One month ago when we were having a normal day at school, the bell rang, indicating the end of the period. Our principal entered our classroom and handed some permission slips to our teacher to give us and also announced that the school was arranging a two-day trip to Murree. Those of us interested in going were to get the permission slips signed by our parents.

All of us cheered in excitement. Soon all of us started making plans about how we would prepare for the trip and what we would do there. We went home happily, making hundreds of plans in our minds. On reaching home, I started telling my mum how happy and excited I was for the trip.

My mother listened with interest and kept smiling. After discussing with my dad, she finally signed the slip. Then we sat down to make a list of things that I would need there.

I packed everything I needed, including junk food to munch with my buddies on the way to Murree. The day arrived, we had to leave for Murree at 9:00 am. I got up early out of excitement. Time seemed to pass so slow, seconds became minutes and minutes felt like hours. Finally, I made my way to the school.

I saw my friends standing in a line beside the bus. I joined them and soon our principal came towards the bus and said something to the teachers standing there. Everyone’s expressions changed, something was clearly wrong.

Then she turned to us and said, “I am sorry kids, but we are not going Murree today because the weather is very harsh there and it would be dangerous to drive there. So the staff will call your parents to pick you now.”

I and my friends started crying, protesting and screaming. We were shouting as if we were getting tortured. I felt so deceived by my school. It was the worst day of my life.

Then our principal shouted, “Stop crying like babies!”

We became silent, but we were heartbroken that our plans and all the fun activities we had planned were not going to take place. Soon our parents were informed about the situation and they came to pick us. I sat in the car sobbing. My mum kept on telling me that our trip was probably cancelled for good, but I didn’t listen to her. She tried to tell me that it was for the better since everything happens for a reason.

The whole day my mood was very upset until late at night when I sat silently beside my father. We watched the news on the television and soon there was a report about the terrible weather of Murree. It was about a disastrous snowstorm in Murree and its surrounding area, causing land sliding that crushed many cars and blocked roads.

I was dumbstruck as I listened to the details of the devastation that had happened. Just then I remembered what my mum had said, that everything happens for a reason. I could understand the reason now — if we had gone to Murree, we would have been stuck there in the snowstorm.

I thanked God and was also grateful that our principal took immediate steps to stop us from facing any such unforeseen danger.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 25th, 2021