It’s raining heavily. Sitting by the window in class, I got drenched by the gust of rainwater. It
felt like the rain touched my soul — the soul that was yearning for some distraction, for
nature’s noise. Let the rain wash away all my agony—that was my prayer.
The rain stopped after a while, and the sky began to glow again. Just as we humans put on a
fake glint after crying, the sky did the same.
My heart still feels heavy. What am I missing? I have a roof over my head. I have a bed to
sleep in peacefully. I have some money, enough for me. Yet it feels like the world doesn’t
need me anymore. I feel like a waste. No, I’m thinking nonsense. Everything has a reason
behind it.
The roads have become muddy after the rain. In just a few minutes, I’ll be home.
Rain brings calmness but also causes some inconvenience. It calms the heart, but the path
becomes difficult to walk.
As I was walking, suddenly, a small girl bumped into me. She was holding some snacks. Her
eyes were deep, but fear clouded them. She seemed terrified by a street dog that had just
run away. I asked her, “Are you afraid of the dog?” She nodded. I asked again, “Where do you
want to go? Where is your home?” She replied, “Down that lane, but a dog is lying there,
and I’m afraid.”
I usually avoid the chaos of the world in search of inner peace, but her innocence caught my
attention, and I felt a sisterly instinct.
I said, “Okay! Hold my hand. I’ll walk with you.”
I held her soft hand and retraced my steps, entering the narrow lane. A dog was lying there
peacefully. I knew it wouldn’t hurt her, but I wanted to help. The girl reached her home
safely. She let go of my hand, jumped up the stairs of her house, looked back at me, smiled,
and said, “Thank you!”
Thank you! The words hit my soul at that moment. It felt like I had fulfilled the task the
world had assigned me. The inferiority that had been consuming me vanished. That smile,
those words, bloomed like a bunch of bluebells in my heart.
I walked back home, feeling a sense of renewal within.
Maryam Mahfuz
