Chapter 3 Meera's New World
487 Words
Singapore looked nothing like the world Meera had left behind.
No dusty terraces.
No chalk drawings.
No Arjun.
Just tall glass buildings, neat pavements, and a sky that felt too big and too empty.
Meera stood outside her new apartment, holding her teddy bear and trying not to cry. Her mother knelt in front of her.
“Meera, you’ll make new friends here,” she said gently.
Meera shook her head.
“I don’t want new friends.”
Her father, carrying two suitcases, sighed.
“Come on, sweetheart. Give this place a chance.”
But Meera wasn’t listening.
Her fingers clutched her empty pocket—the place where her digital keychain used to be.
She had given it away.
To a boy she had met just yesterday.
A boy who drew funny suns and made her laugh even when she was sad.
A boy she already missed.
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Inside the new apartment
Boxes everywhere.
New furniture smell.
A big window with no view of kids playing.
Meera flopped on the bed and thought about Arjun’s surprised face when she gave him the keychain.
A tiny smile pulled at her lips.
She whispered to herself,
“He’ll take care of it.”
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First Day at New School
Meera walked into the classroom holding her mother’s hand. Twenty unfamiliar faces turned toward her.
An overly cheerful teacher introduced her:
“Class, this is Meera. She has come from India!”
A boy raised his hand.
“Where is India?”
Another kid whispered loudly,
“Her hair is messy.”
Meera’s cheeks burned.
She wanted to disappear.
In Hyderabad, Arjun never made her feel strange.
There, she had someone.
Here… she felt alone.
At recess, she sat on a swing while other children ran around. The air smelled different… colder.
She kicked the ground slowly, whispering:
“I want to go back.”
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Night at Home
Meera lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mother stroked her hair.
“You’ll feel better soon, baby.”
Meera shook her head.
“It doesn’t feel like home.”
“What does home feel like?” her mother asked softly.
Meera closed her eyes.
“Like… drawing clouds on the terrace.
Like laughing until your stomach hurts.
Like… my friend.”
“Your friend?” her mother smiled. “What is his name?”
Meera whispered:
“Arjun.”
Her mother kissed her forehead.
“If he’s meant to stay in your life… you will meet him again.”
Meera wasn’t sure she believed in such things.
But she nodded anyway.
She hugged her pillow tightly and drifted to sleep.
Far away, in another country, a little boy on a terrace pressed a tiny button and listened to her voice again—
“You will always be in my heart.”
Two children.
Two cities.
One promise.
Destiny had already begun writing their story.
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End of Chapter 3
- Writer
