The Wind in Her Pocket

Lexile: 830 | Grade: 4

Passage

Mira didn’t speak much at school. She listened. She watched. She carried her thoughts like tiny notes folded inside her mind.

When other kids rushed to answer questions or shout across the playground, Mira stayed still. Not because she was scared. Not because she didn’t know. But because her thoughts took longer to land—like paper birds that needed extra wind.

She kept a little stone in her pocket. Not for luck. For grounding. When her heart felt wobbly, she pressed it and reminded herself: *You don’t have to be loud to be strong.*

One afternoon, during art class, the teacher gave them a challenge: draw something invisible. Most kids hesitated. But Mira’s pencil moved slowly and surely. She drew wind—curves and shadows across sky-blue paper. No faces. No voices. Just movement.

When the teacher held up her drawing, no one laughed. They stared. 'It’s what I carry,' Mira said, soft but certain. 'Even if you don’t see it, it’s real.'

And that day, Mira didn’t need to speak louder. She had already been heard.