Mahiya Rade, Week 13: Memory?

 


I would like to relate a memory to you, dear readers, but I am neither sure of what it is nor of its very validity.

I remember, one day at my preschool, a wide net cast across the playground floor, the neon mesh glowing like thin lines of lava against the wood chips. What for—to catch preschoolers? After all, preschoolers are difficult to catch, and I’m sure our teachers despaired of us at times. 


Ignoring the idea that using a net to catch preschoolers doesn’t make sense, what I remember is something equally as odd. The net was there for the sparrows. Our teachers, in fact, laid out the nets to encourage us preschoolers to catch the sparrows who would always flock upon our playground (much like the notorious seagulls of American High—and, oh, why did we have sparrows at our preschool? Back then, I liked to think that the sparrows wanted to eat the sequins that were mixed into the wood chips [I also do not know why those were there], but more likely they wanted to eat the pincher bugs).

The only problem with this memory is that it doesn’t make sense. Yet, it’s all there—the weirdly enthusiastic teachers scattering birdseed beside us—the sparrows descending in droves to feast, treating our ridiculous net like an effortless game of hopscotch.


Why would we be catching sparrows at preschool? For what purpose? How do I explain this to anyone without sounding like a lunatic? Memory is all that I have of this strange incident—just enough to tantalize and frustrate (I do know that in spite of our high hopes that day, we did not catch a single sparrow).


Here’s the link to my preschool. https://g.co/kgs/CbWS7T2  If anyone reading this, by some wild chance, attended Trinity Lutheran, please validate my memories.

Comments

  1. Shriya IyangarMarch 23, 2025 at 7:09 PM

    Hi, Mahiya! As I was reading your blog, I felt the same way I felt this morning when I woke up and tried to recollect my dream from the night before: my family and I were stuck in a bouncy house maze and there were no doors or people in sight. But, here’s the twist, we were all potatoes and everything around us, including the floor, was made of sculpted mashed potatoes. All this to say, reading about your memory made me feel similarly perplexed but intrigued, and I really appreciate that you chose to share this memory with all of us.

    Some things I particularly enjoyed in your blog include your humor, as well as the relatability of having these unexplainable memories. There’s also a part of me that’s still starving for the rest of the story. You share that you caught no sparrows, but what happened after, and why did your teachers do this in the first place?

    Reading your blog this week thoroughly entertained me, and I look forward to reading more from you in the coming weeks!

    ReplyDelete

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