I could hardly sleep last night.  I was turning for a long time.  Finally, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. Darkness covered the room.  I had a strange dream. A stairway fell down to my bed, and I began to walk up them. I found a small and dusty door.

Something attracted me to step in.  I didn’t know where I was until I entered the room.  It was an attic.  There was gloom and silence inside, and I was frightened. I found a candle and a matchbox in one of my pockets. I lit the candle.

            There were spider webs everywhere.  I looked down and noticed boxes on the floor.  I opened them. I found children’s games inside them.  There were dolls, little cars and balls.  I looked into another box.  I took a pair of shoes and a scarf out of the box.

            Suddenly, I heard a strange voice.  Somebody was laughing.  I didn’t know who it was, but at this moment I found myself on the playground.  I saw many children playing.  They were laughing and playing with balls. They were happy boys and girls.   But they were alone; I didn’t see their parents anywhere.

            I noticed a little girl, who was swinging alone.  I went to her.  She was wearing an orange-coloured scarf and a pair of brown shoes.  I told her not to sit there alone.  She should have gone to her friends and played with them. She could have done it.  She could even do it.  I suggested this to her. She looked at me, and she was smiling.  I saw a glitter of happiness in her big blue eyes.  She ran to her friends and started to play with them.  I was happy, too. Warmth filled my heart. I was laughing with them.

I found myself in the attic again.  The scarf and the pair of shoes were in my hands.  I put them back into the box and closed it.  At that time, I heard a clock striking.

I woke up in my bed.   The sun was shining through my window.   It was a beautiful summer day.  I went to the window and looked out.  I saw children in the street.

I drank my cup of coffee, and then I packed up my books and clothes.  I felt that everything had changed.  I took a taxi and went to the railway station.  A strange feeling overcame me.  A new life has been waiting for me.

by Edina Begezi  (Fráter György Gimnázium, Miskolc)

Some comments by the judges:

I liked the way the writer created an intriguing, tense situation. The description of the dream was very well done--we all have dreams like the one presented here; that's one of the common threads of our humanity. What finally brought me to choose this piece was its ending, in which the writer realizes a new beginning is at hand. It's a good twist--I want to know what happens next!