Hidden Hopes

• Beore Hwang, Grade 12, Ingleburn High School
• Short Story
• 2014

Excellence Award in the 'The Text Generation 2014' competition

Alone at the veranda she notices the peace she never heard before. The birds cooed to their young and the odd scuffle of the bush filled her with nature’s harmony. The rough wooden floor scrapes her hands as she pushes herself up, a welcoming sting and the sudden epiphany hits her, a mental blow yet she stumbles against the wall and slides to the ground. Lifting her head she stares at the sky filled with the silver dust of stars sporadically spread in little clusters. They sparkle like diamonds yet the very stars are illusions of hope. Her face screws up with her hands curled in anger as she is thrown into the inner turmoil of her mind.

Like machines we serve our purpose till our expiration date, rust and age only to grow and fade into the past. Our mark in the world insignificant, we will be forgotten over time. Like a ritual we meet deadlines from dawn to dusk, living in endless nights, with caffeinated minds. No Herculean can save us from time. Holding onto a thread called life, cut and separated from the very essence of a “normal” life. She lose what we hold precious in time… If only she had more time. As the night grows, borders blur and colours bleed into darkness. Dreams can be destroyed like Lego pieces, the fallen blocks take time to mend and laborious to rebuild. Sometimes she believes that she can fight the disease inside of her, that she can beat the chances against her, to prove that the statistics were wrong, only to descend into despair when she sees her tiny little increments of progress, those baby steps won't ever matter in the grand scheme of the things. The sky continues to darken like her mood and tears of frustration escape her lids.

A light breeze wisped past her hair and gave the lingering scent of fresh pines like the smell of home, a small smile grows and she momentarily forgets the smell of sickness that seems to cling to her where ever she goes. Breathing deeply she counts each star for all her hopes, aspirations and inspirations…more and more. She sails among the stars and the sky’s the limit. But all things must fall due to the gravity of fallen expectations, her incompetency and the lack of will to live. But a sweet memory unveils; her mother had once comfortingly wrapped her into an embrace parting words of wisdom, whispering, “Embracing your fears is risky but not nearly as dangerous as losing hope. Only when we are brave enough to explore that darkness, will we be able to discover the infinite power in ourselves.”

You may not realise it but away from the city at night, there are tens and thousands of stars. We all dance in the madness of desolation at some point in our life. When dawn breaks the sun’s light tries to illuminate the path we tread on and there is always one, hopeful star hidden in the blue sky waiting to be rediscovered in times of darkness.