The greenhouse felt smaller under November’s early dusk, its patched glass fogged with the breath of the Circle of Seeds. Emil sat at the scarred table, the UN Youth Forum email open on the laptop: Virtual session confirmed, December 15. Present East Riverton’s story. Global youth await. The seedling tray—basil and beans now rooted in […]
The air in East Riverton carried the bite of late October, sharp with the scent of damp concrete and fading leaves. The Circle of Seeds stood before a scarred wall, their mural board freshly mounted, its blank canvas a fragile hope against the neighborhood’s graffiti-streaked defiance. Emil adjusted the seedling tray—basil and beans trembling in
The Sprout’s Trial Read More »
Trust
In the grand, unchanging cosmos of Divine Law, certain principles govern the rise and fall of individuals and nations. Among the most critical of these is the Law of Al-Furqan—the Criterion that separates truth from falsehood, light from darkness, and the pure in heart from the spiritually diseased. This is not a arbitrary act of punishment,
The Divine Criterion: How God Separates the Pure from the Impure in an Age of Deception Read More »
Critical Thinking
Emil carried Grandfather’s words into the day: “No one is free until all are free.”The truth pressed on him more than the council’s conditions, heavier even than the ledger in his bag. Freedom was not just theirs to tend; it was chained or unchained by the world beyond them. Now, as the Circle prepared their
The morning sun filtered through the curtains, laying warm lines across the kitchen table. Emil stirred his porridge slowly, his mind still circling Grandfather’s words from the night before—permission is a gate built by men; freedom is the root you choose to tend. “Grandfather,” he asked finally, breaking the quiet. “You said freedom is where
The night after the council’s vote, the greenhouse glowed faintly under the south lamp. Emil sat at the table with the ledger open, though his pen hovered without moving. The basil leaf in his pocket felt heavier than ever, like a verdict pressed against his chest. The door creaked, and Grandfather Tomas stepped inside, his
The Weight of Permission Read More »
Truth
The chamber felt colder than before. Fluorescents hummed; microphones blinked red like watchful eyes. Emil stood with the Circle—Priya, Aisha, Jaden, and Mina—facing the long dais. Behind them, a few East Riverton students sat in hoodies, arms crossed but present. Photos of the mural and transcripts from the quiet box lay stacked in tidy packets.
The Council’s Verdict Read More »
Politics
The evening was hushed, the greenhouse’s hum softened by the chorus of crickets outside. Emil sat at the kitchen table, the ledger open but untouched, his pencil idle between his fingers. The trial sites weighed on him—ten neighborhoods, each a storm of mistrust, expense, and labor. Crestview’s mural, Westfield’s canopy, Northwood’s boxes—they had bloomed in
The Measure of Growth Read More »
Wisdom
The council chamber smelled faintly of paper and polish, its polished wood and high ceilings imposing in ways that pressed on Emil’s chest. At the long table, Councilor Reyes adjusted her glasses, a stack of documents at her side. Hargrove sat stiffly beside her, pen tapping like a gavel. Behind them, aides whispered, while Marco
The greenhouse glowed under September’s waning light, its patched glass catching streaks of gold and shadow. Around the scarred table sat Emil, Priya, Aisha, Jaden, and Mina, the Circle of Seeds delegation reunited. The ledger lay open, its pages thick with entries from five schools: Crestview’s mural, Westfield’s canopy, Northwood’s quiet boxes. A laptop screen
