Junior 2nd Prize Winning Story - We Are All Equal!

“We Are All Equal!” by Pachipala Shiva, Anchor Green Primary School, Singapore, is the Second Prize winning story in the junior category of the second biannual Short Story Contest 2020.

Shiva is a 12 year old boy who studies in Singapore, Anchor green primary school. He enjoys playing video games and badminton. He is a cheerful person and takes pride in all his activities. He is keen to learn new things and explore different things.

We Are All Equal!

This weekend’s events in Perth left Nausa speechless. Watching the hatred, the racism, the bigotry unfold was painful. That day was etched in her memory and engraved in her heart. It all started like this…

“Can I walk by myself from here”, Nausa asked her grandfather and her uncle who were seated in the old and rusty grey truck that they have been using for nearly 20 years. They were down the street from Alexa’s house. She was trying her best to hide the old truck from anyone’s sight who were going to attend the party. Her turquoise dress rustled as she slowly stepped onto the street and waited for the truck to leave.

She felt apprehensive as she made her way to Alexa’s house and up the porch to their doorway. It was the first ever boy-girl party anyone had ever thrown in her class. Nausa could already hear the blasting pop music and the animated chatter of her classmates through the door. She was very nervous as butterflies fluttered in her stomach, thinking about her appearance. Moments later, she took a deep breath and stopped fidgeting to seem more gracious than silly. She then knocked firmly on the door.

A maid opened the door. She looked stunned and shocked looking at Nausa but took her beautiful bunch of peach carnations and her present for Alexa. Across the room, Alexa’s mother, Mrs Laura was staring right at Nausa as if something was fishy. Mrs Laura was simply ravishing; she had a shapely body, her lips were coral, her hair was midnight black which flowed over her shoulders and had worn a sparkling pink sheath dress which looked gorgeous.

Nausa checked if anyone else was around whom Mrs Laura might be looking at. No, it was just her. Mrs Laura plastered a faint smile on her face as she moved gracefully across the room. She put out her hand and greeted, “hello dear, I am Alexa’s mother.” Nausa shook the lovely hand that was offered as a wave of relief washed all over her body. Not knowing what to say, Nausa gushed, “your house is enticing”. She didn’t really observe the house closely, but the floor was an old-fashioned parquet with a blend of deep homely browns and the walls were the greens of summer gardens meeting a bold white baseboard. The couch was velvet and the doorways were arched.

Alexa’s mother put an arm on Nausa’s shoulder as she said in a very low tone, “Alexa didn’t tell me that you were in her class. She just mentioned that there was a Japanese in her school, but I did not know that she meant in her class. So, when she asked if she could invite the whole class, I agreed naturally”. A few seconds later, it dawned upon Nausa that her mother was hinting that she does not want Nausa to be there at the party just because she was a Japanese. Alexa’s mother smiled lightly uttered “Its not me dear but we have a few friends out there in the backyard, in which some of them helped us raise money for the charity we work with.”

Mrs Laura looked hopeful as if she was expecting something from Nausa. Nausa brain was twisted with a thousand thought and feelings if she should be feeling happy or sad. She clearly understood that Mrs Laura was more concern about the parents’ feeling rather than Nausa’s. She realised that she was being uninvited from the party. Alexa’s mother saw the change in the facial expressions change on Nausa’s face thus she quickly went into the kitchen and reappeared with a huge slice of cake. Mrs Laura the went in while Nausa was still waiting on the porch.

Nausa’s blood boiled as she turned red with fury and an angry from creased on her forehead. She was too angry for words and not wanting to make a scene at Alexa’s house, she slowly made her way from there. She wiped those tears that were rolling down her cheeks like a waterfall and were never ending. As she left, she noticed a boy from her class peering at her from the window. Her face felt as hot as when she was lighting a fire under the tub. She felt so humiliated that she wished that the ground would split up and swallow her.

She immediately left that place uttering under her breath, “Some people just don’t change! Just because I am I Japanese! Seriously!” The problem was that she couldn’t walk too far because her grandfather and her uncle were not going to pick her up now. She walked to lane street and sat on a bench where some small businesses were held. Like anyone, Nausa had known momentary embarrassing moments, but then she was feeling overwhelmingly humiliated.

Nausa could not stop her tears as she sat there watching the clock on top on the bank across the street. She pondered of how corrupted the world was. Why racism? In the end we all bleed the same colour of blood, don’t we? If you prick us, we all bleed, if you tickle us, we all laugh, if you poison us, we all die, then why discrimination? Nausa imagined as she sat there wiping away her tears, trying to be strong.