Childhood Memories 

When I was a child, electricity was not available 24 hours a day. It followed a specific schedule, allowing us access for only three to four hours each day. This restriction left me with a lot of free time, without any particular interests or leisure activities to occupy myself with. My sister and I used to watch television together whenever electricity was available. Otherwise, I would be out with my small group of friends playing our favourite games like chungi, bouncing, or hide and seek.

One summer vacation, my father bought me a bicycle after a lot of requests. It was a bit bigger compared to how small I was. I used to go cycling with my friends frequently. We specifically cycled down the inclined road near the old-fashioned home of our town. The area was filled with greenery. While the intense heat would take away all the energy from our bodies, the cool breeze always made us feel rejuvenated. Sleeping on the moist grass and looking at the birds fly through the dancing trees; we’d level up our spirits after every race. The small shops nearby sold all sorts of candies and snacks, but our favourite was the ice lollies we had sitting on the lawn for a refreshment.

There was a drunkard who passed by that road often. Whenever he came towards us, we would run away as far as possible. He didn’t really have a good reputation among the children. Parents themselves used his example to scare their kids whenever they threw tantrums. In our group of three—two girls and a boy—we pedalled our bicycles swiftly, each of us aiming not to be the last, as being closer to the drunkard than the others was something none of us desired.

After cycling together for months, we took on a challenge. All three of us decided to ride a bicycle. Pinky had the biggest bicycle of all, so we chose to ride on that one. I was in charge of the handle while sitting at the top of the tube. Pinky had to paddle while sitting on the saddle. The little guy’s job was to simply sit in the back seat. Since his height was below average, we called him a little guy. We rode down the inclined plane like this once every two or three days. As the air went past our faces, our hair flew behind us, and our clothes pulled our bodies apart. We’d laugh to our hearts' content. Every day felt like a new adventure doing so. The thrill made our hearts beat so fast that our smile never went away throughout the whole experience. I believe Armstrong felt the same stepping on the moon as we felt riding down the road every time.

One day, while doing the same, I encouraged Pinky to paddle faster than usual. Throughout the whole ride, I kept on pressuring her to paddle faster. She did as she was told. We were enjoying the ride so much that we lost our balance. At the end of the road, we all fell towards the bush. Both Pinky and I got injured. Still, the pain of the fall was overshadowed by how amazing the ride was. We were all laughing while our knees bled. Pinky mocked me, saying I asked for the fall myself as I forced her to paddle quicker. On the other hand, the little guy didn’t have even a single scratch on his body. He had cleverly gotten out of the bicycle before it could crash. While both Pinky and I had leaves over our hair and bodies, he was unharmed. Although the accident wasn’t his fault, we scolded him badly for being able to escape alone, leaving us behind to become casualties.

This memory lives in my head. It will forever stay with me, and I will always have a special place for it in my heart. With the increase in use of mobile and other technologies, do you think the newer generation will have a chance to live such moments? Will they have stories to talk about? Or will their lives be impacted only by the use of the internet? I hope even the “ipad kids” get to know what it feels like to play around and have the company of good people, since companionship is the main way human beings are able to shape themselves into better people.

Grade: XII

St. Mary's High School, Jawalakhel