SHORT STORY

In a bustling hall of Maplewood Middle School, Mia was marching quickly towards her classroom, avoiding eye contact and fear clutching her heart. Her silence wasn’t a sign of disinterest, but a barrier of shyness and fright she had carried. She was secretive with her classmates and hardly spoke to anyone. She was always bullied for her silence, for she didn’t have courage to fight back. Mia always doubted herself, always thought and cared about how other people may react to her words. Her silence was a puzzle to everyone in the class.

This puzzle was solved by a classmate named Lily. Lily was the first one to approach Mia to talk and share stuff. She boosted Mia’s confidence. After a few weeks, Mia found courage to share her feelings and thoughts with everyone. She no longer took concern about people responding to her. She approached boldly towards everything that shocked everyone.

The quiet, secretive, and shy Mia became a talkative one. To Mia, Lily was the shining light of the path to befriend every classmate. Mia was admired by most classmates. Now she just made Mia awfully happy. Now her newly made friends were there to support her in every possible way.

by

Akshara Jasti

Class IX

Written in January 2024