Snowglobe: A Short Story

Snowglobe Eight years ago, I lost myself; I lost my innocence, my optimism, my happiness, all in a moment’s time. Eight years ago, it felt as if the air had been taken out of my body, and for the next six years, I struggled to breathe. Eight years ago, I lost someone who I loved more than anyone, and my childhood died and was buried alongside her. I was born in Lahore, Pakistan, but grew up here in Phoenix. My entire extended family lived in Pakistan, and it was terribly lonely here, away from the people I loved. At the time, my family wasn’t financially stable, but despite that, my parents bent over backwards and made numerous sacrifices to ensure that I would be able to spend my vacations in Lahore, with my family. They not only wanted

It was the last day of 2009, and the time was 5:43 in the evening. Everyone had gone to the hospital, except for one of my aunts, my baby brother and I. Ruby Mama’s youngest daughter called, saying that her condition had become critical, and that we should pray. My aunt and I prayed in silence, while my brother played with his parrot. The phone rang again at 5:45, and I remember it being so loud I was afraid my ears were going to bleed. That call was the call I never wished we had gotten, the call telling us that my beloved Ruby Mama, the ruler of my heart had died. I remember slipping down, the cold wall rubbing against my back. I remember hearing my aunt cry, but everything seemed so far away to me. It was as if time were moving in an infinite loop around me, and I was trapped in oblivion. The next few days were nothing more than a blur- I remember my family coming home in an ambulance, everyone crying, the funeral, the solitude I felt. I spent much of my time on the roof, alone and away from everyone. The last time I saw Ruby Mama, before they closed the casket, I remember noticing how yellow she was. I turned and walked away, leaving not only my Ruby Mama behind, but a part of myself

I don’t even know how it happened, but somehow, I had beat my depression. I began to genuinely smile again, and wouldn’t cry nights on end anymore. I surrounded myself with loving and caring people, and that helped give me that tiny push I needed towards personal rehabilitation. From all this, I learned how to love myself, and heal myself, and learned how to cope. It’s been four years since my battle with depression, and I’ve never felt better. Sometimes, I do feel depressed, and even though U have been prescribed antidepressants. I refuse to use them, a fact I’m incredibly proud of. I learned so much from everything that happened, but it’s difficult to put onto paper. I’ve escaped from the dark hole I fell into, and refuse to go down that dark path in honor of my beloved Ruby Mama.

Eight years ago, the snowglobe that was my life was violently shaken. Snowglobes may look peaceful, but in reality, they are thrown into an axis of chaos when shaken, but do a good job at containing it. The loss of my Ruby Mama was my snowglobe being shaken, my life being thrown into a pit of chaos. But since then, the dust has settled. My snowglobe is as peaceful like it originally was, and I couldn’t be in a better place. The funny thing about snowglobes is that despite all the turmoil contained within it, no external force can undo it; instead,