Hurain was sitting in the lounge with her parents, her eyes glued to the TV screen. It read BREAKING NEWS: “Climate change is at its peak.” Sighs followed as her parents watched the news with dread.

“Why all that sighing? Surely, there were no floods, droughts or heatwaves in a quiet town like ours. What was climate change about that?” She wondered, oblivious to her naivety.

Her mother called, “Hurain, come along, I have some shopping to do.” She ran up to her mother and immediately put on her shoes. The market was just two streets away, so they walked.

As soon as they stepped outside, Hurain felt the haze; her eyes became all puffy with water, and she felt as if needles were pinning her throat. Her mother noticed this, gave her a mask and........

© Dawn Young Magazine