Split Ends

• Mikaeel Khan, Grade 1, Al Faisal College - Liverpool
• Short Story
• 2021

Excellence Award in the 'Play On Words 2021' competition

Once there was a boy named Zak. He was from England and lived with his Mum. Zak was 9 year old and was a very average kid in almost every discipline of life. Zak was very skinny because of which he couldn’t participate in sports or other physical activities. For that reason, Zak didn’t have many friends in the school.
Zak’s Mum was a scientist and she had a little lab in their house where she used to carry out her work. One weekend, while she was working in her lab, an explosion happened and it caused her to faint. Zak being curious to know what happened ran right into the lab and was exposed to radiation that made him passed out.
When Zak woke up, he felt very sick and weak. He went to the bathroom to take a shower but found out that he had split end hairs. Zak didn’t like his new hairs.
Next week, Zak went to the school but everyone in his school started making fun of his new hairs. Zak never liked the school because he didn’t have any friends but now with his new hairs and everyone mocking him in the school, he became really depressed.
While walking back home that day, Zak stopped by a tree. He hated his split end hairs so much that he started scratching them. Suddenly, his hairs started omitting laser rays. Those rays hit a rock and crushed it. Surprised and scared, Zak didn’t understand what just happened. He started running to his house and locked himself in his room.
Zak realised that he had gained super powers. The explosion in his Mom’s lab had given him split end hairs which he hated but his hairs could omit laser rays.
Next day, confident and happy, Zak went to the school again. As expected, kids in his class started making fun of his hairs again but to everyone’s surprise, Zak didn’t feel shy and depressed this time. He took a couple of steps back and scratched his hairs. The laser rays came out of his hairs and hit a desk. Dark black smoke started coming out of the desk leaving everyone in the room stunned. Zak quietly went to his desk and sat with a smile. This made Zak very popular in the school and everyone wanted to be his friend.
That night, while having dinner, Zak told everything that happened in school to his Mum. His Mum told him that instead of hating, he should always be thankful for what life gives him even if it is as ugly as split hairs. She also realized to never create an explosion in her lab again.