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• Kaelem Thapa, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2018

I opened my eyes, not trying to make any sudden movements because my back hurt terribly. I slowly rose from my uncomfortable foam mattress, rubbing at my eyes vigorously with tired hands. I flicked a glance at my alarm dock; 7:30. I rolled out of bed getting this weird feeling like I had lost something, so I decided to have a little look around my room. I dug through my towering piles of clothes, having no idea of what I had lost.
After fifteen minutes of searching I decided to give up, and finally start getting dressed for school. I started forcefully putting on my uncomfortable school uniform that no one liked. Ever. After I finished getting dressed, I still had the painful feeling like I missed something, but I ignored it and went off to breakfast. When I arrived at breakfast my mum asked me; “Why a long face, honey?” I sat down and later replied “I feel like I’ve lost something.” And then my dad murmured through his newspapers; “Kids.” In a displeased tone.
When I arrived at school, I sat down in class lines until my friend called me over with a friendly “Hey, bro! Come on over here!” I groaned and trudged over to my friend, nearly tripping over the bags. I sat down next to my friend and almost instantly he started showing me some ridiculous cat videos. I watched them until the familiar noise came over me and the meanest teacher came down; Mr Payne. As usual he yelled at us all, lecturing us about what’s right and wrong.
When I went to class, we started our usual spelling practice with words like ‘jam’ and ‘cat’. I wasn’t up to the standards, so my teacher sent me to the principal’s office where kids go in happy and come out devoid of joy. To me and a few others it’s like you’re going on a one-way trip to hell. I was on the principal’s last straw which meant one more visit and I would be suspended from school for a month.
When I entered the principal’s office, I took a whiff of the principal’s cologne which smelt strongly of moth balls. I sat down until the principal decided to lecture me and after a while, he looked through his files until he found mine and then he exclaimed; “So, you’re on your last chance... Aha! You’ll be suspended!” He sat there with a pleased look on his chubby face, his toupee slowly coming off his smooth head. Then I looked at the wall knowing that I should be worried about being suspended but all I worried about was the thing I had lost and I was sent home shortly after. When I got home, I was really tired, so I went to bed and I closed my eyes and drifted into a dream. And then I found the thing I had lost when I was sleeping. It was my sense of imagination.