Tenacity

• Faizah Alam, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2013

The wind washed against Aria’s face. Aria loved this feeling. Ever since she could remember, Aria had been fishing with her father. She welcomed the fishy ocean and longed for any spare time she had. The sea was her second home. Aria couldn’t think of a life without it. Fishing was a part of her; it was in her blood. It was a business that was passed onto the eldest child in her family.

Aria looked back at her father, urging him to hurry out of the car. Again she noted the sheer number of cars littered around the jetty parking, and couldn’t help but wonder what was attracting the attention to the beach.
It was soon revealed to her.

Thousands of prawns lay motionless on the shore of the beach that she loved. No longer could you see the sand, only the dull orange of the prawns’ exoskeletons.
“Come on, we can’t fish with all these people here.” Aria’s father sighed. Mutely, Aria followed him.

Consequently, a couple of weeks passed, and her father returned home one day with a heavy look on his face.
“We’re leaving.”

Aria knew it was for the best, but couldn’t bring herself to admit it.
Fishing had been banned in the area and media had depicted it like the fishing industry had caused the harm. The real reason was the fact that a wealthy company was conducting off-shore oil exploration there in the deep ocean. Thus, the marine life couldn’t breathe as the oxygen level in the water depleted.

It was an environmental crime, but with money, the companies could change the viewpoint entirely. She knew that her father went to protests against it, it was to no avail. The companies always seemed to dominate. There was nothing left to do but leave, she just had to come in terms with it.

The next few days were chaos. Aria and her family were moving to the city to live with her uncle. But Aria couldn’t see what the green activists’ problems were. Now, she was loosing her home and the only life she ever knew.

Saying good bye to the ocean, Aria climbed into the car. It had been her best friend over the years, and she felt as if a piece of her heart was being torn. She watched as the trees thinned out, until they turned into buildings and the city came into sight.

The air was filthy, and noise polluted it. With a heavy heart, Aria walked into her new flat. The next few days, Aria hardly ever talked. Everywhere she looked, she would be reminded of the life she left behind.

However, there was hope, as Aria had opened a petition with the help of the like-minded school community. It had made the national headlines.
Prime Minister ordered an independent team to inquiry about the whole scenario. Aria sighed with relief, knowing the prime minister would do something with the outcome of the inquiry to help protect Mother Nature.