I Will Remain…..

• Nila Muhunthan , Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2022

I will remain here always. In the little house on Melody Drive. The one with the big window with the worn down curtains. The one that’s too small for the amount of people it holds. I will remain here for years to come, although I wish otherwise. I will remain here with no-one to talk to, or listen to, or even say “how are doing today” to. It’s just me, and it’s been ‘just me’ for 10 years. It’s been like winter everyday. I’ve been here for so long that I’ve counted the tiles on the ceiling at least a thousand times. It wasn’t always like this though. I used to be quite popular. Now everyone groans at the sight of me. I mean sometimes kids tell me that their grandparents talk about me, so I’m not completely forgotten, right? But it’s just not the same. I mean understand that I can be a handful sometimes, and that sometimes you’ve got to settle for second place, and all that rubbish but not a day has gone by which I haven’t thought about what could’ve been.


I’ve said a lot about my life. Maybe now you understand. Then you can help me from this cage I’m trapped in. Maybe now the ice will break. But the rains still pouring, and the sound of silence being broken didn’t come, the shatter of my broken heart was all that could be heard, it broke me my voice disappeared and the sweet taste of freedom stayed away, my last hope was stolen. I thought this world would change the way viewed me, but now the waves are sweeping away my last hopes of freedom. I’m lost.

“what are you here for?” I asked the little boy, he had appeared from nowhere maybe he was a visitor, he looked at me curiously, didn’t he hear. me? “Go away” I scowled “it’s rude to stare” he again showed no interest in what I had to say. Was he deaf? I wondered.

“Mommy?” He said quietly turning to a pretty women, “mommy?” The little boy whispered “what’s that?” He said pointing towards me. The boys mother turned to look a what her son was pointing at. Then she started to stare at me too! She kneeled down and said something in a muffled voice. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but when she got up again she lifted my stylus and placed it on my record! This was amazing I stared humming, and singing and whistling like never before. I the warmth broke through my icy atmosphere, and the warmth washed over me with relief. Relief that I wasn’t forgotten. After a while, I stopped singing, and humming, and whistling, but I knew I wasn’t lonely or and outcasted or abandoned. So I will remain here in the little house in Melody drive. I will remain here always and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I will remain here as the same old record player.