By Franchesca Ean Alexis Tiu (Grade 8 – Jacinto)
The world around us continues to sink deeper into darkness; the thinnest silver of light is now nowhere to be found. We try our best to defeat the pull of the watery depths in an attempt to escape to the surface of the ocean where daybreak shall be seen again, yet we continue to stay motionless and surrounded by the water, unmoving. We scream for help, but no one bothers to listen.
Right now, our world continues to see no sign of light no matter where we look. People continue to get hurt every day; people continue to put their lives on the line, yet we continue to go nowhere.
Every beam of hope has faded away, and now none of us know where to go or what to do anymore, like moths without the light to guide their way across the night. This pandemic has taken so much away from us. It took the dream of a new decade and turned it into a nightmare. Our situation has brought many waves to crash against us. Many typhoons are fully capable and ready to consume us and destroy our homes and livelihood. Due to all the boundaries being built, the distance in between us growing wider, it is even harder to find someone to lean on, someone to talk to.
Yet, a hand plunges itself into the water, and the feeling of warmth wraps around our lifeless fingers before we begin to submerge out of the aqua. Someone has found and saved us. Someone has helped and someone has listened.
Right now, in a world where communication seems something out of reach, it is one of the most important necessities that need to be placed atop one’s list of priorities. We struggle to tell our story because an audience is no longer available. We struggle to scream for help because we no longer think someone will hear us.
Our world will continue to sink into darkness and light will continue to disappear with each tick of the clock, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use a flashlight instead to guide you. With the help of others, we can be the light or the hand that pulls through this treacherous journey together.