In a quiet classroom, where no one else resided,
accompanied by the soothing wind that blew onto his face,
no one else was there; he was alone, sitting on a warm bench
that held more memories than he could ever recall.
With the window wide open,
he gazed up at the clear blue sky,
in awe of the vastness that stretched out, covering the whole world,
carrying the wishes and ambitions of all living beings.
Even though it had been hurt by the hand of humans,
it still stood firm and shone brightly, bearing all burdens while always cherishing them.
Still lost in thought, he reflected on this after finishing the last paper of his SPM examination.
He walked past those around him without any care, with only one goal in mind, leaving his peers behind.
That afternoon, he rushed to his classroom.
— I suppose it was worth coming here.
Still lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly startled.
— Baaa!
— Hwooooh!
From behind, a boy with a cheerful expression suddenly jumped up, hugged him, and clung to him, just to scare him. It was a friend of his.
— What are you doing here all alone, huh?
— Let go!
His friend asked what he was doing all alone. While he struggled, his friend clung to his shoulder, then he started begging for him to get off and let him go .
Angry at his friend, Danish action, who thought it was just a joke to startle him. He got up from his chair, and at the same time, Danish pleaded for forgiveness. With a huge sigh, he brushed it off, saying that he had already forgiven him but warned Danish that forgiveness would never be his again.
– Seriously, what are you doing?
Oh, to be sure, what are you thinking about while sitting here all alone, huh?
Feeling pressured by Danish , with a sad expression fixed on his face, he looked out the window. He had no choice but to tell his friend what had been on his mind earlier.
– It is nothing, really. I was just thinking about how strong the sky is. Will I ever become like it?
While answering Danish questions , without him noticing three other of his friends walk into the classroom quietly . then asking the same question as Danish earlier while also greeting him.
They heard his answer and questioned again , thinking they are missing out on something that these two guys just had a conversation with .
— What is going on here? Did we just miss out on something?
– Yeah, what do you mean by that, Haya?
— Please tell us too. We have been friends since we were kids, so you have nothing to keep secret from us. Right?
As if they were toying with him, they ask . Haya answers them directly with his firm yet gentle voice.
–I already said it, and I am sure you all heard it clearly too, right?
—I mean what I say.
They are relieved to hear his answer, saying that he has never been changed at all over the past year. They have been his friends and are glad that he is still the same as he was.
Then, a moment of awkwardness arises because they do not know what to say, his words still lingering in their minds, not understanding what Haya meant.
Breaking the silence, a short girl with big almond-shaped eyes Smiling, as she was the first to understand what Haya's words meant. With her gentle voice, she proudly said,
"I know you can become one! I am sure you can, because I have been watching over you all this time. So I am sure of it."
Surprised by her words, Haya could not think of anything to say except thank you to the girl who supported him, whose name was Hanna. Then the other two, Annis and Zul, simply agreed with Hanna's words.
"It's already late and we have to leave the school."
"So let's just say one last goodbye and get going."
"Since there is another place we want to stop by before going home, right?"
Danish said that because the sun was already about to set, from what he saw through the window. The others could not help but agree that they would be late if they stayed any longer. Therefore, they started to move.
While all five of them walked together side by side, Haya could not help but keep talking in his mind.
–Today was a farewell.
A farewell I didn't fully understand at the time.
It was the day I parted with my youth.
The sky stretched quietly above me.
The wind brushed past my cheeks.
The sunlight was gentle, almost indifferent.
My heart was beating faster than usual.
My thoughts felt unsteady.
My mind wandered, unable to settle.
Memories surfaced one after another– laughter, voices, moments I once shared.
They were not loud.
They were simply there.
As I walked toward the exit,
I took a slow breath.
I did not want to leave,
but my feet kept moving.
Only then did I realize
how few memories I had truly made
with the friends beside me.
And just like that,
my youth ended.
Was this enough?
Was this all I could do?
The life I built for myself—
Was this really the result?
Had I enjoyed my youth
as much as I could have?
No matter how I felt,
no matter what I wanted to say
or wished I had done—
none of it mattered anymore.
As they walked through the gate , they couldn't help but to turn around and look at the high school that they once attended. A little shed of tears dropped from their eyes , rewinding all time they spent and the memory that they created together . Even so , they start to walk again leaving that school as a student once and for all .
Remembering there is a place they wanted to drop by first . They all have decided that they are going to the beach to heal , release their stress and tension that have been built up inside at the time when they are preparing for their examination . It was hard for them .
After walking for a while, they are welcomed by the soothing and gentle wind , also the sound of wave collide to the shore.Then as they walk up the hill To get to the shore, slowly in front of them , a clear blue colour appeared , as the ocean spreading wide open as far as their eyes could see . They were speechless , mesmerized and feeling relieved that they decided to go there because this was the place where they had been playing together when they were just kids . Nostalgia hits them , as they walk around the shore , going to the place they played together , talking to each other of the memories that they shared.
As they happily reunite with their memories, Haya is suddenly shocked and stands still while his friend continues chatting. The others, realizing that, asked Haya what in the world is he looking at. They are confused when they hear Haya say that he saw someone.
"Oi, Haya, what are you looking at while we are having a good time here, huh?" Danish asks curiously.
"Yeah, yeah, what are you doing just standing there and saying nothing? Do you really have nothing to say, or is it that you do not remember a thing ?" Zul asks in a curious and sarcastic tone.
Haya answers, "There is someone there.….
-I was looking at her."
All of them are confused as they turn and look toward where Haya is looking. There is no one – not a single soul is present there. To clear up the confusion, all of them say,
"What are you saying, Haya? Are you going crazy or something? There is nobody there."
Unable to bear being doubted, Haya firmly insists that there is indeed someone there. To prove he is telling the truth, his friend asks him to describe the person he sees.
"What are you guys saying? There really is someone there – a little girl! Just near the sea!" says Haya.
"If there really is someone there, you should be able to describe her, right?" Annis asks Haya, while Zul, Hanna, and Danish nod in agreement.
There is a little girl there, I swear. She has long golden-brown hair, fair light skin, she is wearing a white one-piece dress with a white straw hat, and her height is just below yours, Annis!"
Haya describes her in distress.
Indeed, there is a little girl who can be seen, but her presence is visible only to Haya with his own two eyes – only to him. After realizing that Haya might be hallucinating, none of them provoked him, but they became worried about the situation they were in. Suddenly, Haya began to grunt while holding his head, saying that it hurt terribly.
"Haya! Are you okay?"
All of them shouted in concern for Haya.
But what they didn't know – and what Haya himself did not know – was that what he experienced earlier wasn't a hallucination at all. It was something he had forgotten: a story from the past that flashed through his eyes and mind, as if urging him to remember the memory that he had lost through the years. As he tried to recall the sight of the little girl he was seeing – "the memory of that girl" – it faded like static on a TV screen and crashed into his consciousness. Yet he was still unable to remember anything except the image of that little girl standing in that exact place.
One thing was certain: he was no longer experiencing any headache. As he fell to his knees after what he had just gone through, all his friends – Danish, Hanna, Zul, and Annis – came to his side to help him. Haya looked drained, sweat covering his body, barely able to stand on his unsteady feet. His face was pale, his hands cold, his body exhausted. Giving in, he asked for help.
—Sorry. I do not know what happened. Can someone help send me home?
Without any delay, Danish offered to help. Hanna looked surprised and was about to cry, while Annis tried to comfort her. Zul, on the other hand, just watched and held Haya so he wouldn't fall.
—What are you saying? Of course you are not going home alone in this state.
Danish said this as if he were angry.
—I am sorry I could not be of any help,
Hanna continued.
—I do not know if you being like this is related to what you just saw earlier,
Zul said, giving his opinion.
"This is not the time to be thinking about that. We all have to go home first, and deal with everything else after we have all arrived safely," Annis said, rushing and angry at Zul.
After seeing what happened to Haya, they all decided to go home as quickly as possible, worried that something bad might happen if they stayed any longer. They parted ways there; Hanna and Annis took the same route as Zul. Danish supported Haya's shoulder so he could walk better, and then they rode their bikes. Under Danish's supervision, Haya continued to ride his bike home. Slowly but surely, they arrived safely.
Both Haya and Danish arrived at Haya's home. From afar, they could see people already waiting to welcome them: Haya's mother and his little sister. Danish had informed Haya's mother earlier, just before they rushed to his home. As he parked his bike, his mother came to support him because he already looked as if he was about to faint. After ensuring that Haya was now safe and sound in his family's care, Danish went back home and said goodbye.
"What really happened? You just went to the beach, right?"
His mother asked, worried and angry.
"Brother, are you really okay?"
His little sister asked, concerned.
"I am really okay, it is fine, do not worry. I just felt tired, that is all," Haya tried to reassure his family.
Upon entering his house, he took care of himself, showered, and then it was time to eat. All his family were waiting for him at the dinner table, still wanting to know what had really happened. Leaving him with no choice, he accepted defeat and began to tell them every single detail. Only after he had finished could his family finally feel reassured, thankful that nothing bad had happened and seeing that he was truly all right.
"Thank goodness nothing bad happened," his mother said, finally relieved, while Haya could only reply with an awkward laugh.
"Next time, you must tell us if anything happens. If you don't , I'm really going to hate you, brother, you know that!"
His little sister was still worried and angry of her brother, Haya, who seemed to keep all his worries and problems to himself.
After taking all the scolding and warnings from those two while eating earlier, Haya went to his room and checked his friends' group messages, which were flooded with messages and calls from them asking about his condition. Feeling tired, he only sent a short message saying he was fine, just to make sure no one worried and he could rest in peace.
Finally, he went to bed and fell asleep, yet his mind still clung to what he had seen earlier, to that girl.
About " the memory " of when he first met her.