"Faith is the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
"Posy, would you like to share your story with us?"
I looked around at the class. Most of them were bored, playing with their pencils and tapping their feet against the floor. Mrs. Jansen looked at me expectantly. Without a second glance, I walked to the front of the room. It wasn't a big deal if I messed up. Only about three people looked mildly interested.
"Changes, by Posy Hawthorne." I said clearly. "There once lived a small, ordinary girl. Her brother took great care of her family, and always made sure they had food on their table. This little girl had no connection to the outside world. She never feared pain. She welcomed it as a friend. The girl could see the picture that the world painted. For years, a horizon was all that was drawn on the endless canvas. One day, the sun rose."
I could tell that everyone way paying attention. I could have set the tension on fire, and it still wouldn't have cooked through. Mrs. Jansen stared at me intently.
"The sun brought light and realization to the girl, but it also brought fire and heat. She was used to the cold and hated this new feeling. However, she got over it. She learned to walk through fire and withstand the burning heat. Once the sun had lowered itself again, she stared in wonder, mesmerized by the beauty of the world. She would always be enchanted by the mystery of change, and all the marvelous gifts it brought with it." I read.
A pencil dropped.
"Well, Posy, thank you for that wonderful story! Oh, will you look at the time, you all better go. Be safe!" trilled Mrs. Jansen in her nervous tone. I grabbed my books and hurried out of the classroom. A pack of boys followed me out. They were the typical bullies, a pack of kids I avoided.
"Hey, Hawthorne, I liked your story," said the largest boy, Max. "Rebellion, right? Get over yourself. You weren't even there. It never even happened."
"Shut up." I muttered. Max knocked my books away from me.
"You were just an over-imaginative little girl, weren't you?" asked Bryce, Max's best friend. "What did your mother call you… Posy the Stupid?"
"I told you to shut up!" I yelled, and whipped out the Mockingjay that Gale had found and given to me. The boys' eyes went wide. "I saw the Rebellion with my own eyes and you didn't! You're too cowardly to admit that I'm right! Leave me alone, because I'll always know the Rebellion is alive, and you're not going to change anything!"
It was true. I would never forget the flames and fire. I would always be enchanted by the mystery of change, and all the marvelous gifts it brought with it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing here.