Shashi Sharma
It was the time of the winter season. The atmosphere was so cold. The visibility was very poor due to the thick fog. One day while I was coming back home from school after completing my tuition classes. It was almost 6:30 pm. The surface of the land was surrounded by fog. I was half dead with fear. While I am coming, I saw a strange figure almost ten meters ahead. I went closer to it thinking that it was a real human being but my gesture was wrong.
It was not a real human being. It is an artificial human being. It is a scarecrow kept on the paddy field to scare the wild animals and birds. My reaction to the scarecrow while seeing it suddenly was very fearful and I am scared. I am puzzled about what to do and what not? I am scared because I was thinking it is the ghost and wants to kill me. I thought of it was a ghost because its body posture was slowly changing. The scarecrow wore a Lahuray hat, an Army’s overcoat, a clay-pot, and tattered trousers. I was totally scared and move back without watching and I fell. I was a little alive because it had failed me to kill me. I woke up very fast and ran as I could. When I am far from it, I slowly kept the speed down and walked. I walked without seeing back. Luckily, I found a man returning home from his business. I went beside him and told him about this incident and pleaded with him for help. Then, he showed pity on me and took me to my home. My parents were awaiting me for being despair. When they saw me, they hugged me with happiness and kept me on their lap, and kissed me.
The next morning, I went to the place where the scarecrow frightens me and I saw that it is just a scarecrow. I thought it was just a scarecrow and his body gesture was changing due to the absence of blowing wind. Where I fell, it was just a ridge of the paddy field. So, we shouldn’t fear any movement. From that time, I hadn’t feared at any movement or place. We should be calm in any movement or place. We shouldn’t fear any movement. We should give fear to fear. Pauline Kael Quotes has said ‘If there is a will. There is a way’.
[Shashi Sharma is a seventh grader the Araniko English Medium School, Madhuwan -4, Bardiya, Nepal.]