It was the early hours of a Tuesday morning. The sun was ostensibly shining but there was a shivering sheen that covered the freshly shaven legs of approximately 200 girls. Hair was obsessed over and a wayward strand became the object of serious stress and attention. A discriminatory practice followed; a snake of heads was arranged on the glistening grass. In descending order. Naturally that meant I had to take my “rightful” place among the midgets of my age group.
We filed into rows upon rows of royal blue. Four flashes from the front and our portrait was ready to be stamped with the words “Class of 2014”.
In that way one of our final matric milestones were crossed. In a few months our faces will rest behind vases of vibrant flower arrangements in the reception area. Come 2016 and we will join our sisters on the Hogwarts-like halls of our high school. Our photograph will provide a pastime preview for the girls standing in the que to the finance office.
While staring at our group photo and playing spot the matric I realized I share Augustus Water’s fear of oblivion. Today marks the last ten days at this institution that has become home for the past five years and my concerns have amplified. Will anyone search for me among the rows of blue? Will anyone’s eyes light up with the spark of remembrance and recognition? Will their gazr scan over me without a spare glance? I am merely an insignificant distorted dot on a board reflecting over a hundred others…
Perhaps I am just another teenager with a case of existentialism and I will be reduced to the piles of “Forgotten”. Maybe all these memories that I’m trying to scrapbook will become worn out fragments in the overlooked shelves of my subconscious. Mayhap I’m plageristically echoing the sentiment of those before me but if there is one thing I know it’s that I’m proud to be a part of a population of some of the most unique and inspiring individuals.
Proud to be at Parktown ★
_Quixotic Novelist
Quixotic Novelist 