hey, I get that knowing can be hard. I know how my parents died, and now I'm afraid of fire, but I'd still rather have that than just cluelessness."
Kayla is silent.
"Do you want to live in the dark?"
"I really don't care."
"Do you care about anything?"
“No.”
“I should've known, I guess. Ever since I met you, you haven't smiled once. You're beautiful, but you’d be so much prettier if you smiled.” Sarah pauses thoughtfully.
Kayla knows what she wants to ask, but she is hesitant. "Do you think I have a personality?"
Sarah doesn't know what to say. She doesn't want to be rude, but Kayla needs her to answer honestly. "I think you could have one,” is all she can offer.
"I knew I didn't,” Kayla states almost matter-of-factly.
"I'm sorry.”
“But you think I could?" There is almost a hint of emotion in her tone. The tiniest glint of hope. "Of course, who's stopping you?"
"I don't know. Somebody."
"What?"
"I think... I think I used to have a personality. I used to care. I can just barely геmember what it felt like. I want it back, but I just... can't. Something won't let me."
"Kayla! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Sarah asks, excited.
Kayla shrugs."What's the point?"
"The fact that you want it proves there's still something there! Whatever is holding you up,
we can work past it. Nothing can block you from being yourself!" Sarah exclaims, her brown eyes sparkling passionately.
Kayla just stares into space.
“Pease. Just try,” Sarah pleads more gently.
Kayla continues to sit perfectly still, her graceful hands folded in her lap, for an unnaturally long time.
"Kayla?" Sarah begins to get worried. “What's going on?”
Kayla still doesn't move, but her breathing gradually gets heavier until she is panting as if in terror.
"Kayla..."
All at once she sucks in her breath and springs up off of the bench. She leans against a small blossoming tree and does the most shocking thing while still catching her breath. She smiles-- no, grins. True to what Sarah said earlier, Kayla is a thousand times more beautiful when she smiles. Her pale skin lights up and two perfect dimples appear on her smooth cheeks. Her petite nose scrunches ever so slightly and, most importantly, her crystal blue eyes open wide to let the world in. She is so shocked, all she can do is laugh.
Sarah, taken aback, can't help giggling, too. “Kayla! Are you ok?" she manages to squeeze out.
Kayla shakes her head, causing her curls to bounce before answering. "Not Kayla! I know who I really am!"
"What?" Sarah stops giggling and stares into the eyes of Kayla, who has also regained her composure. "Did you say…”
Kayla nods. "You were right, nothing can stop me! I remember everything! I have a personality!”
Sarah doesn't know how to respond. “Kayla, that's... amazing!"
"I remember my real name, too. Call me Kalalaya.”
"Kalalaya?"
She nods.
"That's not a normal name. I love it."
"It's not normal for humans, anyway."
"Wait..."
"I'd better explain from the beginning."
So Kalalaya tells the whole story. As it turns out, she isn't human. She's a living particle of water. The community that she lived in before makes up the lake near Sarah's hometown where the foul water comes from. They are called the cursed, because they were doomed to a stagnant life of waste by the evil witch, Genella. Legends claim that Genella cursed the community by mistake in an experiment but didn’t bother trying to fix the damage. Nobody could punish her since the crime was unintentional, but she still faced seclusion. The lack of contact with other creatures and the knowledge that everyone was blaming her made Genella hard and bitter.
The curse made everyone useless. Some got angry and rebelled, completing their usual journeys anyway. This spread the poison farther and harmed the crops in town. Most just stayed put, living a useless life of nothingness. Spirits in the community sank low and lives became bland. Kalalaya handled it differently. She knew she couldn't let anger control her since that only harmed others, but she wasn't going to sit around and let life pass by without any action, either. What she did was make her own fun and adventures where she was, spreading her happiness and curiosity with the rest of the community to ease the gloom. Life was pretty good for Kalalaya, who never stopped dreaming about going on journeys someday, but what she didn't know was that she had an enemy. It was Genella, who was by that point an angry and depressed creature who didn’t want anyone to be happy without her. With nothing better to do, she set her focus on getting rid of Kalalaya.
An opportunity came sooner than Genella had expected when rumors started spreading about a water creature who'd turned into a human. Kalalaya thought that would be the perfect opportunity for adventure, so she began searching out ways to do it herself. That was when Genella reached out in disguise and offered to perform the magic on the over-eager girl.
"We met in a cave where she told me to go a few weeks ago, and then she cornered me and revealed who she really was and that her plan was to turn me into a dull human forever to get rid of me,” Kalalaya goes on.
"Why would she tell you?” Sarah asks, eyes wide.
"I'll bet she wanted to see me afraid, rotten scum--"
"Were you afraid?"
“Well, I don't think anyone could be pleased about something like this! But it's over now, and I have my personality back, so it worked out."
“Did it, now?” a high, cruel voice demanded from the side of the garden, making both girls jump. They turn to see a tall, bony figure standing with her hands on her hips. Her wrinkled face is creased in a permanent frown.
"Mrs. Wilson! W-why are you--" Sarah begins.
"Sarah, dear! I asked you to wash the dishes ages ago! Now stop playing in fairyland and show some gratitude for what I've done for you!" Mrs. Wilson snaps, uprooting a sunflower and tossing it aside as she talks.
"Yes m--”
"Wait!" Kalalaya puts her arm out to stop Sarah from standing up.
"Ah, and Kayla--"
Kalalaya growels at this.
“--you never emptied the waste bin, and now I've got to do it myself.” With that, Mrs. Wilson picks up a basket the girls hadn't noticed before and dumps its contents into a patch of petunias.
"You can't just--”
"That's going to hurt my people!”
"Oh, that's right, Kalalaya, was it?"
"How long have you been listening?"
"Long enough to know what I need to know."
"And that means…”
“I know that my fool of a sister is at it again. I'm on her side this time, but of course she can't pull it off! Now I'll need to step in."
"Wait, did you say--”
"Yes, yes, what a shock. Unfortunately, Genella is my sister.”
"But you're a human..."
"Did you honestly think she just made that one mistake? I'm another of her failed experiments. Filthy rat turned me human, can't turn me back."
"Then why are on her side now?" Kalalaya asks, immersed in the story.
"You were this close to breaking her curse with your happiness--" Mrs. Wilson spits this word out, “--and they don't deserve to fly free while I'm stuck here. Getting rid of you was the best bet. Since she couldn't do it, I will," Mrs. Wilson raises her voice on the last two words, making both girls jump. In a quick motion, she has them hovering in the air above the bench. They both shriek at the same time. Kalalaya begins kicking and writhing in the air while Sarah freezes in terror.
"Let us go!" Kalalaya shouts. With a nod of her head, Mrs. Wilson dropps both girls to the ground. Sarah crashes into the corner of the bench and sits panting on the ground. Kalalaya Falls onto a thorny rose bush. "Thanks," she grumbles.
"That was just for fun. Now it's time to finish what my idiot sister started!"
"She's going to take away your passion. Do something!" Sarah whispers urgently.
Kalalaya immediately begins to panic. Palms sweating, she has the feeling like she's suffocating. It's the same way she felt when Genella cursed her the first time. But she made it through that. She can do it again. Before she knows what she's doing, she stands up and realizes that Mrs. Wilson is on the ground breathing hard. "What did I just do?" Kalalaya asks.
"Something,” Sarah breathes.
"Did I... take her powers?"
"Looks like it."
Mrs. Wilson is now pulling herself up, sputtering and swearing. She waves her arms at the girls like mad, but nothing happens.
"Were you too strong for her?"
"I guess."
"I wonder if you could defeat Genella, too. Would that break the curse?"
"It makes sense. Going after the source has to work better than ignoring the problem. I'll just have to figure out how to get to her."
"Are you aware that you're shrinking?"
"Ah! What? Sarah, I think I'm changing back!" Kalalaya is already half as tall as her friend.
"Well, that explains how you'll get to Genella."
"Will I be strong enough to defeat her?"
"Of course. You can handle anything."
"What about Mrs. Wilson?"
"I'll get the police to take care of her."
"And you?”
"I'll be fine, but will I ever see you again?"
"Every time it rains, "Kalalaya promises just as she shrinks so small that Sarah can't see her.
What's the secret to success?
Please tell me if you know.
I've seen inspiration quotes
And all the anecdotes
Of lame to fame,
How they became
Larger than the stars.
How did they go so far?
Was it by being who they are?
They say it starts with a dream.
Well, we've all got one of those,
Big or small,
Tiny or tall.
So what do we do with that dream?
It's more simple than it may seem.
Start the ride,
Put one foot before the other
And hold on tight.
They say a very small percent makes it.
A high percent knows that
And doesn't try.
A high percent gives up,
Because they're lazy
Or scared
Or "too busy."
You're never too busy to dream
Never too busy to try.
A high percent gets discouraged,
But you don’t have to.
Just enjoy the journey
So you won’t lose the destination.
It might sound like a hard climb,
But all you need to do
Is focus on today.
Get up right now.
Do it.
Take a step.
You really can’t know
Unless you try.
What would you say is the most important thing in your life? The answer should be your faith in God, but that isn’t always what we put first. Even the best Bible characters let their faith slip at some point or another.
Let's take a look at Saul, Israel's first king. We know what happened there. Saul started out fine. He believed God and led well. He even looked like a king; he was very tall and powerful. So what went wrong? Saul started to love his own power way too much, and he wanted more of it. He thought David was a threat to that power, so it became his goal in life to kill David. Saul let power and greed compromise his faith.
David was the next king after Saul, and he loved God very much. David honored God, and he was also a good and just ruler. David's armies were also very strong in battle because they had God on their side. We think of David as a righteous king, but he wasn't always. Once he saw a beautiful woman named Bethsheba bathing. He wanted her as a wife, so he plotted to have her husband killed in battle. David committed adultery and it hurt his relationship with God. Solomon, David's
son, was the next ruler of Israel. God offered to give him anything he wanted, and he chose wisdom. God was pleased with this choice, so He gave Solomon wisdom and money. Solomon’s request proved that he was a selfless ruler, but he, too, sinned. He had many, many different wives and these wives had many, many different gods. Solomon himself began to worship the false gods, and that did not go well. He put idols in God's way.
These kings did some terrible things to take them away from God, and it really isn’t all that different from when we sin in small ways every day. Faith is the most important thing, but it is easier than we think to mess up. Good thing God is always there, ready to forgive us if we ask.
We sit together, her and I,
Watching the movies
That every small sister
Must see.
It’s only for her.
She needs this childish fun
Now.
It’s only for her.
Barbie's musical glittery, overly-kind voice fills the room,
And the screen is flooded
With sparkling pink magic
And the same live cartoon faces
Playing numerous characters.
It’s only for her
I have to remind myself.
Then I glance down
At my bubblegum pink nails.
They are chipped,
Though I just painted them.
I see my dress
With the unicorn,
The sequins, and
The pink tulle skirt;
The dress that makes my older sister
Roll her eyes,
Create an expression
Of disgust and surprise,
And beg me to change.
I will not change.
I admit it.
I don't want to grow up.
I’m a child at heart.
We all know I still play
With my dolls,
Unashamedly fixing their hair
With oh so much care
And picking out the very cutest
Of their old-fashioned dresses.
I don't have to fully grow up.
I can still be
A child at heart.
We all know I'm mature
In the ways that count,
So what does it matter?
Do dolls do me harm?
They won't get in the way of life,
I promise,
So please
Just let me be
That child
At heart.