“The Mark of Change,” by Boglar Schultess: March 2025 Runner Up

Leo had always hated his symbol. While some kids had lightning bolts for speed or flames for power, his was just… a raindrop. A tiny, plain raindrop on his wrist. No one knew what it meant, and it certainly wasn’t exciting.

“Maybe you’re destined to water plants,” his friend Leah joked. Leo forced a laugh, but deep down, he wondered if he was just as boring as his symbol.

Then, one afternoon, something strange happened. As he sat in class, doodling in his notebook, his wrist tingled. He looked down. The raindrop was shifting. It stretched, twisted, then expanded into something new, a swirling wave.

Leo’s heart pounded. Symbols never changed. Ever. He yanked his sleeve down, suddenly nervous. What did this mean?

At home, he filled the sink and stared at the water. He reached out, just to see. The moment his fingers touched the surface, the water trembled, then lifted. A thin stream of water hovered in the air, twisting like a ribbon.

Leo gasped, jerking his hand back. The water splashed down, but excitement bubbled in his chest. His symbol had changed because he had changed. He wasn’t just some ordinary kid with a useless mark.

Over the next few days, he practiced in secret. He learned he could move water, shape it, even freeze it if he concentrated hard enough. For the first time in his life, he felt powerful.

When he finally told Leah, his friend’s eyes widened. “Dude. That’s insane.”

Leo grinned. “Guess I’m not just here to water plants after all.”

For years, he had wished for something different, something better. But now he understood, his symbol had never been ordinary. It had just been waiting for him to grow into it.

And he was ready.