Sanskriti Bhargava HFSI, XI grade Writing, EI Kids Conner Editor The bittersweet lie is that effort is always noticed. People are expected to meet high standards, and for a while, this belief feels comforting. Expectations are mistaken for faith, and hard work seems like a shield against judgment. The sweetness fades when a mistake is made. One error is enough to change how someone is seen. The hours of effort are forgotten, and consistency is replaced by criticism. What rema

Umme Salmaa Bharmal Your Artist friend & Art facilator Linkedin Profile Substack Blog Contact me at: 9920492453 (from the Inner Me) Dear You, You know, from inside, you are still a child. I see how you light up over little things — a butterfly passing by, clouds rushing and reshaping themselves, colors bleeding into one another on paper. You still love all of this. You always have. So tell me — why do you pretend? Why do you tell yourself, I am an adult now, I can’t do this?

Angelina Kenny Writer, Website The greenery called to me, flirtatiously swaying above the wall.   At first I’d resisted; I’d already wasted enough time, wandering in circles. But something nudged me forward. Creakkk . The metal gate squeaked in protest, as I stepped into the garden.   Ferns fanned out against vast trees; sunlight peeking through the gaps, lighting the cobblestone paths, dust motes swirling golden in the morning air. I paused, capturing the noisy chirps of ch