When I listened to Myself

My Superpower

My name is Anaya, and I have a secret.

No, I can’t fly.
I can’t turn invisible.
And I definitely can’t shoot lasers from my eyes.

But I do have a superpower.

It lives inside my head.

One day at school, something happened that made my chest feel hot—like a balloon about to burst.

It was art class, my favorite.

I had spent so much time drawing a beautiful sunset with orange, pink, and purple colors. I even added tiny birds flying in the sky.

I was so proud.

Then Riya came to my desk.

She looked at my drawing… and laughed.

“It looks messy,” she said. “The colors are all mixed up.”

My heart dropped.

Messy?

I felt like someone had crumpled my drawing inside me.

Suddenly, I felt my first brain wake up.

It shouted inside my head:

“Say something mean back!”
“Tell her her drawing is worse!”
“Tear your paper!”

My hands tightened.

I wanted to shout. I wanted to cry.

I wanted to do something big and loud.

But then…

I remembered something my teacher once told us.

“You have two brains,” she said.
“One is fast and loud.”
“The other is slow and wise.”

I took a deep breath.

In…
Out…

And waited.

That’s when my second brain spoke.

It was quiet. Gentle.

“Pause.”
“Think.”
“What kind of person do you want to be?”

I looked at my drawing again.

Yes, the colors were mixed.

But it was still mine.

And I still loved it.

I looked at Riya.

She wasn’t smiling anymore. She looked… unsure.

Maybe she didn’t mean to hurt me.

Or maybe she didn’t know how.

My first brain tried again:

“Say something!”

But this time, I listened to my second brain.

I took another deep breath.

And said softly,

“I like my drawing. It makes me happy.”

Riya blinked.

“Oh… okay,” she said.

Then she looked at her own paper.

“Mine didn’t turn out how I wanted,” she whispered.

Something changed inside me.

The anger slowly melted.

Like ice turning into water.

“Do you want help?” I asked.

She looked surprised.

“Really?”

I nodded.

We sat together.

I showed her how I blended colors with my brush.

She smiled.

“This is fun,” she said.

At the end of class, our teacher walked around.

She stopped at our desk.

“These are beautiful,” she said.

“And I love how you helped each other.”

That day, I didn’t win a prize.

I didn’t get a gold star.

But I felt something even better.

Strong.

Calm.

Proud.

When I got home, I told my mom everything.

She smiled and hugged me.

“That’s your superpower,” she said.

“Not your first reaction…
but your second choice.”

Now I know my secret.

My superpower isn’t about being the loudest.

It’s about listening.

To both my brains.

And choosing the one that helps me be brave, kind, and smart.

And the best part?

Anyone can have this superpower.

Even you.

✨ End