First Note, Uplifting Words
In her room, Mihika sat at her desk, a bright pink sticky note in front of her and a purple gel pen in her hand. The room was quiet except for the slight hum of the heater. She stared at the empty square for a moment, feeling a little doubt creep into her mind.
“What should I write?” she whispered to herself.
She thought of her mother’s notebook, her favourite sticky notes, and all the words that comforted her when she was sad. Then she remembered something her mother had said:
“A small kind word can brighten even the darkest day.”
Mihika smiled and began to write:
“You’re stronger than you think.”
The letters flowed onto the sticky note in neat, careful strokes. Mihika stuck a smiley sticker at the bottom for good measure. She lifted the note up and looked at it. It wasn’t fancy, but it felt powerful, like a tiny spark of hope was captured on the pink square.
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Time to see if this works.”
The next morning, Mihika’s hands were shaking a little as she slipped the note into her bag. She kept checking to make sure the note wasn’t folded.
At school, she waited until her first break. The hallways were crowded with students, walking to their lockers or chatting in groups. Mihika stood by the wall, holding the straps of her bag and keeping her eyes down.
Finally, Mihika found her moment. The girls’ bathroom was empty. She walked in and pulled out the note. Her heart began pounding as she approached the mirror. She felt like she was about to do something huge and maybe a little silly.
But then Mihika looked at the note again:
“You’re stronger than you think.”
She imagined someone reading it, someone who was having a bad day or who was feeling lonely.
Mihika peeled off the back of the note and carefully stuck the note to the corner of the mirror. She smoothed it with her fingers, making sure it was secure. “There,” she said softly, stepping back to admire her work.
For a moment, she stood there, feeling a strange mix of nervousness and pride. Would anyone notice? Would this help?
All day, Mihika couldn’t stop thinking about the sticky note. She walked past the bathroom once or twice, trying to be casual, but she didn’t go in.
At lunch, she sat with her sandwich, barely tasting it as she imagined what might have happened. Maybe someone read the note and smiled. Maybe it was overlooked. Or maybe…
“Mihika!” A voice broke her thoughts.
She saw Nimish standing there with his tray.
“Shall I sit with you?”, he asked.
Mihika nodded quickly. She looked surprised and asked, “What are you doing here at my school, Nimish?”
Nimish grinned and said, “Just checking on you. I have football practice after lunch.” “You seem distracted,” he said, biting into his apple. “Is everything okay?”
Mihika hesitated. “I put the note away,” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Nimish paused, then smiled. “You put it away? It’s awesome! How does it feel?”
“Scary,” Mihika admitted. “What if no one cares? Or worse, what if they laugh at it?”
Nimish shook his head. “Mihika, if even one person reads this and feels better, isn’t it worth it?”
Mihika thought about it and nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s worth it.”
After her last class, Mihika couldn’t stop herself from taking one last look at the bathroom mirror. Her heart began to beat faster as she stepped inside. The note was still there. But this time, someone else had been there.
Someone had drawn a smiley face on the mirror right next to her sticky note, touching off the smudges from the sink with their finger. Mihika stared at it, her heart jumping. “Maybe this really made someone happy,” she thought.
She came out of the bathroom with a smile on her face and a new idea in her heart. This was just the beginning.
This is only a glimpse of the journey—discover the complete story within the pages of the book.
“Because every story has the power to change something.” — A. Bansal