By: Mel -
Virginia, Grade: 8

I woke up early this morning, it was still dark out, and the birds had not yet begun to sing. I layed on my back for a while, staring at the starry sky above me with Jannette and Louis breathing softly on either side of me. Looking up at the stars has always calmed me, I feel, as I look up at them, that I can pretend that I am watching them from anywhere in the world. This morning I pretended I was watching them from an extravegant palace in Asia. For a few wonderful moments I imagined I was a Middle-Eastern princess, wrapped in fine silk, awaiting a grand feast on my bedrooms balcony. But then, I heard a small sniffle, a suppressed sob, and I was wrenched from my dream, thinking that one of the littles needed a changing. I started to get up, but as I turned my head I realized the littles were all fast asleep, snoozing peacefully on Ma's old kitchen apron. To my horror I saw the sillhouette of John who had woken up, and was now trying to cry silently into his ragged jacket he used as a pillow. I couln't believe it, John, crying? The same 15 year old John who has kept us together and alive, since this ruddy depression began? Since Pa lost his job and we lost our house? Since Ma died from the fever and Pa left to try and find work and hasn't returned? John is the strongest person I know, he's built us a tent which we now call home, he's found us food when there was none, he's protected us from the gangs who come around raiding others' tents and shacks, and he's comforted all seven of us, wiping our tears and making shhing noises like Ma used to do. And yet here he was, big, tough, John, my John, sobbing in the dead of the night. I knew I snould go to him, calm him like he had calmed us, but I knew not what to say, for I realized that I had no hope left. I could not comfort him because there was no comfort left in our world. I do not think any of us will ever be happy again, an emotion that I do not even remember how to feel... So I laid there, John's soft sobs secretly killing me and imagined myself away again. My mind... my imagination... is the only thing I have left .