The Paper That Save Me

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The sound of bouncing basketballs echoed through the empty court. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink, but Ethan Isaiah Resolvo sat quietly on the cold cement, his school bag at his side, untouched.

He stared at the ground, scuffing the tip of his worn-out shoes. Inside his bag, crumpled test papers lay hidden — big, red marks shouting back at him. FAIL.

His classmates had laughed earlier when he stuttered in English class. "Resolvo can't even pronounce it right!" one of them teased, and the others joined in. He laughed it off at the time, but now, alone, the sting was heavier than he could carry.

Maybe I'm really not meant for this, he thought. Maybe Papa's right I should just help in the store, or find a small job. Big dreams are not for kids like me.

He hugged his knees and blinked back tears.

That was when a shadow fell over him.

"Why are you sitting here all alone?" a voice asked.

Ethan looked up and saw a young man, maybe in his twenties, carrying a stack of papers and a small satchel bag. He wasn't familiar, but the man's eyes were kind, his smile gentle.

Ethan quickly wiped his face. "N-No reason, kuya."

The man studied him for a moment, then squatted down. "You look like you're carrying the weight of the world, hmm?"

Ethan stayed silent.

The man reached into his satchel bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was a bit worn at the edges, like it had been read many times. He held it out to Ethan.

"Here," he said simply. "Keep this. One day, it might help you."

Ethan frowned, confused, but took it anyway. "What is it?"

The man smiled. "Words. And sometimes, words are stronger than anything else."

He patted Ethan's shoulder, then stood and walked away without another word.

Ethan carefully unfolded the paper. Inside, written in neat lines, was a poem. His young mind couldn't fully grasp all of it, but one line stood out.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will...

He whispered it softly to himself.

Something about those words made the ache in his chest a little lighter, the world a little less heavy. He folded the paper again, held it close, and tucked it inside his notebook as if it were treasure.

That night, before sleeping, he read it again under the dim light of their small lamp.

For the first time in a long time, Ethan whispered a prayer, not asking for the burden to disappear, but for strength to carry it.

He didn't know it then, but that single piece of paper would follow him through the rest of his life.

High school wasn't much easier than grade school. The classrooms were bigger, the teachers stricter, and the expectations heavier. But Ethan Isaiah Resolvo carried a secret with him now, a folded piece of paper that no one knew about.

He pulled it from his notebook often, during breaks between classes, or late at night when he struggled with homework. The poem's lines whispered to him every time he felt tired, every time he doubted himself.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will...

It was like a lifeline, reminding him that failure didn't mean the end of everything.