Bury me under the tree: There once was a boy who lived with his mother. They were very poor and couldn’t afford much. The boy would always do the exact opposite of what the mother would ask for due to his 1 side hearing condition. The mother always loved the shade, so she decided when the time came she would tell her son to bury her under the shade, but she knew her son would always do the opposite so . .  . She said “When I pass away bury me under the sun,” 5 years have passed by and the mother sadly passed away. The boy was in deep sadness so he decided to bury her under the shade where she could peacefully live for the rest of her life.

My cousin:   My cousin was afraid of taking the next big step into the future. The thought of college, paying taxes and living alone never really occurred to his young little mind. It all collapsed on him like a house breaking down from a tornado. He was just a small little bird in a huge world. His whole life was surrounded by his loving family and most importantly video games. Video games were his everything. Every day would be an endless loop of games, eat, sleep, repeat. But nothing in the world lasts forever. 

My friend:  My friend always had parents who were very strict and controlling. He was never allowed to go anywhere besides school and home. He was never allowed to hang out with friends or go eat at restaurants. He was always locked inside his mother’s car whenever she had to make a quick stop at the grocery store. He’s never seen what the other side of the walls looked like or what the world had to offer. One day his parents were both gone and kept having the temptation to leave his house and never return. He was only 1 doorstep away from freedom and happiness, an end to a constant look of suffering. 

Summer days:  One time me and my friends went out to ride bikes every day for the whole summer. Every day at 1pm we would go outside and ride our bikes. My Mom would always remind me to be safe outside because you’ll never know what’s out there in the dangerous streets. Our neighborhood was a gated community so me and my friends never had to worry about danger. Every day was different from the others, there would be days where the light would shine wherever we would roam and days where the dark was creeping with pests in the bushes. But one day, one very specific day it was super dark and a man was looking at us from afar under the shiny beam of light. He slowly crept up on us, it was very faint. All of a sudden we all ran back to our homes with no thought in our minds besides RUN.

Last year: I remember, the 6th-period bell rang and the school day had just ended. My parents had some bad news, “Grandma had just passed away,” My Mom said. I was on a rollercoaster of emotions. I had never felt such pain before. My Grandma had just passed away and I didn’t even get a chance to say “goodbye” or “I love you.” She never understood much English and I never understood much Chinese. I rarely got to see her because my stubborn foolish mind would always prioritize games before family. The saying “you don’t know what you have till you lose it,” never occurred to my mind until that very day my Grandma passed away.