Whispers Beyond Boundaries

"Do you think I should sleep in the same blanket as her?" I asked.

"You can if you want," she replied.

"I'm just worried we'll fight."

"Oh don't be silly. You're both strong-"

"But you haven't seen her. She's taller than me, stronger than me and has longer hair than me! I'm just an old Berber girl who's lived in a village her whole life."

Diana sighed. "Look, Solace. Just because she's Nubian and you're Berber doesn't mean you have to compete with her. You're both women."

"I know, but it seems like everyone is always trying to compete against each other."

"Well... they are. That's the way the world works." Diana stood up and brushed the sand off her bottom.

"But why?" I asked, sitting cross legged on our blanket. "Why do we need to compete with each other? We're all human!"

"People will always try to get ahead of others, regardless of gender or culture," Diana said, looking out at the ocean. "It's a natural instinct within humans; we need competition to survive."

"But why?"

"I don't know, Solace! It just is! Maybe people have a fear that they'll be left behind." Diana looked down at me and frowned as she sat back down on the blanket. "Maybe people are afraid of not being powerful enough to take care of their family and make sure they live past their youth. People need a purpose for living, Solace!" Her voice grew louder as she spoke, eventually shouting at me by the end of her speech.

 -Maya Angelou (Diana) -Concluded Mhmm *sips tea* -Next please *closes book*   -Nay Nay *sighs* -Naaaaay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay Nay!!! -Hm.. -Yes? -Can i have a choclate chip cookie? -No -Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww -Butttttt i was bad today!! -No cookies until after dinner -Fineee alrighty then byebye -Byebye.... *goes in kitchen and takes one* Next please! -Nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay nay! -What now?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!11111oneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneone!11111oneone!11111twooneonetwooonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwooonetwoonetwooonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoonetwoo... *sighs* What do you want now??!! -I wanna go outside ?!? -Outside?? Are you serious?? Outside?? OutSIDE??!!!!!!!11111ONEONEONEONEONEONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!1111elevenelvenelvenelvenelvenelvenelvenelvenelvenelve...... Fineeeeeeeeeeeeeee.......... Fineeeeeeeeeeeee.... You can go outside..... But dont get hurt or fall or anything... alright... fineeeeee......??? Do you promise?????? OKAY FINE!!! I PROMISE!!! JUST LET ME GO OUTSIDE FOR A SECOND PLEASE!!!!111110TWOOOOOETWOOOOOTWOOOOOETWOOOOOOOOOETWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!1twooo... twoooo.. twooooo one.. *throws self out window* 11111ONEONEONEONEONEONEEEEE!!!!!!!!11elevenelvenelvenelvelelvelvvve.... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!111110TWOOOOOETWOOOOOTWOOOOOETWOOOOOOOOOETWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!1twooo... twoooo.. twooooo one.. omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg ok okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay... um im outside now... Now what do i do.... Am i supposed to run around and scream??? Okay then.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um.... Um..... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHCCCCCCCHHHHHHHCCCCCCCCTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!1111eleveneleventeeneleventeeneleventeeneleventeenelvelevvve....... eeeeeekk oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god ok now what do i do now...? Oh wait look over there its diaaaaannnnnnnnaaaa!!!!!!!111110TWOOOOOETWOOOOOTWOOOOOETWOOOOOOOOOETWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!1twooo... twoooo.. twooooo one... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU SPASTIC IDIOT?????!!1111eleveneleventeeneleventeeneleventeenelvelevvve....... eeeeeekk im not doing anything here im going home now bye now good bye bye see you soon Diana hopefullyrrr...... Bye bye..... Bye..... Bye..... Bye bye..... Bye....... Hi Diana how are you today? Lovely lovely thank you for asking i am well thank you for asking how are you today? Oh this is terrible news about my mother passing away Oh my goodness that is terrible news please accept my condolences Im so sorry to hear that Oh no its fine really its fine i knew she was getting older anyways mhmm *sips tea* Next please!

"Do you think I should sleep in the same blanket as her?" I asked.

"You can if you want," she replied.

"I'm just worried we'll fight."

"Oh don't be silly. You're both strong-"

"But you haven't seen her. She's taller than me, stronger than me, and has longer hair than me! I'm just an old Berber girl who's lived in a village her whole life."

Diana sighed. "Look, Solace. Just because she's Nubian and you're Berber doesn't mean you have to compete with her. You're both women."

I know, but it seems like everyone is always trying to compete against each other."

"Well... they are. That's the way the world works." Diana stood up and brushed the sand off her bottom.

"But why?" I asked, sitting cross-legged on our blanket. "Why do we need to compete with each other? We're all human!"

"People will always try to get ahead of others, regardless of gender or culture," Diana said, looking out at the ocean. "It's a natural instinct within humans; we need competition to survive."

"But why?"

"I don't know, Solace! It just is! Maybe people have a fear that they'll be left behind." Diana looked down at me and frowned as she sat back down on the blanket. "Maybe people are afraid of not being powerful enough to take care of their family and make sure they live past their youth. People need a purpose for living, Solace!" Her voice grew louder as she spoke, eventually shouting at me by the end of her speech.

I sat there, my mind absorbed in Diana's words. Competition seemed like such a foreign concept to me, coming from a small village where everyone worked together for the greater good. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Diana was right. Our societies are built on competition. It's what drives us forward, pushes us to excel, and ensures our survival.

But is it the only way?

I glanced at the people around me, their voices blending into an indistinct chatter as the beach bustled with activity. Children played in the sand, couples strolled hand in hand, and vendors peddled their goods. It was a microcosm of the world, a snapshot of human existence. And in that moment, I realized that there was something missing amidst all the competition - connection.

"Maybe competition isn't the only way," I said, surprising myself with the sudden clarity of my own thoughts.

Diana turned to look at me, her expression curious and hopeful. "What do you mean?"

I took a deep breath, the words tumbling out of me. "Yes, competition drives us, but it also isolates us. It creates divisions and hierarchies. Maybe what we truly need is collaboration, empathy, and understanding. Maybe if we worked together instead of constantly trying to outdo each other, we could build a world where everyone thrives."

Diana's eyes widened, a glimmer of recognition filling them. "You're right, Solace. Maybe there is another way."

We sat there in silence, contemplating the possibility of a world where competition took a backseat to collaboration. It wasn't an easy notion to grasp, but just acknowledging its existence filled me with a renewed sense of hope.

"I'm going to try," I said finally, determination coursing through my veins. "I'm going to approach this with an open mind and a willingness to collaborate, to uplift others instead of trying to surpass them."

Diana smiled, a warmth spreading across her face. "I believe in you, Solace. And I'll be right there with you, every step of the way."

Hand in hand, we stood up from the blanket and walked towards the horizon, ready to embrace a different kind of journey - one that was built not on competition, but on compassion and connection. And as we took that first step, the world seemed a little brighter, a little closer to the harmonious existence we yearned for.