Jack Zhang, G10, RDF International School

“The art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity” is the scientific definition of music. Yet to me, it can never be simply defined.

It is a gloomy night. The faint moonlight scatters onto the juvenile’s figure, creating a lonely shadow laying on the concrete roof of the medical building. He gazes down at the parking lot underneath his feet, only one step forward from being able to embrace the endless abyss. A chilling breeze whisks over his face; he feels no more love and warmth. Malice is the only thing left for him, as he is abandoned by the world.

Three months ago, a car accident was reported, and a middle-aged couple was confirmed dead; the report also mentioned that this tragic accident left a 14-year-old child orphaned, and that child is this boy.

His parents had been the only people who loved and understood him; he doesn’t know how to live without them. The government sent him to a local orphanage, where the staff and other orphans all alienated him for they all thought he was such a freak. The older kids bullied him. They nearly killed him by pushing him to the ground, and the back of his head knocked onto the floor, causing a cerebral hemorrhage; a doctor saved him just before death was going to knock on the door. Nevertheless, the surgery left him a huge debt that was almost impossible to pay.

After his recovery, all he wanted to do was to commit suicide.

He stood and contemplated for a while, for he wanted to make sure that there was no more regret and hesitation left in his heart. The clouds gradually dissipated, exhibiting a flawless clear sky. The boy took the last sight of the sky and made up his mind to step forward into the eternal darkness. All of a sudden, the boy heard a familiar tune; he waited and listened for a moment, and tears ran down from his reddish warm cheeks. This was the lullaby his mom had always been singing.

“Stay strong honey, we are always with you.” All at once he recognized his parents’ voice, and he realized that he was never abandoned. The diminishment of corporeality will never erase the immortality of his parents’ souls he once again possessed the strength to strive for his life.

The boy was me. Music saves me, and it’s holding me up to fight.