Recurring Life

Let me introduce myself. I am Aqua, I am made out of oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, so you can probably guess what I am. I live in the ocean with my many, many siblings. Most of them have been separated from me. Water particles aren't very close together as we are always busy moving around and working. Although sometimes you occasionally bump into another molecule you know, the problem is, once you've bumped into them, you have to change direction and you'll most likely not see them again.  You see, as I'm in the ocean, I don't really get to socialise with other molecules as we constantly get separated because of the hydrologic cycle. It's basically my whole life: starting off as a molecule in the ocean, minding my own matters, then, being collected by the clouds to just fall back into the ocean as rain! To you humans, this is also known as the water cycle. However, to me, it's my recurring life and it will never change.

Well, that's what I thought…

One day, when I was in the ocean, I started to feel rather hot. When I get hotter I become faster and work a lot quicker than my usual rate. But, that wasn't it on this occasion. There were some other unusual liquid particles lingering around. I was quite intrigued. So, I shouted, "Who are you? Where do you come from?" I was heading towards the other direction, so, I had to say it loudly so they could hear me. But, before I could hear their reply, a strange sensation came over me. I started to speed up and then, I suddenly felt like I was floating.

It felt so peculiar yet ­­so fun! I hadn't felt like this before. I had been so used to my life going around literally in circles (like the water cycle!) that I hadn't known what it felt like to have fun. Something unusual must have happened to cause this to happen. Then, I remembered those strange particles I saw. They looked an awful lot like those fertiliser chemicals that we were told to stay away from. Everything near it becomes very hot and has a butterfly effect on the ocean. When it becomes too hot, some of the molecules (like me) turn into gas and spread around the world contributing to climate change! It's a huge "heat butterfly effect" on the world!

It was then that I realised that, if I'm a gas, all I would be doing is floating around and making the heat spread. "ALL I DO IS FLOAT ABOUT?" This is a terrible predicament! Now that I am a gas, I will hardly ever come into contact with other particles. I will be so far apart from them that there won't be any point trying to shout. They will be too far to hear me! Hmm… I guess I should have been thankful for what I had in the first place! I concluded that, my old recurring life was not so bad after all, but now, I have a new recurring life! I just wish it would all end.

Yet maybe, I should be happy with what I have before complaining again. I wish nothing had ever changed.

Ms. Samaira Hasan is a student of Hockerill Anglo-European College, Bishops Stortford, UK