It’s funny sometimes to understand what I do but I’ve helped a number of students and my guess is that I’m special to you.
I looked at Sofia and thought of this but I know she can’t hear me.
Well, I am just a pen, she can’t hear my thoughts.
I remember sitting in the corner of a shop and being the last of all my brothers and sisters. Everyone had found a home but I sat there in the shop all alone.
One rainy day, this man came in and he seemed in a hurry, he hadn’t planned to stop but the rain forced him to step inside the little shop. His shoes were wet, and water dripped from his umbrella. His eyes scanned the shelves quickly, and that’s when he noticed me — sitting quietly on the lowest rack, almost hidden behind a stack of old notebooks.
He picked me up, turned me around in his hand, and smiled a little. I remember feeling so happy. It was the first time in days that someone had even noticed me. He paid for me and slipped me into his pocket. I finally had a home!
For the next few days, I stayed in his pocket. I thought I would help him write something important, but he seemed so busy, always running here and there. Then one morning, everything changed. He placed me carefully on a small table, next to a little girl with bright eyes and a curious smile. Her name was Sofia.
That was the moment I truly felt special. From that day on, Sofia and I became the best of friends, though she never knew I had feelings. She held me so gently, always writing her little notes, her homework, sometimes even doodling hearts and flowers when she was bored.
Every day I heard her dreams, her secrets, and her silly jokes, even though she thought she was only whispering to herself. I saw her struggle with difficult spellings, and I saw her jump with excitement when she got her answers right.
I travelled with her everywhere — to school, to the park, even to her grandma’s house. Once, she almost lost me under the sofa, and I thought my journey had ended. But she found me, held me close, and whispered, “I thought I lost you!” That was the happiest day of my little pen life.
Time went by, and my ink started to run low. I worried that she would forget me or throw me away, like an old toy. But she didn’t. One afternoon, she carefully placed me inside a small wooden box along with other little treasures — a pebble from the beach, a friendship band, and a tiny paper crane.
“I’ll always keep you,” she said softly.
Even now, as I sit in this box, I watch her grow, write new stories, and chase new dreams with new pens. But deep down, I know — I was there when it all began. I may just be a pen, but to Sofia, I was her first friend in her world of words.
And to me, she will always be the little girl with the brightest smile.
By Christina K Sangma