I woke up to the sound of the buzzing, annoying alarm. Rubbing my eyes and clearing my vision, it was already seven in the morning. I rushed as quickly as I could to the bathroom, changed into my school uniform, and then found myself in front of the mirror combing my hair, which was a total mess.

Uhhh! I wish I could freeze the time! Why am I always running late?

I questioned myself, but could do nothing except for doing the rest of the tasks as fast as possible. Then, my gaze landed on my backpack, which I had not packed up because I was too busy watching my favourite show. I wish I had done that earlier!

I sighed. Time did not feel pity on me. Not even for a second did it stop. And who does it wait for? None! It was a sad realisation.

I slid my books inside my bag and zipped it up. I rushed into the kitchen with my bag, hoping to find my lunch box ready. As expected, it was on the counter, placed by my mum who was now busy making breakfast for me.

I grabbed my lunch box and fit it into the bag. While doing that, I called out, “Mum, what did you pack for lunch?”

“Egg sandwich!” she replied

“What? Again! No mum!” I yelled. As I had no time to get it replaced with something else, so I rushed out, without glancing at the breakfast plate she was bringing towards me. I slammed the door without looking behind.

I was short on time. I had to walk to school on foot, but it seemed that I had to sprint to reach in time. I was running along the footpath where I saw benches with people sitting, relaxing and reading newspapers or magazines. Then, I saw an old lady and as I was passing her, I saw her newspaper fly out from her hands and land far away. I secretly wished to but couldn’t help her as I was moving too fast to stop. With a deep sigh, I just looked behind without stopping.

Now, I was on the other footpath, my speed trying to match the speed of light. I didn’t notice at first, but realised a kid had bumped into me when I heard a cry from the side where he stood with his ice cream on the ground.

“Oh no!” I burst out, but didn’t stop. There was no time to stop at any cost. Then, I didn’t notice the traffic lights and stepped onto the main road where the hustle and bustle of transport made me regret it instantly. I saw a red car coming towards me at full speed. The moment was terrifying. I hid my face with my hands crossed, trying to protect myself. The sound of the horn terrified me to death.

Then there was silence suddenly. I thought I had died, but I didn’t. I opened my eyes slightly, I was still there standing in the middle of the road. Everything had frozen. Time had paused.

The car was there, the horn was silenced. The people were there, but they weren’t moving. Everything was the same, but not in action. The only thing that was moving was me!

Since the moment I woke up, I had wished that time could freeze. It did not do so when I had wished it, but it certainly did when I needed it the most. I was surprised, I looked around and slowly walked to the kid, picked up his ice cream, returned it to his frozen hand and whispered “Sorry” in his ear.

I kept retracing my steps till I found the newspaper of the lady in the park. I picked it up gently, brushed the dust with my hand, and kept it near the lady. Now that time had frozen, I decided to go back to my house and, of course, curiosity made me explore the situation more.

I reached the gate of my house and slowly crept inside. I hadn’t had breakfast before, so I went to the kitchen, but everything was frozen there too.

Time had paused. Wow! What felt more surprising was the breakfast on the table.

“Oh, mum made it for me, but I was in such a rush that I forgot,” I thought. I had rushed out without saying goodbye to my mother and didn’t even thank her for the lunch she made me and for the uniform she ironed for me. How ungrateful I had been! Why was I always in a hurry? I kept thinking.

So I sat down to have the breakfast she had made for me. After I had finished, I took out a piece of paper and pen from my bag and wrote down the words.

“Dear mum, thank you for the lunch you made and the clothes you ironed and all of what I am not aware of. Love, Your daughter.”

It only takes a moment from our busy lives to appreciate the wonders our mother creates for us. Time stops for none. It didn’t for me either, but instead of the car that could have struck me, it was just a moment of realisation that struck me from inside.

It only takes a few steps back to help an elderly person and a little courage to apologise to the kid. Doesn’t it?

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 15th, 2025