Inkling_2026_Digital - Flipbook - Page 17
like a caged bird.
Briiiiinnnnggggg. The bell rings. I stand,
gather my things. I am out the door in
a matter of seconds. Down the stairs, a
hallway, more stairs, another hallway,
an exit. I push through the door, 昀椀nally
escaping the stale air of the high school.
My feet 昀椀nd their rhythm, like wings
holding my body up, while my head is
busy analyzing the day.
My mind wanders to the crows. To the
murder. To the social constructs that
surround the cage they call education. A
cage I cannot escape because everything
outside the cage means my wings will be
clipped. A cage they tell us is a pathway. A
cage no one else seems to see. And when
I return home, my house is a nest weaved
with so many sticks that it could be a cage
too. But to me it is comfort, and security,
and the only thing keeping the wind from
throwing me o昀昀 course.
I turn the corner and my house comes
into view. I walk up the drive, turn right
towards the porch only to 昀椀nd something
waiting for me. Two crows. Staring with
those beady black eyes. I stare back.
What is my mum always saying? Birds of
a feather 昀氀ock together. I smile. Three
crows sit, watching the horizon. Alone?
Sometimes alone. But they 昀椀nd comfort
in each other, and their path has yet to be
sown.
Sydney is the 3rd place
winner in the Short Story
category for this year’s
Teen Writing Contest.
INKLING 2026 | 17
