I woke up late because I had accidentally set the alarm for an hour later than usual. I hurriedly got out of bed, got ready quickly, picked up my bag, grabbed an apple for a quick breakfast and headed out the door.

My school was nearby, so I walked there. However, today I was in such a hurry that I was running more than walking. I didn’t see the muddy puddle in my path, slipped and fell right into it. Now I was covered in mud from top to bottom. All I could do was head back home.

As I entered the house, my mother and grandmother were having breakfast. They were shocked to see me in such a filthy state. I told them everything, adding how my life was terrible and how every day seemed cursed with bad luck.

My mother sighed and told me to wash up while she made me a proper breakfast.

After cleaning myself up, I went to the dining room to eat. I heard Mother washing dishes in the kitchen, but Grandma was nowhere in sight. She usually sat with me at breakfast, even if she had already eaten.

A few moments later, Grandma appeared carrying a small dusty box. Her clothes looked dusty too, so I guessed she had been up in the attic, where she kept most of her old belongings. She sat beside me and gently opened the box.

Inside was a beautiful necklace. It had a silver chain with a diamond-shaped golden pendant and a magenta-coloured stone set in its centre.

“You are always complaining about how unlucky you are, right? Well, this necklace will change everything. Once you wear it, good things will happen to you and luck will always be on your side. You will become perfect in every way,” Grandma explained.

“Grandma, I’ve read countless tales where an unlucky child is gifted a magical luck-giving necklace by some elder, and as soon as the child wears it, she suddenly becomes perfect in every way.”

Grandma smiled and spoke, “Ah, child, what you say is true. But this necklace actually has powers. There are some rules, which I will only tell you if you wish to have it.”

She looked intently at me, waiting for my reply.

“Fine, I’ll take the necklace,” I said.

“The rules are simple. This necklace can work for a person only once. If you wear it and start using its power, you can never take it off. Once you remove it, it will become nothing more than a simple piece of jewellery. Be wise when you wear it and wiser when you take it off.”

She handed me the necklace. As I took it, a ray of sunlight struck the magenta stone, making it gleam.

After breakfast, I headed to my room and stood in front of the mirror. I took the necklace out of its box and placed it around my neck.

I don’t know if it makes sense, but as soon as I clasped the chain, I felt a strange sort of energy take over me. It felt exhilarating.

The next morning, I felt excited. If everything Grandma had said was true, today was going to be different.

As I headed to school, everything felt perfect. The sun shone brightly, the air was pleasantly cool and there was very little traffic. Upon reaching school, all the students waved and greeted me warmly. Until then, I had still had doubts about the necklace, but after seeing everyone’s changed attitude, I knew it really did have powers.

I also noticed how photographic my memory had suddenly become and how easily I understood everything. Whenever a teacher asked a question, my hand shot up and I always gave the correct answer.

All the teachers looked visibly shocked by my sudden brilliance, as I was usually the quiet child at the back of the classroom.

Over the next few days, I became the brightest student in my class and the most popular among my peers. I became the teachers’ favourite, and every student either wanted to be with me or be like me.

The necklace held so much power that whenever I worked on a group project, the students working with me also performed better. We worked non-stop, without breaks and excelled at everything.

But slowly, I started noticing something strange. Even though everyone admired me, many students began avoiding working with me.

One day, I asked a classmate what the problem was.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” she began. “Whenever I work with you, it feels as though I can’t take breaks. I never make mistakes, never slow down and never stop. My hands feel as though they’re moving on their own until every part of the project is perfect. I just can’t handle that kind of pressure anymore.”

After saying that, she walked away, leaving me standing there dumbfounded.

So that was why nobody wanted to work with me. I started completing all group projects on my own. At first, the teachers were reluctant to allow it, but since no one wished to work with me, I eventually convinced them.

Slowly, the crowd of friends around me began to shrink as well. At first, it didn’t bother me because I was caught up in my own bubble. But soon, loneliness began to take its toll.

I started feeling the urge to slow down, to take breaks and to have fun. Every achievement began to lose its charm. Deep down, I knew they weren’t truly mine.

One evening, while studying for a test, my mother handed me a card. She said a classmate had just delivered it.

I opened it. It was an invitation to a small class get-together.

Inside, someone had written: “I would really like you to be there. Please do come!”

I smiled. That small gesture meant the world to me. I decided I would go. I could study later. So what if I failed one test? I had been doing perfectly all year and one test wouldn’t matter that much.

As I stood up, the necklace began to gleam. I had always felt a powerful urge to study whenever a test approached, but today was different. For the first time, I was fighting it.

The magenta stone started glowing brightly, as though it were warning me to stop and study. But I had had enough. The necklace had made me brilliant, but lonely and arrogant too. I didn’t want to be perfect. Before the necklace, I had been clumsy, quiet and unpopular. Yet that was still me. I had friends then. I wasn’t alone like this.

Grandma had said to be wise when wearing the necklace and wiser when taking it off. Well, this might be the wisest thing I have ever done, I thought as I yanked the necklace off.

The bright red glow slowly faded until the stone returned to its normal magenta colour.

I placed the necklace back in its box and left it on Grandma’s dresser.

With my mother’s permission, I headed to my friend’s house. On my way out, Grandma saw me. Seeing me without the necklace, she smiled. She knew I had learnt my lesson.

As I walked towards my friend’s house, I felt grateful for everything I had. I promised myself that all my future achievements would be mine alone, earned through my own hard work. I would build friendships with people who liked me for who I was, not because of some magical necklace.

The necklace, despite all its unpleasantness, had taught me a valuable lesson. It taught me the beauty of being imperfect. I had learnt, in a very hard way, the flaws of perfection.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 11th, 2026