Better We

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BW BITES

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Poems

Mirror

Lost

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Short Stories

The Sardonic Trespassing

Sholay

Masquerade

The Last Visit

[yesbetterwe]

The Last Visit

The abrupt siren of the pacing police car broke Sarah from her short nap. The past week has been full of hectic schedules for her usual professional life. For her, it seemed like a miracle if she could even spare herself a short visit to the washroom. The constant calls from the dealers, the training of the rookies, supervising the branches of the company she devoted herself to for the past 4 years were enough to make her go sleep deprived for straight 48 hours. Nonetheless, she did not complained. She loved her job, and achieving such a high position within a span of a few years in one the biggest food industrial company definitely made her more determined to work harder. As she scrolled through her scratched phone, pondering over when she should buy the next model of the brand, a familiar face popped up in her gallery; Siwoo Park.

The bus came to an abrupt at the stop she was supposed to get off, the old face lingered for a while in her mind as she slightly shook her head in an attempt to drive away the memories. The company she worked for, widely known as Jangga. Co, was not just a mere company, in other words, some prefer to say it is an empire; an empire built solely by the chairman. Sarah mindlessly shifted in her seats, letting out a deep sigh before she drowns herself in her assigned duties, she pauses for a while to sort out her schedules in her mind for the day.

As she flipped through the pages of her files, she was summoned by the chairman just within a few minutes he arrived, subconsciously making her panic within herself. Sarah quietly knocked on the posh wooder door, to which the secretary opened and led her to the chairman. Sarah politely bowed and asked in a whisper-like voice, ‘Sir….you asked for me?’ The old man shifted, his gray suit camouflaging with the interior of his cabin. ‘Ah yes, Ms.Sarah, I’ve got a good news for you.’ He spoke whilst he whirled around slowly in his armchair. ‘See, I’ve been observing you for quite a lot of time, so I think you should give yourself a break from all the stress,’ he looked up directly at her. ‘You’ve been assigned to supervise one of our most popular branches, the one located in Itaewon.’

Sarah was still unsure if it was a good thing that she was assigned to the Itaewon branch. After her short visit to the branch, she allowed herself a short stroll around the busy streets of Itaewon, the environment filled with colors and lights eased up her senses. She walked around the narrow alleys similar to a maze like a happy child, occasionally stopping to treat herself with snacks from the street vendors. Biting on her ice-cream sandwich delightfully, Sarah did not bother to look where she was heading, causing her to clumsily bump into a muscly-built body. She slightly rubbed her head whilst mumbling apologies, only to notice it was none other than Siwoo. She could not help but let out a sudden shriek, her eyes been at their widest almost looking like tennis balls.

‘Is it this surprising to see an ex-convict and your long lost friend?’ Siwoo smiled warmly as he pulled her in to a gentle embrace. ‘How have you been Sarah…It’s been like..so long.’ It has been two years after they last saw each other, she was amazed at how confident he seemed despite being framed into having spend some of his time in jail. ‘I know..what brings you here though.’ She asked, curious about his plans after being released. ‘I’m here to take revenge, to stand against the company you devotedly work for, basically destroy it.’

-Written by Subhana Saif

[yesbetterwe]

Masquerade

My hands tremble and my heart sinks in fear as I write this. What am I so afraid of? I am afraid of humans who deceive, lie and kill their own mankind. Most importantly of humans who wear masks. Humans these days are just like the witches Roald Dahl described in his book “The Witches”. There he beautifully stated how those ladies wore masks to trap kids, nowadays; people wear masks in self-defense. How so? Kids, adults and aged people today often don’t accept us for who we’re. I can say this from my own personal experience. My parents want me to be good at mathematics and science whereas my field of interest lies in English. I tried reasoning with them but they’re so thick skinned, my logic doesn’t seem to go into their earbuds. For that, I started focusing on mathematics and I managed to score pretty good grades there but science was so not meant for me. Science and I, we were just like parallel lines, we were never on the same line. I myself wore a mask of an obedient kid in front of parents where, I was not one. Masks just seemed so beautiful, you would get trapped in them and soon forget your true self. I wore a mask at home which stabilized my situation with my parents so I decided to try out another mask at school. The mask just felt so great, I tried out another mask for pleasing my best friend . Man, no one knew I was wearing masks but that girl just snatched the mask of my face and said, “I want to see the real Ameena not this girl who’s wearing a mask”. Thanks to her, I can say that now, I no longer wear masks. Masks are just like accessories or makeup you can say. They can make you look beautiful but what’s the point of outer beauty if your inner self is rotten? I am not saying that you’ve to get rid of your mask right away but at least make efforts. Try opening up to people and if they don’t appreciate you for who you’re. Go to someone else, not everyone is the same. I wish people were understanding these days. I guess they’re and I’ve not just met the right bunch of people. I wish my father knew that his little girl now no longer saw nightmares of monsters but nightmares of humans, who prey. I wish my mother realized that studies are not the only thing I’m battling with. We, all fight battles of our own every day but can we take off our masks and try fighting a battle with our bare faces once? I’ve done it once and I’m doing it again tomorrow. The first time I did it, everyone was disgusted by the fact that I no longer wore masks to make myself pleasing so they used aggression in order to keep my mouth shut but oh boy little did they know that now, I’ve embarked upon a journey against all odds thrown at me to find the real me who wasn’t shaped by her society, family, friends or environment. I hope you all gather courage and embark upon your journeys soon enough!

– Written By Ameena Ferdaous

[yesbetterwe]

Sholay 

“What are you searching for in this room? You have no right to be here!”, the nurse exclaimed. It had been exactly 5 days since they took him away. I had not seen him for 5 days and that was the longest period of time that we had not seen each other. They would not let me get close to him or even see him so I had to pretend to be a doctor so that I could get near him. As hard as it was for me, I knew it was not any easy for him either. Staying at home was killing me. I felt suffocated knowing that I could not do anything to save him so I decided even if I could not save him, I could at least give my life up for him. The nurse had by now realized that I wasn’t a doctor. She opened her mouth to scream and call the security but I held her tight and I told her how important it was for me to see him. She remained still so I removed my hand and that’s when she screamed. I could not do anything so I ran as fast as I could just to get to that room. The security guards grabbed my feet and I fell on my face. I felt disheartened and defeated because the only thing that actually mattered for me in life at that moment was him and nothing else. The doctors had warned me that seeing him was not an option because he was dangerous for me but I could not keep my heart calm knowing that he was out there all alone by himself whereas I had always been by his side. They asked me to go home so I did. After returning home, I made myself breakfast and then I began researching. There was no cure to his sufferings. By now, I had gone through all the books and all the articles that were supposed to have answers to my questions but none of them did so I decided that tomorrow I would go there and no matter what the doctors would say, I would meet him as this was my right. It was six in the morning as I arrived at the hospital. I slowly walked myself into the hospital and towards his room. I had been successful all this while but the tricky part was to enter his room without getting caught. I had managed to be quiet so I assumed I would not be caught this time as everyone was fast asleep. I slowly opened the door and that’s when the doctor came and grabbed my hands. He called the security but I managed to push them away and raced towards the door. I quickly opened it and got in and fastened the locks so that no one could come in and take me away. That’s when I saw him after six long days. He woke up by the sound of all the hustle. He looked at me and he asked me to leave. I could not do that. I did know that he was infected by the coronavirus and that he had to be kept in isolation but as his wife, I had promised him that in sickness and in health, I would be by his side. I walked towards him with tears in my eyes and as I lifted my eyes to look at him, I saw that his face was all drenched with tears. He looked at me and smiled and that’s when he called out to me and said “Basanti”. He held my hands with tears rolling down his cheeks and he asked me why was I there despite all the warnings. I could not have stayed away. I kept my head on his chest and I lay beside him. I looked at the machine that showed his heart rates per second and I saw them decreasing per second. I looked at him and smiled because I knew the end was near now. He wasn’t in fear too. The doctors kept banging the door but we remained still in this entire hustle-bustle. As he knew that he was dying, he looked into my eyes and he said, ” I’ll meet you on the other side, dear.”

– Written by, Ameena Ferdaous.

[yesbetterwe]

The Sardonic Trespassing

The constant rumbling of the dry leaves made my racing heart even more restless. The dilapidated abandoned house in the east of the country had become a chest of gold for the police circuit as it held the biggest number of evidence against the heist criminals. Having my stealthy presence in that very building made me feel like a criminal indeed, but my desire to unfold the mystery of the case overpowered my principles. With feathery steps, one at a time, I soon found myself beyond the yellow marked boundary lines which claimed the area as a crime investigation zone. I only had a flashlight and a pistol with me, which clearly did not do any justice for me to see in the pitch black darkness.

The nervousness remained unsettled at the pit of my stomach as I anxiously opened the entrance door, careful to not leave behind any fingerprints. The flickering light bulb in the ceiling almost sent me into a mild heart attack as I further stepped inside the crime scene. Amidst such a tense situation, I could not help but laugh at how ironic my situation was; I could be instantly arrested for trespassing, that too a crime scene even though I was an undercover agent. The rambling thoughts made me unwary as I unknowingly stumbled on to something wooden, the wooden trunk where the police bureau previously found traces about the planning of the heist. I could not help but constantly think that all of it were planned, as if the members knew that sooner or later the police would come to look for them.

The building was definitely the best spot for plotting of activities, the remote area of huge yards also provided them with a free practicing zone for weapons. In addition, the undisputed area also had a hideout, where armouries could be stored without even an ant getting the hints. I flicked my torch towards the staircase, the thoughts of paranormal occurrence made me feel nauseous. As I kept climbing up the creaky stairs, I made sure to keep myself alarmed about my surroundings, whilst I wandered in the corridors of the second floor.

There were numerous rooms; all shabby and organised but adaptable. The smell of alcohol and other additives still lingered in the air, confirming the presence of them a few days back. But neither of the rooms seemed to contain what I was desperately looking for. At that point, I felt overwhelmed. My emotions beat my conscience as I felt myself tearing up due to frustration. Throwing the torch I harshly clutched my hair as I blamed myself for foolishly hoping that I would be able to find something useful. I had committed a crime, and that too because I was too half-witted to trust my intuitions. Just as I was about to pull up myself, the soft sound of footsteps alarmed my senses, intuitively I held my pistol tight in my grasp. Precisely, in a few minutes, the person stood right in front of me, totally caught off guard due to my unanticipated presence. In a blink of an eye, I recognised the figure; it was our chief in command from the investigation department. ‘I knew I would find you here,’ he sighed, slightly rubbing the temples of his bare forehead. ‘What are you searching for in this room? You have no right to be here.’

-Written by Subhana Saif

[yesbetterwe]

Lost

Do you remember what you said to me?

That we would never be apart

No matter how far we are

And all those stupid little things of yours

Still haunt me endlessly

Of you cracking lame jokes yet me falling for you helplessly

But now, all of it suddenly seems lost

You said, ‘ The spark between us is long gone’

I felt numb, desolated. But what hurt most

Is that you deserted me in this unknown battlefield all alone.

Undoubtedly, those words cut me deep,

Making me lose myself in a foreign abyss

But can I make it out by myself?

Even though I can feel myself drowning more and more

In the sea of numbness which never seems to end.

- Subhana Saif

[yesbetterwe]

Mirror

She was a shattered piece of glass

Her heart as strong as a brass

Always known as a mystery to all,

Which none, yet dared to solve

To her, her body was a nasty thing

All those scars painfully painted on her body

Gives those unwanted hurtful memories a ring.

No matter how hard she tried,

She always found herself loathing and cursing her existence at the end of the night.

She likes to pretend as if everything’s alright

But little did the spectators know what she was facing deep inside.

She was dying; crying out silently for help

However, she remained helpless, drowning in her own toxic dwell

For what she blamed the heavens for not granting her the privilege

Of having someone to whom she can express how she truly felt.

- Subhana Saif

[yesbetterwe]

EVENTS

2018

2019

2020

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Creative Cranes : Write-Up, Posters & More!

Brace yourself as our young writers give you an extra-ordinary tour of their imagination!

Write-Ups

Short Stories

Poems

Series

Posters

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Showcase Your Creativity!

You can submit your works here 💌!

[yesbetterwe]

What is Better We?

About Us

Better We is a platform for the youth aging from 10 to 18 years old. It might be an organization, but as you get acquainted deeper, you will feel it is more like a big talented family. Better We is indeed an open podium where we encourage all our members to explore their potentials farther and express themselves in their own creative ways. We all stand together with unity, and aspire to dream high and set a new benchmark for the youth. Better We believes that if you are confident and believe in yourself, then NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE, but I AM POSSIBLE.

Aims

Our main aim is personal development and improving Life Skills among the youngsters. As we all share the same belief that for a visible change to occur in a family or community, it will be sustainable only  if the change starts from persons individually. We all dream together, and stand United. Hence, we all desire for the same mission: Changes Starts From Us.

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📝Collaborations

Boiboiboi

Design For Change - Rome, Italy

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Kattoli

SY Global