My Personal Time Machine

If I was tragically taken away from my home, I would like to take all my possessions with me, but there is a limit to only three. It was a hard decision to think of the three possessions I cherish the most, but I know I made the right decision. A picture of my family and friends, my journal, and a Cartier pen my mother got me help me relive my past.

The most important item that I could possibly take with me is a picture of my family and friends. Most importantly, I want to remember the people I love most in the world. To glance at each of them and remember how they all touched me in their own special way is such an amazing thing, and to remember each of them with their own special qualities. For instance, when glancing at my mother, memories of her strong personality will go through me. Also, when looking at Latifa Al-Maraj, my best friend, I will remember how good of a friend she was. Another reason to take this picture is to remember all the glorious and truly unique times I spent with all of my friends and family members. “Hanging out” with Latifa and the rest of my friends was so much fun, we used to watch movies, talk, go out, and etc. Spending time with my family always filled me with joy. I will always cherish those long talks I would have with my sister without a single worry in my head and our family vacations, which were so fun. The most person who would help me with my problems was Laila, she was always my resort, because she truly gave good advice and wasn’t at all biased. All my family and friends helped me through thick and thin and that is the final reason why this picture is one of the three items. It is such a privilege to look at a picture and remember all that; to relive all those precious memories.

Coming along with me also is my trustworthy journal. You don’t know how nice it is to spill your guts on paper and not hear someone talking back to you, criticizing you, or giving you bad advice. Living without my cherished journal is an impossibility. I want to be able to record all my thoughts and feelings onto those blank pages. Even if I was in the most exciting place on God’s green earth, no doubt about it, I would feel lonely. So what better way than to let out all my emotions as creatively as possible. Being away from my loved ones would make me feel so bad. Instead of bottling up my feelings, I will write everything down. On my journey, I will see strange or common things and jot them all down in my journal. And if I ever return to my friends and family, I could read to them in detail what I saw. In that unknown place, feelings of boredom and loneliness will bestow upon me. Reading over my past entries and reflecting on my past life will help me remember the good old times, and it will relieve my boredom. Reading about the most significant memories of my teenage life will make me either laugh or cry. Who knows, maybe my journal would be published later on and would be called “Samar’s Great Adventure”?

What will be used to write with in my journal you ask? The answer is simple. A Cartier pen my mother gave me when I passed the seventh grade with an A average. It is a beautiful gold plated pen which is one of my most cherished belongings. It is one of my three possessions for an obvious reason… TO WRITE WITH! The ink will run out for sure, but I will write lightly but still clearly so that the ink doesn’t run out quickly. Even if the ink does run out, at least I would have had time to write. The pen could be used as a survival technique; its sharp tip could be used to cut through objects. The last reason for bringing this pen along is to remember the day my mother gave it to me. I went upstairs to my room the second night of the summer vacation, and saw a small wrapped gift on my bed. I opened it up and found a beautiful Cartier pen, and a card next to it saying: “I’m so proud of you, hope you have another great school year.” An unforgettable feeling came over me as I read that, and writing with that pen always brings back that glorious feeling.

The mere thought of being taken away from my home is frightening. I would never know how to live without my friends and family members. These three items help me relive my past. Loneliness will take over me wherever life takes me without my family and friends, but knowing I have these three items really helps ease the pain, and helps me remember the wonderful life I used to have.



Done By: Samar Al-Ansari

Grade 9.2