À l’heure du tout à l’image et du buzz sans suite, «l’express» souhaite faire découvrir la plume de poètes, de chanteurs, d’écrivains et de tous ceux qui jettent leur âme sur le papier, et qui mettent en mots des réflexions profondes.

Huffy Puffy was an absolute shamble… all puff and no substance you may say. Through some very known tricks that the sea creatures were scared to speak of, Huffy Puffy became the leader of a lagoon and she called it ‘Barriers to progress’. Leadership made her very inflated, however all spikes and air and no bubble pricked! For you see, she could rule only in that shallow lagoon. The depth of the oceans scared her. Sharky, the shark, had bestowed upon her a privilege and power.

She drifted in the lagoon and puffed aggressively to assert her authority. She hated all the sea creatures who knew their craft. Her thorns were permanently deployed to repel anyone who might question or challenge her. She had in her underside the remoras who would always boost up her ego. “Huffy Puffy you are the star of the lagoon,” they would praise her, making her swell more and they would hitch a ride on her… not having to swim you see! The remoras enjoyed seeing Huffy Puffy getting rid of any creature doing their job well.

First to be expelled was Parroty, the parrot fish, the expert reef maintainer. Parroty had dared to suggest ideas to improve the ecosystem. Huffy Puffy felt pricked! Why didn’t she get those ideas? She swam discreetly to Sharky the shark in the deep ocean. She inflated herself in a most professional size… almost bursting and complained about the parrot fish, “She grinds down algae the whole day and causes such noise… She is disrupting the lagoon, please eliminate her.” Huffy Puffy’s predator centric approach worked. Parroty was swallowed by Sharky and the reef started dying.

Surgy, the surgeonfish, raised the alarm of plastics in the lagoon. Huffy Puffy had herself many a time hovered over plastics, but those were not her headache. The plastics were not a problem to her, but the complaints choked her. She called surgy a fear monger and Surgy had to go. “Such a difficult creature! Away with him!” The lagoon was now infested with plastic, some creatures choked and died and Huffy Puffy continued to drift in ignorance.

No matter how big she puffed, she was always reminded of the emptiness in her whenever she swam across Octopium, the vibrant octopus. Octopium was versatile with her eight tentacles, she multitasked. She thought with her nine brains, solved problems and came up with innovative ideas. You may say she thought out of the lagoon! And communicated with the sea creatures with her 3 hearts. Octopium was known in the lagoon for her intelligence. She looked at Octopium with envy, “Her eight tentacles make me look under equipped.” As Huffy Puffy bobbed incompetently on the waves, Octopium was always busy being functional.

Huffy Puffy felt insulted, she inflated in anger. Her eyes expanded in panic and her heart was full of toxins! Huffy Puffy swam to Sharky, her ultimate saviour, the one who promised her eternal leadership. “Octopium is a monster. Have you noticed her attitude? She has nine brains, Sharky, nine. Every time I give her a simple directive, she gives me the look with her creepy rectangular eyes. She doesn’t behave like a worker of the lagoon; she behaves like a boss… Such an attitude I tell you,” she released her toxins and offended bubbles.

Sharky felt bad for his well-protected Huffy Puffy. “Oh, Huffy Puffy, you go through so much… Look at you; all the spikes on you… Ah how I feel bad for you.” Sharky was for sure intoxicated by the toxins! “Octopium will have to leave the lagoon!” Sharky ordered. One by one, many lagoon dwellers were expelled and Huffy Puffy ruled, ignorant of the growing problems. The remoras kept assuring her that she was a great leader. Gradually, debris began to pile up in the lagoon. Without Parroty the reefs were not maintained, the lagoon water turned sluggish and stinky. The blue lagoon was now dull and dead.

Huffy Puffy all inflated still swam in the stagnant water. There was no grinding of the reef and no ‘judgmental’ stares from Surgy, and also no multitasking from Octopium. The lagoon was now a perfect domain for Huffy Puffy who led in all toxicity!

Bio

Namrata Daumoo Aukhojee

An English educator with 16 years of experience teaching English Language and Literature at the secondary level, she serves as the MES English speaking test coordinator and is a national coordinator for Model United Nations, mentoring students in diplomacy and public speaking. A passionate reader and animal lover, she is committed to empowering students through language and leadership.