Imagine this: you are on the school lawn and everything is paused around you-- the cars on the road, the people on the sidewalk, and even the leaves on the trees. Not a horn is honked, a whisper uttered, or a branch shifted. The only two things moving are me and an amber cat and I am chasing said amber cat across the grounds. This is what will happen in, say, ten minutes after my math class. Anyways, my day had been going well. I had totally led my team to victory in my history class' Vietnam War debate. I had managed to get to twenty-five push-ups in my 9th grade PE class. I even won a lollipop in my Spanish class for using proper grammar. My life had only started to get weird as I was leaving my math class, my last lesson of the day, and I observed an orange glow coming from my locker. My eyebrows raised, I paused in the middle of the hallway. "Evelyn!" a classmate hissed behind me as they nearly crashed into my backpack. Other students glared at me as they wove around me. "Sorry," I muttered and stalked over to my locker. The orange light was still there, but no one seemed to notice it except me. All the other teenagers continued lumbering down the hallway talking to their friends or staring at their phones. No one even glanced in my direction. I grasped the cool lock in my hand and slowly attempted to twist in my combination. It had been a while since I last used my locker. Finally, after a few minutes of struggle, the lock slid open. My heart soaring and my fingers thrumming, I opened the door. There on the metal floor of my locker sat a small orange orb. Its glow entranced me and I reached out to hold the object. The orb blossomed with a warmth that tickled my palm and just for a moment, I squatted on the tiles clutching this unnatural, but beautiful item. Throughout the school day, I had been so busy trying to impress my friends and teachers that this tiny chance to simply relax by myself was rejuvenating. I had no idea what the orb was or what it could do, but only that it wanted to belong to me. Then I heard screaming. The few students left in the math hallway were shouting and pointing at an amber shape hurtling in my path. I tried to stand up quickly, but my heavy backpack slowed me down. Before I could comprehend what was happening, the amber creature had snatched my orange orb from my hand and had dashed off toward the staircase at the end of the hall. Without pausing to think, I scrambled to my feet and pursued the thief. I could see the creature, a cat, I realized, racing down the stairs. I followed after it, skipping two steps at a time. I could feel my veins pulsing and my hands tightening into fists. That cat had no right to take my orb. I took a corner on the stairs. The robber with the orb still gripped in its mouth stayed in my view. In front of me, classmates and teachers on the staircase screeched and leaped out of my way. I didn't care what they thought of me. My long black hair swung in my face and my backpack thumped against my body. I jerked to the right and followed the burglar across the bustling main lobby. I shoved past fellow students who were already jumping and yelling because of the cat. The doors were propped open with wooden blocks, making the creature's escape easy. The cat paused on the front steps and I scampered over to try to yank the orb from its mouth. Before my fingers could make contact with my possession, the cat bit down hard on the orb and with a pop, the object burst into a dozen rays of light. I squeezed my eyes shut. I expected to hear more hollering from my classmates, but instead, I heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. I couldn't even feel any late Spring wind tangling around my arms. Cautiously, I opened my eyes to see the cat standing innocently in front of me and peering at me with deep brown eyes. The orb was nowhere to be seen. "You stupid cat!" I yowled. The cat bounded down the rest of the steps and toward the lawn of the school. Disregarding all the silent people standing around me, I sprinted after the devil. I'm going to get that cat, I thought to myself. It's going to regret destroying my orb. Speed dug its way into my legs and my strides lengthened. I could almost reach out to grab the animal. A stone wobbled underneath my sneaker and I collapsed onto the grass. Silt burrowed into my mouth and pain charged through my knees. Tears stung my eyes and through my watery gaze, I could see the amber shape of the cat moving farther and farther into the distance. Panting, I wiped away my tears. Everything was so still around me. There was no wind. The cars on the road did not stir. The people on the sidewalk and on the steps of the school were sedentary. The trees on the lawn were serene. Then noises trickled into my ears and the cars, people, and leaves began to move again. Meanwhile, I lay on the grass shivering. Imagine this: the world had given a girl the gift of pausing and she ruined it over a cat. Thank you for reading! If you like my story, please don't be afraid to give it a share. Comments are always welcome and I love hearing your thoughts. Question: When was a time you forgot to be mindful?
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AuthorI'm Darcy Ridge, creating stories that all revolve around family and identity in a myriad of ways. In the past, I have shared multiple stories and published a novella online. You can find me on Wattpad and many other social media websites. They/them [Image Description: black background with the words "Social Justice and Mental Health Resources" in white in the center /end ID]
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