Aliza Polikevitz (8th grade)

They strolled at the end of summer in the park. Both – young, handsome and healthy. Their faces express craving for life.

Suddenly the girl feels very jolly. It could be because of the beauty of the park, the flowers of white and blue, or just happiness. She jumps around like a bird flying from branch to branch.

She runs forward and he runs after her, both laughing and joyful until she gets tired and sits down on a bench. He sits next to her. Evening is about to fall.

Her jolly face wears a serious expression.

He wonders what she is thinking of.

-- Look, the sun is setting. It is sinking with the dying day.

-- So, what is there to be sad? The sun is leaving the battlefield with traces of blood of the fading day. The world is as usual – a day leaves and another day arrives!

-- You are mistaken, a day leaves and night comes – dark and leading to death.

---But the moon takes the place of the sun, it has a magic light. It rules over tranquility, dream and love

--But it is cold. I am afraid of the cold. I want the sun to heat forever. It looks at our life with no jeering, without the cold look of the moon

--- But you love dream and its magic; your eyes love to wander to far places, to deserts. Aren’t the deserts beautiful at night? And the dream— it is so beautiful in the moonlight.

-- If I love deserts, I love them because they are blazing, painfully scorched by the beautiful summer sun. And dream – it is painfully beautiful. Dream is good for pain. Life is painful, and beautiful life is in a dream. It is good to dream at night but not to feel pain, not to live in pain. Do you understand me? I fear to stay alone when the sun is setting, at the edge of the desert called “life”. You will not have the courage and power to stay with me until sunset. You will be drawn to the magic of the illusory lights of deserts.

--- But…

--- I know, you want to swear loyalty now, but do not promise something you are not sure of. That is the secret of the universe. This is how we were born. If you stick to me out of pity, I will hate you. I don’t want pity.

They kept quiet. He lowered his head

Evening is falling and in her eyes an immense pain – the secret pain of life and youth.