One bright Sunday morning, Ahmed and his friends were enjoying their day off from school. They decided to play football in the backyard of Ahmed’s house. As they were having fun, one of Ahmed’s friends, Hamza, kicked the ball, but it missed the goal and hit a nearby trash bin instead. The bin was overflowing and garbage spilled out into the garden.

Worried about his mother seeing the mess, Ahmed quickly picked up the trash and headed outside to throw it away. His friends followed him, watching as he tossed the garbage onto the road.

The next day, Ahmed’s friend Raza did the same thing. Slowly, all the children began to imitate this behaviour. They liked the idea of cleaner indoor space by throwing everything out from their homes — whatever was outside was not their duty, it was supposed to be cleaned by the street sweepers/cleaners.

One night, while Ahmed was in a deep slumber, he had a disturbing dream. In it, he and his friends, along with everyone else in town, were throwing garbage everywhere. The entire town was filled with heaps of trash. No matter where he looked, there was garbage — the streets were jammed, and there was no space to even walk. Everyone was panicking and Ahmed felt a wave of terror wash over him as he frantically searched for a way out.

He woke up screaming, “No! No! This can’t be!”

His mother rushed in, concerned. “What happened, my son? Did you have a nightmare?”

Ahmed didn’t answer, but instead rushed outside to check the state of his street, fearing his dream might be a reality. To his relief, everything looked just as it should: clean and tidy. The street sweepers were busy cleaning the trash that he, his friends and many others had carelessly been throwing. Ahmed felt immense shame for his actions.

Despite the relief he felt, Ahmed couldn’t shake the memory of his dream. He gathered his friends and shared the details with them. After listening intently, his friends felt guilty as well and promised never litter and only throw trash in bins.

One of Ahmed’s friends suggested they start a campaign at their school to promote cleanliness. The next day, they approached their teacher to discuss their idea. She praised their initiative and encouraged them to present their campaign to the school principal.

During their break, they met with the principal, who admired their enthusiasm and promised to support their cause. Ahmed and his friends left the meeting feeling excited and hopeful, ready to make a difference in their community.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 19th, 2024