Runner Up: 12-16 years
When Everything Changed
By Isabel Kurianparambil
Chelmsford County High School for Girls
When the wildfires came, they did not come in great flames but as a warning, the sky was bruised purple, the birds flew in confused spirals and the pungent smell of smoke threaded through the breeze, occasionally knotting with people’s noses. The sun glared mockingly at everyone, using its strong rays as a whip against the people who once praised it for its warm healthy gaze and motherly smile. Nothing was the same anymore.
Her parents were packing the car as Ella trudged over to meet them, her bag packed neatly- after all, it was not the first time this had happened. This was the 2nd evacuation in 3 months. Each time, they return, it’s as if the trees had grown thinner and the air was drier. The crisp, brittle grass gasped for breath as Ella walked through the once luscious, glistening field. She crouched down and picked up a handful of dirt; it sifted through her fingers in pale, dusty streams. A vision of her 5-year-old self crossed her mind, joyfully playing with the rich, soft soil, smile etched across her face. She sighed. The life of the valley was slowly being sucked out, yet they could only blame themselves.
All of the sudden, a loud blare started to scream in the distance. The sirens. The flames were approaching. She took one last sorrowful look at the valley and ran back to the car.
Ella missed the way life was; she closed her eyes, imagining what the valley used to be – when the cheerful birds chirped happily in the morning, the rabbits peeked out mischievously out of their burrows, when a fresh breeze hugged her as she made her way to school. But imagination wasn’t enough anymore. When this was all over, she promised herself to join the youth climate movement at school. Plant more trees. Speak up. She can’t go back in time or bring back everything she has lost but maybe, just maybe she could save whatever is left.