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An Allegory to Racism
Written by Shreya Venkatachalam, 14
Texas, USA
Long ago, there was only the bright blue and blazing sky. The sun and all its kingdom ruled from the heavens and held the heart of all life in its hands- they had the power to keep the world green and thriving or turn it into ashes. The small and distant Earth looked up to this Kingdom of Day for warmth, light, and even growth. There was peace, and there was harmony between the two beings of the universe. Until one day, when the skies rattled and rattled. An explosion went off in the heavens, painting the once glistening sky dark navy blue. Day and its citizens, appalled at the new monstrosity blanketing their domain, raged. After many discussions and votes, what used to be the only celestial being came to a conclusion- this simply won’t do.
Hidden behind the shade of Night, Sun and the other citizens of Day sneaked and schemed. Finding cracks to seep through and push Night down to its place was their priority. During this time, Night made itself comfortable and entertained Earth with its dancing stars. Earth, having only seen the amber sky, turned to this onyx being with awe and surprise. The ballads sung of Day faded into art portrayals of the mysteries and ensnaring feel of Night. Basking in the love and admiration of Earth, Night lost the grip on its tight guard. Very soon, Day burst into the dark sky, painting golden and scarlet over the dark blue and dissolving any trace of Night. Panic and confusion held the reigns down on Earth as the sudden Night sky disappeared, but their admiration for Day remained and they rejoiced at its return.
Day stood tall and proud, leaving no space and no mercy for the ugly Night in the skies. The stars and moons of Night fumed as a result of their stolen chances and rejection as Earth simply began to forget the wonder of Night. Pushed down and broken from Day reclaiming its position, the anger that boiled within Night turned into the urge to fight back. War broke out between the two celestial beings, both silent and violent. Each insult hurled at them was a stab for Night, an attempt from Day to keep Night wounded. Despite all this, Night stood up and decided to face Day. Thunder and fire were thrown at each other, killing and injuring many citizens on both sides. At the same time, pleading and motivating words were spilled out, but no response was received, other than violence. The motivation for Day was their pride and high status, while the anger and hope in Night kept them fighting. Neither side relented, too desperate to give up now. Day and Night both laid wounded and stricken down.
Years passed in a blur of savage, unjust actions. Night was tired- tired of all this competition and fighting. In the other sky, Day was grieving for all its lost citizens. The stars and moons of the Night came together. They discussed, realizing that all this violence and fighting achieved little more than chaos. A treaty was formed. Both met under the neutrality of twilight and formed a compromise. Day agreed to only appear for 12 hours, while Night could gleam during the other 12. The sun would set no later than its time and would wait through the reign of the Night to rise again. Likewise, it was agreed by both parties that not a hint of navy should bleed into Day. So, for the first time in history, a semblance of balance and order was created. Though the two were still not equal, and segregation wasn’t completely erased, Night has now been given something it has only dreamt of- an equal opportunity. Time passed and Day ruled over the skies before slipping out for Night to bleed in, keeping up the truce. Little did Day know that even if it was their turn to grace the sky, the fight put up by them created intense determination and passion amongst Night’s kind, ultimately allowing them to extend their rights and reach even into Day. A moon was sent to be a part of both skies, ever-present in both Day and Night.
Many eons later a piece of Night, however faded or bright, is still forever represented in both skies, breaking the bounds placed on them and reaching for equality and opportunity. Instead of staying down, Night pulled itself back up, proving to everyone that accepting defeat and silently wallowing will not aid in the journey of achieving freedom- the will to fight for it despite difficulties will. So fight. Fight for the dreams you dream. And then reach for the stars.
