⏱ ~4 min reading
All August, Oksanka waited for the first day of school. And when that day finally crept up close, she suddenly became scared. Really scared. So scared that a little hedgehog seemed to have settled in her stomach, and every time she thought about the school bell, that hedgehog turned from side to side.
In the evening, Mom spread out a new uniform on a chair — a blue skirt, a white blouse, and bows that looked like two clouds. Next to it was a red backpack with an embroidered bunny. Everything was beautiful. Everything was ready. Only Oksanka herself was not ready at all.
"What if I can't find my class?" she whispered into her pillow. "What if I don't know anyone there? What if the teacher is strict and says I'm doing everything wrong?"
The hedgehog in her stomach turned over again. Oksanka imagined a school - a very big one, with long corridors, along which strange children walk. She imagined herself standing in the middle of this corridor and not knowing where to go. And that made it even scarier.
Grandma quietly entered the room. She sat on the edge of the bed and placed her warm hand on Oksana's forehead.
"Can't sleep, honey?"
"Grandma, I'm scared," Oksanka confessed. "The school is so big. And I'm so small.".
The grandmother smiled and patted her granddaughter on the head.
— You know, your mother was afraid once too. And I was afraid once. Everyone is afraid of the new at some point. And then it turns out that the new isn't scary at all. It's just unfamiliar. And the unfamiliar quickly becomes familiar, you just have to say hello to it.
Oksanka thought about it and calmed down a little. But the hedgehog still didn't go to sleep.
In the morning, her mother braided her braids, silently adjusted her bows, and took her hand. The way to school seemed both short and very long at the same time. Many children had already gathered at the gate with flowers—gladiolus, asters, orange marigolds. Everything sparkled in the sun. And Oksanka squeezed her mother's fingers tighter.
“Will you come with me?” she asked quietly.
"To the classroom door, of course. And then you're on your own. But I'll wait here," said Mom. "I'll wait all day long.".
When they reached the classroom, a woman in a light sweater stood in the doorway. Her eyes were brown and warm, like tea with honey.
"And here's Oksanka!" she said as if she had known her for a long time. "And I'm Elena Stepanivna. Come in, my dear, your place is already waiting for you.".
Oksanka looked back at her mother. Her mother nodded. And Oksanka took the first step inside.
The classroom turned out to be completely different from what she had imagined. It was bright, with large windows, and pots of violets stood on the windowsills. There were small cardboard signs with names on the tables. Oksanka walked through the rows and found hers — with a yellow sun painted on it.
Nearby sat a girl with two dark pigtails and slightly frightened eyes.
"Hello," she whispered. "I'm Solomiyka. And you?"
— I'm Oksanka. Are you scared too?
"A little," Solomiyka admitted. "Let's be afraid together? It's not so scary together.".
Oksanka smiled. And suddenly she noticed that the hedgehog in her stomach had disappeared somewhere. It just left, without even saying goodbye.
Then Olena Stepanivna showed them where to hang their jackets, where to hide their backpacks, and what each notebook was called. She spoke softly and gently, and managed to smile at everyone. During the break, Solomiyka shared a cheese sandwich with Oksanka, and another girl, Ulyana, gave her a ribbon from her bow — just like that, in memory of the first day.
When her mother came to pick her up after school, Oksanka ran out to meet her and hugged her very, very tightly.
"So what?" Mom asked. "Was it scary?"
Oksanka thought. She remembered Elena Stepanivna, the violets on the windowsills, Solomiych's braid and Ulyana's ribbon.
"It was scary just yesterday," she said. "And today the school turned out to be small. And warm. And not at all alien.".
Mom laughed and kissed her on the top of her head. And the hedgehog in her stomach never came back.
✨ The greatest fear is the one we invented ourselves ✨