Short Story: An Angle in Disguise

The sudden gush of wind knocking on my window woke me up from my deep slumber. I woke up slowly and look outside of my window, the sky was jet-black and it seems like it was going to pour out rain anytime soon. Then, I caught a glimpse of kids around 7 to 8 years old playing without paying attention to their surroundings and it made me smile, remembering how good it feels to be a child once again. In which it brings back the memories from the past. The good and the bad. As the raindrops started to fall, I begun reminiscing those days that changed my life forever.
As a kid, we tend to be happy and cheerful but kids also do not escape from suffering mental illnesses such as anxiety disorder and depression. Not all those who smile do not have any pain in their life. I grew up in a society where they thought body shaming is normal and does not bring any harm. It all happened when I was seven. That day, I thought I was losing myself as a kid. I was an average student at school with thick reading glasses, short and being called around as fat leprechaun. As a 7-year-old, I suffered from emotional abuse from the kids in my school. I was so depressed as I never got the chance to let out my emotions, even with my parents as they were always busy with works. Until one day, a transferred student named Diana entered my class. She was a brave, bright and a girl with big green eyes that seems full of lives. The moment she entered the class, we made eye contact with each other and I thought maybe she could sense my fear among people and my timid behaviour. She decided to have a short conversation with me. It did not take long for people around her to love her. I never thought I would open up about my problems with her. She was willing to accept me just the way I am and be the only one who wants to be friend with me. She stood up from me when I receive hateful comments from the bullies. She was definitely an angel in disguise. “Winny, one day, I may not be here for you anymore and when that day arrives, please be strong even if I am not there. I know you can handle this”, she said once after our class finished. I smiled and promised her to not let her down. Since that day, I never let any toxic opinions from others cut a deep wound in my child soul. After all, I thought these experiences made me more matured than any other normal kids. We promised to stick with each other till our seventies. She was the greatest gift God sent to heal my soul.
But sometimes, we have to accept that nothing in this life lasted forever. Even the one you love will leave you. Never in my wildest imagination she would leave me the moment I know I could cope with my problems. She got into a car accident few days before we end our school life. She left me behind when she knew I am strong enough to not let others ruined me. I never regret any one second of my life I spent with her. Even on these days, where I could not listen to her advices anymore, I was proud that she had helped me to be the best version of myself. Now, I tend to help people with emotion problems around me, especially my friends because I know depression is a dangerous disease as it could kill you slowly from the inside. Even a young happy kid could get affected with what we said. So be careful with your words, you never know it could hurt someone so much.