By Ayana Alamgir, Age 8
Dear Myself: You will wear a sparkly blue-and-pink shirt with jeans and long hair. You will dye your hair brown and blue. You will have a white-haired kitten named Peppermint. You will be in 11th grade. You will be 17. I will get you a gift which is a diary with a sparkly fuzzy pen, along with a pencil case. I’ll buy you a new bookbag. It will be unicorn style. The unicorn will be blue, pink, and light purple, along with sparkles. I will decorate a box with all my memories. When you come home, you have to do homework and I hope you use the things that I gave you. You will eat Thai noodles, chocolate ice cream, and juice. In the morning, you will have to take the bus and wait. When it is your free time, you will draw, paint your nails, read books, and make stories. You could be on the phone a lot. You can’t drive yet. After high school, you will be going to college. You want to go to Columbia University. You want to become a fashion designer. You read history, fairy tales, and all kinds of books. You should watch Matilda.
I’m leaving this letter at Long Beach in the sand, inside a bottle for you with a note so you won’t forget.
From me to myself.
THE END
Ayana’s story can be found in 826NYC’s newest chapbook Maybe in Ten Years. Help support the unique voices of our young authors by sharing their stories and making a donation on our website! To receive notices about opportunities for your child, sign up for our youth writing opportunities newsletter.