Nilah's chalk circle

Nilah found a small piece of white chalk under her bed while cleaning. It was a bit dusty but still whole. On a quiet afternoon, she took it outside and drew a big circle on the ground near the guava tree. It wasn’t perfect — one side curved more than the other — but Nilah liked how it looked. She stood in the middle, looked around, and then just sat down.
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She didn’t plan to do anything with it, but the next time she had a small worry — whether her drawing for school was good enough — she quietly stepped into the circle again. She sat there, cross-legged, and just stayed still. After a while, she felt a little lighter. Not because the worry had vanished, but because she’d sat with it, calmly, without rushing away.
Soon, the chalk circle became her spot. She didn’t tell anyone about it. If she had a question, a thought, or just felt like being quiet, she’d step into the circle. Sometimes she’d hum to herself. Sometimes she’d lie down and look at the sky. Sometimes she didn’t think about anything at all. The wind moved the leaves. A squirrel passed by. And Nilah just sat, letting the day happen around her.
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After a few weeks, the circle faded. Rains came, then sunshine, and the chalk wore away. But Nilah didn’t redraw it. She still went to that spot, still sat there when she needed to think. The circle was gone, but the feeling stayed. It was enough.