Dear 10 year old Me, 

I’d like to tell you that I’m writing you this letter from a fancy building on an old typewriter, but I’m not. I’m just in my bed, trying to procrastinate as long as possible.

But I do think you’d be pleasantly surprised to see where we are today. All those dreams we once had, they’re no longer just fantasies. They’re real, for the both of us.

Believe it or not, but the lockdown finally ended, quicker than you'll expect. Not to mention, we got into this really cool high school for gifted kids like us. You don’t even care about that yet, but you will. You’ll meet your best friends there. This high school is a place where you finally belong.

I think we’re fairly the same person that we’ve always been. We still read all the same books, and we still love to write. We write poems and essays. And we still write stories, real ones. 

I write them for you. Every word that I put on the paper, they’re all for you. They’re the stories that we wished existed. The stories that we wish represented us: the smart little girl with fiery passion. So, don’t worry. The stories that you dream of will be real soon enough, just you wait.

We also make movies now! The film industry is our dream, and we’ll make it. Everyone keeps telling us that we won’t, but you know more than anyone that those words just motivate us more. You love to prove people wrong, don’t you? Well, I guess we both do. 

I’m going to wrap things up, but I just want to give you a single piece of advice. Keep going. There are going to be people that keep trying to knock you down and make you give up. Don't. Wipe those tears away and keep marching forward. Don't look think about the past, just look into the future that you want to create. You'll make it there alright.

Good luck. Prove them all wrong, little me. I believe in you.

Sincerely,

Leyla