Little Wonders and Other Works

Two Different Paragraphs

Objective description:

When a person enters the bedroom, the first thing they will see is the bed. To the left of the bed are two bookcases with photos in frames at the top. At the bottom of the bookcases is a rug. In front of the bookcases is a desk with shelves. On the top shelf of the desk are school supplies in a school supply bin. There are also souvenirs and more photos. To the left of the desk is a calendar. On top of the desk, there is a clock. To the far left of the desk, there are windows. At the bottom of the windows, there are cushions, some of which are also storage bins. The ceiling has glow-in-the-dark stars and the floor is a wooden floorboard.

Subjective description:

When Ethan entered his bedroom, all he could feel was pain. The room that once filled his heart with joy was now an empty void of sadness. The navy blue walls pulled him in an ocean of sorrow. He was going to move soon, but he did not feel ready at all. The thought of packing was so unbearable that he hardly packed. He slowly walked towards the black bookcases. The bookcases that were once filled with knowledge and imagination were now voids of nothingness. He looked at the top of the bookshelves and saw photos of his two childhood best friends: Chase and Paige. He felt nostalgic as he looked at them. 

Then, he turned towards his desk. What was once filled with school supplies in little purple bins was now bare except for some photos and one snowglobe. He picked up the snowglobe and was immediately mesmerized by the tiny Parisian monuments. Paige gave it to him during the summer when she came back from Paris. When he put down the snowglobe, he studied the photos. 

Ethan shifted his attention to his windows and walked towards them. At the bottom, there was a row of light blue cushions. Each cushion was also a storage box that was once filled with toys. This area was the coolest feature of his bedroom since it had a perfect view of the city. He and his friends would often study and read in that area while looking out to the city below. 

He laid down on his bed and looked up to his starry ceiling. When he was little, his parents bought glow-in-the-dark stars that can be attached to the ceiling. They spent the whole day sticking up stars to imitate the night sky. Ethan, Chase, and Paige would then have lots of fun making up names to create fake constellations. Staring at the ceiling brought him back to simpler times. 

Then his eyes drifted to the clock that was hanging on top of the desk. The clock was brown and vintage and it was the only item he was happy to leave behind. For him, it represented betrayal, since the "cool kids" gave it to him for his birthday. They were in his leadership class and were always praised for being good students and leaders. He looked up to them and it seemed like they were friends. Over time, it became very clear that they were all a bunch of phonies since they only talked to him when he finished his homework and let them copy his answers. Each time the clock ticked, it was as if it was taunting him and rambling insults. Ethan tried to ignore it but it just would not shut up. 

He looked down to the cool wooden floorboard and saw the circular rug, which reminded him of the pizza party he had yesterday. He had invited Chase and Paige since it would be the last time they all got to hang out. He remembered how his friends assured him that they would always be best friends, which filled his heart with warmth. 

Now it was time to have lunch. He walked out into the hallway and closed his door. Ethan knew that soon, his room would be nothing but a barren place with memories that would continuously whisper to him and everything would be gone as if he never existed.