Silence fell over the execution square. All eyes were fixed on the thick gallows’ ropes. Suddenly, a pen entered with its executioner. The other pens stood and began to wonder, “What did this pen do? What did it write to deserve execution?”

Their eyes were filled with sadness, silence, and fear. The executioner began to prepare for his task, while the pen stood on the platform with its head raised to the sky. The judge asked, “Are you remorseful for your crime?” The pen laughed and said, “Since when has speaking the truth and demanding freedom and justice been punished with hanging.” I used to teach children in schools that the beauty of life is incomplete without freedom of expression and speaking the truth, and today I am being hanged for these principles.

Every word entered the hearts of the pens present before it reached their ears.

Suddenly, the pens began to laugh and shout, in unison, without hesitation or fear, “You cannot hang the pens. They may break, but they will write again! They will write again!”

This meaningful short story was penned by ESL student Shafik AlSaban. As you can see from the photo, it was originally written in Arabic.