The summer had left its mark everywhere—on the sunburnt grass, in the last warmth lingering in the air, and most of all, in the way the days felt slower. As September drew closer, Emily’s carefree days were about to come to an end.
Going back to school was like waking from a dream she didn’t want to leave yet. It was a rough shift from the languid cadence of summer to the restless ticking of the classroom clock. Emily felt it most in the mornings when the sun indifferently watched her pack textbooks and organize pencils. She no longer greeted her old friend with the same cheery openness as she did before. Instead, there was the jarring screech of her alarm, accompanied by a rushed pace she hadn’t needed in weeks.
The first few days always felt like a balancing act between who she had been during the summer and who she was supposed to be now. The hallways of the school felt different. The faces that had once seemed familiar now had contours she hadn’t noticed before. June’s playful and laid-back laughter had given way to rushed discussions about class schedules and college applications. Every interaction held an unspoken but noticeable heaviness. The ease of friendships disintegrated into something awkward and fragile, as though everyone had become strangers during the time away.
For Emily, the hardest part of it all was the subtle pressure to be something more. During the summer, she would spend long hours by the lake by her family’s retreat house, staring out at the horizon while letting her thoughts aimlessly drift like the clouds above her. She had experienced the sweetness of being by herself, a feeling like she didn’t have to do anything and was not pressured to meet anyone’s expectations. But school was different. Everyone seemed to be running towards something as part of an unseen race – some invisible goal Emily wasn’t sure she even cared about. However, she now too felt the pressure to take part in it. It wasn’t like anyone had told her to run; the pressure was palpable.
Nevertheless, there was something gentle about this season between the fiery sunset of summer and the dawn of a fresh school year. Each day became slightly easier as the novelty of the hallways wore-off, as did the burden of expectations. It wasn’t effortless, but maybe that was the point. The hardships weren’t meant to break her, but only to show her how she could bend and adapt. Summer had been a time of reflection, and maybe this year would be a time of growth. She wasn’t sure yet. All she knew was that even though changes weren’t meant to be easy, they were necessary.
The lake had taught her something, though she hadn’t realized it at the time. The water’s stillness had more to do with patience than tranquility. The water never rushed. It moved when the wind blew, but always settled back down. Maybe that’s what this year would be for her—learning to bend without breaking, like the water tension. The race that everyone else was running didn’t have to be for her. All she had to do was find her own speed.
As Emily walked out of the school, the sun hung low in the sky, as if reluctant to set. It cast long shadows that danced across the parking lot. It didn’t have summer’s warm glow, but was still not without its charm. It was a promise and reassurance that between dusk and dawn, there would always be time to rediscover herself.
Author- Anonymous