Page 181 - Demo

CELEBRATING GOD%u2019S GOODNESS 181A gust of wind kissed her face, carrying the fresh scent of the previous day%u2019s rain. Then, slowly, like a stealthy tiger, she placed her little dusty foot onto the threshold of the house. %u201cOutside. This is outside,%u201d she whispered, looking around and taking everything in. It was%u2026 beautiful.She then stepped out of the house. Her feet felt the light, soft blades of grass brushing against her skin and the tiny grains of sand under her feet. She twirled around, feeling the warm, luminescent rays of the afternoon sun and the soft, gentle breeze sweeping over her.She looked to the left, and then to the right, then to the ground, and finally, she looked up. For the first time in her life, she saw something that was not a wooden ceiling held up by old wooden beams and colonised by cobwebs. She gasped, her eyes widening with every second that she spent staring at the cerulean blue tapestry adorned by white, drifting clouds. %u201cSky%u2026%u201d She said to herself, her neck still bent backward. %u201cThis is%u2026 what they call%u2026 the sky.%u201d She took it all in, absorbing every emotion, the entire experience. It was as if she had been transported to an entirely new realm. It felt ethereal, even though it was, in truth, the essence of living on Earth. The sky %u2014 the only thing that had left Trisha so awestruck in years. Distracted by the alluring charm of the blue, sunlit sky, she had almost forgotten the reason she had stepped outside.Filled with glee, she pranced towards the well and dutifully drew out a full bucket of water. As she lifted it, she noticed how it glimmered in the sunlight %u2014 like liquid light dancing in her hands!She swirled and gently turned the bucket in her hands to create some motion, watching how the sunlight danced on the rippling surface. It was as if tiny stones were being tossed around in the water. She giggled; her cheeks flushed with joy. Then she looked at the sky. %u201cThat cloud looks like a cat,%u201d she said to herself.She began to walk towards her home with the bucket. Just then, Raj arrived. %u201cTrisha!%u201d he shouted out, hoping to get her attention. The girl turned her head to see who had called her name. %u201cWhat are you doing outside the house?! Get back inside, it%u2019s not safe...%u201d %u201cBut Appa,%u201d Trisha interrupted, %u201clook at the sky.%u201d Raj looked up, obeying his adopted daughter%u2019s gentle command. While he was still looking up, she said in a dazed voice, %u201cIsn%u2019t it so%u2026 pretty? So, so pretty.%u201d Raj looked at his daughter and smiled. He was filled with happiness watching her. He patted her on her back. %u201cYes, Trisha. It is very pretty,%u201d he said as they walked back home together.Trisha ran to her mother with the bucket of water, kneeled down and began to clean the wound on her knee. %u201cAmma, I saw the sky! It%u2019s so pretty.%u201d%u201cJust like you,%u201d Kamali said, smiling as she gently caressed her daughter%u2019s head. Trisha looked at both her adoptive parents %u2013 two people who loved her more than her real ones ever could. %u201cThank you for letting me live again,%u201d she said, smiling radiantly.Dashielle Kokson Simpson12 Science