If We Changed

• Emily Taylor, Grade 6, Cranbourne West Primary School
• Short Story
• 2014

Excellence Award in the 'The Text Generation 2014' competition

Choking smoke filled the air; rubbish littered the streets and lakes leaving a devastating sight and a horrendous smell. Keira walked the contaminated streets, climbing over obstacles that stood in her way. Other people walked the streets but were wearing masks to keep them from choking and gloves for protection against bacteria that had risen from the waste. Keira made a quick stop to straighten her head band and regain her grip on her two dolls Nia and Mellohi then continued walking. Keira was not young, in her early twenties to be precise. She had ebony black hair which was braided messily and she had azure blue eyes that shone like crystals. She made another stop at a river that was a horrible brown from the debris that floated through it.
She held a photo that she admired. It was her as a baby with her family right by the same river that she sat beside but it was very clear and in the photo they sat on emerald green grass and small buildings were far away in the background. The two dolls Nia and Mellohi were held in her small baby hands. Nia wore white clothes which were now dirty and Nias beautiful albino hair was now messy and had gone grey. Mellohi had golden blonde hair that was messy like Nia's and Mellohi's black clothing had tears in them. Grieving over the now horrid sight she regretted a lot of things. Her carelessness in the past was only one of many things she felt grief of.
Kiera wondered what the precious world that was now gone would have been like if peoples ways were changed, imagining what the world should have been like instead of being in ruins. She had seen change throughout her life and knew this fate could have been diverted.
She imagined there being the emerald grass she missed so much, the crystal clear river that flowed with a comforting sound. Animals like small beautiful birds flying high in the blue sky which was a rare sight in reality. No waste, no choking smoke but clean ground and breathable air. She wondered how different her life style that she was accustomed to be like if the times were different.
Getting up from the dirty riverbank and straightening her headband once more and clutching her two small dolls to her chest. She began walking back to the crippled remains of her home.
“If only we changed”