It was an ordinary day, or it seemed so, until I got a letter. My heart pounded as I slowly ripped it open.

Inside was a card with delicate golden script written on it. As I read the words, my palms grew sweaty. Suddenly, there was a flash of light filling my room. When it cleared, I realised I wasn’t in my room anymore, but standing between two towers. I was inside a castle!

I was scared but also curious, so I started exploring. The castle was humongous, but pretty deserted. Only the flickering of lights was visible. It would’ve taken me a whole day to explore, but something down the hall caught my attention. It was a door with golden lines on it, just like the writing on the card. Curiously, I pushed it open; it creaked loudly. As I stepped inside, a strong scent of tea leaves and dust entered my nostrils.

The room didn’t really have much in it; just a big window left open. Looking around, my eyes landed on a pink box on top of a desk. As curiosity rushed over me, I opened the box. Surprisingly, I found cookies stuffed in it. Without thinking, I stuffed a dozen into my bag.

Just then, I heard a noise that almost made my heart skip a beat. My hands were shaking as the door creaked and I felt someone coming in. Panicking, I hid in a nearby cupboard and made no noise as a black shadow entered the room.

“Eek!” I heard a scream. I closed my eyes, and suddenly my cupboard door burst open! I was face to face with yellow glowing eyes, ugly white skin and a crooked smile peering down at me. Soon, two arms leapt at me.

I squeezed my eyes shut even more, screamed loudly and ran for my life out of that room. I ran and ran until I saw the two towers. But out of nowhere, the white-hooded creature was once again standing right in front of me, as if it had teleported from one dimension to another.

I screamed as I fell on my back. I tried to run, but was unsuccessful. The creature got hold of me and I screamed as loud as I could!

“Sarah! Why are you screaming?!” said a familiar voice.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw my mum standing near my bed. Confused, I said, “Uhm, Mum, where did you come from? And how am I back in my roo—”

Suddenly, I came to my senses. I was safe in my bedroom, with no letter, no cookies, no ugly scary hooded creature. It had been just a dream. My mum was still standing there though.

“Oh Mum! Don’t worry, I just had a… nightmare,” I said, still thinking.

“Alright… drink some water and go back to sleep,” said my mum, and left.

But this left me thinking, “This nightmare feels so familiar, like I’ve read it somewhere.”

Just then, I spotted a thick book with golden lines. I picked it up and everything seemed to make sense now.

“It wasn’t just a dream, it was real.”

I did what Mum told me and threw Harry Potter and the Secret Room far from me.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025

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Last month, our school arranged a science exhibition, and everyone was excited to showcase their creative projects.

My best friend, Sara, and I were planning to work together, but our teacher made new groups and, unfortunately, we were separated. I decided to make a unique project, and discussed it with Sara. Later, she accidentally told her new group members about my idea. She didn’t do it intentionally, but things took an unexpected turn.

The leader of her group decided to plagiarise it and claim it as her own. When Sara realised her mistake, she tried to stop her, saying, “This project idea belongs to my best friend!”

But the group leader refused to listen. Sara told me immediately and I became furious with her, and our friendship felt like it was hanging by a thread.

She tried to explain her side and was truly apologetic for her mistake, but I ignored her and kept blaming her. My group members, however, encouraged me by saying that we would make our project even more eye-catching and perfect. Although my heart was heavy, I reluctantly began working again.

Days passed, and I still didn’t talk to Sara.

Finally, the day of the science exhibition arrived. Everyone was excited and the school corridors were filled with colourful and breath-taking projects. Visitors started coming and every group was busy encouraging one another, hoping to win the award.

When it was time for Sara and her group to present their project, something unexpected happened. Their model failed to start, and their presentation ended before it could even begin.

On the other hand, our presentation and project went very well. In the end, our hard work paid off and we won the award for the best project.

Some hours later, one of my group members told me that one of the reasons we won the award was my friend, Sara.

She had secretly cut the wire of her group’s project, so their model didn’t work. I felt deeply regretful for saying such hurtful words to her earlier. Even though what she did was wrong, she never meant to harm me, nor did she want her group to plagiarise and lie.

My heart felt heavy with guilt, and I immediately went to her to apologise. She also said sorry, and we both realised that true friendship is about forgiveness and understanding.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025

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Have you ever heard news about scientists, researchers or Nobel laureates receiving awards and wondered about the inventions or discoveries that were recognised? If so, The Franklin Institute’s Case Files, a website that gathers a historical archive and documentary record of the Institute’s awards programme is definitely for you.

The site brings together the names of awardees’ achievements in science, technology and engineering, with their biographies, inventions and contributions all in one place.

The Franklin Institute’s Case Files page serves as a digital archive of The Franklin Institute Awards, tracing back to the very roots of the Institute, founded in 1824, when it started recognising notable scientific and technical achievements.

The website itself is very simple, mostly text and links, with no flashy graphics or modern layouts. Its main focus is on the archive of awards given over the years, from inventors to mathematicians and even companies.

You can explore the site through the main menu at the top, which is a bit of a distraction in itself. For example, the top menu has a lot of sections: exhibits, events, support, shop, museum map, education programmes, blogs, podcasts and awards. It can get a bit confusing to find the Case Files section because it’s hidden under “Awards.” Those of you who will visit the site for the first time may find it hard to get to the section, but once you reach the Case Files section, you won’t regret the time you invested in searching.

This section is informative, as it actually pulls you in. It shows the history of science in a way that feels easy to understand, with people and the things they created that changed the world. The nice part is, it doesn’t just talk about the famous names; it also includes those lesser-known inventors and the stories of how they came up with their big ideas.

So to open the new vistas of your mind or read the stories you didn’t know you were missing, just visit: https://fi.edu/en/awards/case-files

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025

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