Raindrops danced on the windows, setting a tranquil scene. The wind pushed the autumn leaves back and forth. ‘While pretty, the scene was also distracting,’ I mused. Pulling my attention from my writing, I grudgingly thought, ‘perhaps I’ll be able to find some inspiration outside,’ only half-believing myself. Grabbing an umbrella, then my camera, I trudged down the stairs as a moody teenager might, at the same time remembering that I was a moody teenager. I also grabbed a notebook and pen, to jot down any stray thoughts. The crisp air greeted me, and seemed to laugh as I shivered. Unperturbed, I set out on my walk. It took a few minutes, but felt like infinity. It started with a rhythm to my steps. Then there was a spin every 11 steps. And finally, I was twirling down the sidewalk, umbrella in hand, without a care in the world. I had always been a shy girl. Now, it bothered me no more that people were watching. I didn’t know that in the New York street, there was a girl in a lavish gown with a Polaroid. I didn’t know that there was a little girl who wanted more than anything to be accepted. I didn’t see the ornately dressed girl bring the camera to her face and take a picture. I didn’t see the young girl tug her mother’s sleeve and declare with awe, “I want to be like that, mommy.” All I saw was the whirlwind of New York City spinning around me. Rather I was spinning, and the world was doing what it was. I stopped whirling, and looked around me. There was a bridge over a stream with emerald-green grass and towering trees in the background. It was secluded, except for the girl who I had not seen take a picture of me. The girl that I had already written a story for in my head, coming as naturally as observation. The girl that I assumed must be a princess. She came up to me, as I wondered why. “Hi.” Her greeting jarred me from my thoughts. I smiled in response. “I wanted to give this to you.” She handed me a picture of myself, spinning, and beaming. “Not to sound rude, but who are you and why do you have a picture of me?” I asked, baffled by the strange turn of events.
“Oh! I forgot! This must look so weird. Sorry about that! My name is Calliope, and I was supposed to take pictures for a wedding, but it got postponed, hence my dress. I was just about to go home, but then I saw you! You looked so carefree, and the smile on your face was so radiant, I couldn’t help but take a picture. You see, I like capturing smiles. That way, they stay forever.” She said this all very fast, as if her words were running a marathon.
“Okay, then. Despite the weirdness of the situation, thanks!” I replied, somewhat hesitant.
“Sure!” she exclaimed, and seemingly vanished as I bent down to tie my shoe, leaving me with the picture. I shrugged. I had seen stranger occurrences.
“Right, then.” I started walking, suddenly eager to get home. When I arrived, I first carefully tacked my picture on my bulletin board for inspiration. Opening a new page of my notebook, I titled it Capturing Smiles. I wanted to make my readers grin, and feel the same emotion Calliope made me feel when she noticed me in the midst of a thousand. I wanted to recreate my own smile in my readers. After a few hours, I had pages and pages of writing that I was eager to submit to the writing contest I was trying out for. A few days later, an email popped up in my inbox. It was from the organizer of the contest! It read,
Dear Ms. Mist,
We here at IWillWrite were very proud to read your entry, ‘Capturing Smiles.’ We are pleased to tell you that your writing has come in 1st place. We hope to see you at the awards ceremony next Saturday.
Sincerely,
Calliope, Organizer of IWillWrite.’
I squealed at the news, then gasped as I saw who the sender was. ‘So that’s who Calliope was,’ I thought. I smiled, then realized that I had captured mine, and many others through my writing. That was enough to make me grin as I rewrote my poem to put on my bulletin board.

Capturing Smiles
Like memories from a life I’ve never lived,
creeping in, I realized,
that I’ve never seen myself truly smile.
One day, when
I saw fit
to be myself,
someone was inspired to
capture
my smile,
and inspired me
to capture others
through my journey
through the
beautiful mess
we call
life.

I knew that despite not knowing what exactly had happened that fateful day, I would continue to make people happy, and capture their smiles. For, is it truly living life if you don’t impact it?