My Runaway Shadow

Declan clutched his backpack, the soft material feeling strangely cold against his sweaty palms as he swung it to his back. Gladstone Public School or Happy Rock, as his dad and his uncles use to call it, loomed before him, a brick giant buzzing with the excited chatter of children. He felt a familiar knot tighten in his stomach – the first-day jitters. He'd moved so many times, each new school a fresh wave of anxieties. Would he make friends? Would he get lost? Would the teachers be nice? He took a deep breath, reminding himself of his mom's words: "Be brave, Declan. New beginnings are always exciting."

            Just as he felt the weight of his nervousness beginning to overwhelm him, a bright voice resonated throughout the playground, "Hey, welcome, Declan, to Gladstone Public School!" exclaimed Mrs. Mikla, his new teacher. Her words, filled with contagious enthusiasm, acted like a comforting breeze, dispelling his anxieties.