The Pen

"I'm home!" I said.

"How was your day?", said Mom.

"It was fine. We had an exam in History and it was really hard. Harriet even studied and said it was useless.", I said.

"Well next time try to study a bit. Or just try to read and understand at least.", she said.

That's my Mom. She never forces us to study too hard. She just needs to know Yasir and I are at least putting in some effort.

"Oh, and one weird thing happened to me today. There was an old lady who came

up to me and asked for my help. She didn't look homeless. But she said she was mugged and lost all her things. So I helped.", I said.

"How did you help?", Mom asked.

"I gave her money for bus fare and bought her something to eat," I answered.

"Wow. That's very kind of you Ela. I'm proud of you. You have the heart to help out people in need." Mom hugged me.

"The weirdest part though was that she gave me this.", I said and showed her the ring.

She looked at it and said, "I think that's a mood ring. It changes colors depending on your mood. That's sweet of her but you shouldn't have gotten it. Remember when you help, it should be without expecting anything in return."

"I didn't want to get it but she insisted. It felt like she really wanted me to have it. It seemed so important to her. So I just took it. She said something I didn't understand before I left." I explained.

"Oh well. If that's the case then I guess that's fine. Does it work? Has it changed colors since you put it on?", she asked.

"Nope! It's just black. Maybe it's not a mood ring at all. Or maybe it just doesn't work anymore. Looks nice though. And fits me perfectly. I like it." I smiled.

She smiled back and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Hi Ela! I didn't know you were home.," Yasir said, bounding down the stairs.

"Been here for a while now. You must have been busy with your iPad." I told him.

"Nope. I was actually doing my homework. And now I'm done!", he said happily.

"Don't remind me. I still have a couple of things I need to review.", I said grumpily.

"Guess what, Ela. I found a nice pen at the school canteen. Someone must have dropped it. Look!", he said, showing me the pen. It was gold with pink glitters. It looked really nice.

I took the pen and dropped it in shock. My face full of surprise.

"What's wrong, Ela?", Yasir asked, looking bewildered.

"Nothing.", I answered.

"Oh, cool! You have a new ring. And it's just my favorite color too!" He exclaimed.

I was surprised. Yasir's favorite color is blue. I looked down at the ring and my eyes widened. It did work after all! The ring is now blue.

I'm going up to my room to rest for a bit." I told Yasir.

I went up to my room and laid in bed, thinking. What happened down there? Who was that girl I saw when I touched the pen and why did I feel so happy while holding it? Then everything went back to normal when I dropped it. It was like the feelings weren't my own. It was gone as soon as I dropped the pen.

I went down quietly and checked to see if the pen was still there - it was. Yasir is now busy watching his favorite show so he didn't see me coming down. I got it and went up to my room. Now I didn't see or feel anything. Then I realized, I was holding the pen with my left hand. I touched it in my right hand and there it was again! The face of that girl. Smiling and beaming up at a man who must be her dad. I was feeling so happy again. This is the weirdest thing ever!

And then I thought, it must be the ring! That is the only explanation that made any sense. I transferred the pen again on my left hand and the happy feeling and the girl's face are both gone.

I removed the ring and looked at it. There was nothing special about it. It looked like an ordinary ring. It didn't have anything written at the back or any symbols inscribed. I put the ring in my bed and touched the pen again. Nothing. Yup! That settles it. This ring probably makes whoever is wearing it see the person who owns the object it is holding? Or maybe whoever last touched it? And feel what they were feeling at the time they were holding it? Wow! Just wow! This is just extraordinary. So now I have powers? Me?!? I cannot explain what I was feeling at that moment. I didn't know what to think. All I knew for sure was that life will never be the same again.