Turn Your Frown Upside Down

• Yilani Harrison, Grade 9, Caroline Chisholm High School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

The raven sits on the branch, its beady eyes staring at me. The sharp gaze feels like a dagger, ripping through my flesh and straight into my heart. Then it turns its head to one side still gazing at me, before shifting a bit on the branch and looking in another direction, ignoring my presence again. I sit down under the tree, on a small wooden bench, and watch as the other students around me play with one another on the playground, their shouts and cries of surprise making noise constant and unavoidable.
I watch as my friends play together on the playground equipment, their smiles wide and laughter full of joy, they’re having fun without me, I feel a sharp stab in my gut but then berate myself for feeling that way, ‘it's not their fault you broke your leg’ I tell myself.
I glance down at the cast around my broken leg, then turn my gaze to the crutches, on the bench next to me. All at once, bitterness fills me, the regret of telling them that it was fine for them to leave me here, letting them go play without me. I’m lonely here by myself, all I can do is sit and stare at the people around me like some weird spectator in other people’s lives I also feel the regret of that foolish accident that got me here in the first place, ‘why did I ever think jumping off a tree was going to be fun? That I somehow wouldn’t be hurt?’ I could remember how it felt when I fell, it was brief but the euphoria that had filled me was exhilarating, the adrenaline had been pumping through my brain, my muscles, every fibre of my being had felt so alive, then I’d hit the ground and all I could feel was excruciating pain, I couldn’t breathe.
I shudder and hug my warm coat around myself as the cold autumn breeze flows through my hair, blinding me for the few seconds that it lasts. I blink and brush my hair away from my face and let my gaze settle back on where my friends were a few seconds ago, before I got stuck in my mind with morbid, regretful thoughts. They’re not there anymore.
There’s a tap on my shoulder, I turn and gasp, startled as I see them all there, Jess, Katie and Lauren. They are all smiling brightly at me and suddenly I feel a burst of happiness erupt in my chest and I feel myself grinning at them and we all start to laugh together, our eyes shining with joy. Their presence doing wonders to my saddened state and completely turning my frown upside down.