Festival Night

By: Sahil Randhawa

----------------------------Chapter 1----------------------------I wake up with a long loud groan probably waking up my siblings.I am 16 years old and
my name is Max and I really hate this time of year. Later this week it is Vesak which is one of the
biggest festivals in Buddhism. I do not know that much about it but, it is supposedly celebrating
the birth of Buddha, his enlightenment , and his death.
My Mom yelled,Max come down for breakfast and get ready for school, as I wake up.
I quickly take a shower and sloppily brush my hair. I remember at that moment
remember that I have a test to take for math.I forgot to study but I did not dread on it too much
because I usually get As on most of the tests I take. Besides the subject that the test is on is
pretty easy for me. I would say that I do the best at school out of everyone in my classes. My
favorite subject is science because I find it really interesting because science explains everything
and yet we still do not know many things about the world and even the universe.
Well anyway as I was saying I hate going to these festivals because I dont think there is
any point in them. Since I was little I loved going to all the festivals in our religion but over the
past couple of years I have really found no point to them. It might be because of my new found
love for science but I really think that there is no point in religions if science cant explain what
the point of them is. I have to go to celebrate these festivals because my mom and dad are really
religious.
Max hurry up or you're going to make you and Emily late for school!, said Mom.
Alright Im coming, I replied

I walk downstairs when my sister says.

Nice job dweeb you might make me late to school, said Emily.
You have plenty of time so quit whining,I replied.
Make me
AHHH, MOM tell Emily to quit bothering me
Both of you calm down and eat youre breakfast, you dont have all day,said Mom angrily.
My Mom is a strong women with a strong defiant mind. Her hair is silky and endlessly
dark and in my opinion that is what makes her look strong. She has light blue eyes with hints of
grey in them. Now that I think about it my little sister emily looks like my Mom.Emily is my
little sister and she is about 9 years old. She has black hair like the rest of the family but hers is
really wavy. Her eyes are a sort of light blue and she has a sort of light pale skin. Since she is the
youngest our parents favor her more whenever we argue. Even if she did something wrong she
somehow always finds a way to blame it on me. I cant blame her if I was in her shoes I would
probably do the same thing.
Max, by the way Nick is has this month off of college so he is coming to visit for a couple of
weeks,said my Mom

The moment my mom said that my older brother was coming I was really happy. Ever
since Nick left for college he only has had a couple weeks to come over and stay. Sometimes on
a holiday break he would hang out with his friends rather than stay over but I cant blame
because I would probably do the same thing. I always wanted to be like my brother when I was a
kid and even today I still want to.

Kids pack your things, we are getting ready to leave,said my Mom in a hurry.

-------------------------------------------------Chapter 11------------------------------------------------We packed our things and got ready to leave. School was so boring today for some
reason, probably because the test felt a little harder than I thought it would be. My Mom picked
me up after school and I was surprised.
Doesnt Dad usually pick me up after school,I said.
Oh, youre father is running a little late because of work.my Mom replied, But dont worry
he will be back home by the time Nick comes home..
The drive back seemed to go on for hours. I could not wait for Nick to come back even if
for a couple of weeks so I could leave my annoying sister to him. He always had a way to
somehow make my sister calm down and not bother anyone. It was like magic because even
after Nick left for college again Emily would stay non-annoying for another couple of weeks or
sometimes even months.
Hey Max, says my Mom, Tomorrow is Vesak, so be prepared to go with us to the
temple. And since it is also Uposatha tomorrow this is going to be the first day you are going to
fast with me, Nick, and your father.

WHAT!, I replied,That is so unfair, you cant just make me fast for the whole day just
because you follow that religion.

Well I can and I will because I am your mother and you also follow that religion,she
replied.Now go to your room and and stay in there until you calm down!
I ran upstairs as fast as I could and into my room.
AHHH,I shouted while continuously throwing my fists toward the wall. I stopped after a
couple of minutes because if i continued any longer Im pretty sure my fists would have started

to bleed. I didnt even want to go to versak in the first place but now I have to celebrate
Uposatha. This is the first time I was forced to celebrate vesak and uposatha. My parents never
made me do uposatha because I was not old enough to do it but now that I am 16 years old they
are making me do it. Uposatha celebrate the four holy days in each month which are the new
moons, full moons, and quarter moons. On these days people who believe in Buddhism fast so
they do not eat anything at all for the whole day. On top of that versak is typically celebrated in
may on the day of the full moon which is one of the holy days so I have to fast during that whole
day. The thing that makes me mad is not that I have to celebrate vesak or uposatha it is that my
mom is forcing me to without letting me choose or not. That makes me not want to go even
more. The thought did cross my mind of me pretending to be sick but my dad is a doctor so he
would easily find out.The room was cold so I put a blanket on. I felt this weird chill around my
body. It was probably goosebumps for tomorrow. I shouldnt be dwelling on this its not even a
big deal.

I looked outside the window I saw a dark cold night. I felt myself slipping away

into dreams but as soon as I heard a doorbell I instantly got up with a daring look. Instantly I
jumped out of my bed and ran downstairs. I saw my mom opening the door with excitement and
there he was, my older brother Nick.

---------------------------------------------------Chapter 111------------------------------------------------Since versak and uposatha are coming up I thought I might bring some lotus flowers for the
occasion,said Nick
Ohh, we are so happy youre back for in time for the festival. Its going to be Maxs first
time.replied Mom
Any way let me get your bags.

Oh no no no, dont treat me as a guest Mom. Treat me the same was you treated me back before
I left for college.
BEEP, BEEP
Confused I asked, Whos that person honking their horn at us.
Wait let me take a look, said Mom,Its your father, it seems that he just came back from
work.
Yes dads back I thought to myself. My Dad was a strong figure in my life. Partially
because he works in a field of science and it is always fun to see what new discoveries he makes.
Even though Im more into astronomy (which is the study of the Universe, Galaxies, etc. Not
astrology which is very different and not scientifically proven ) I am still fascinated by any major
discoveries in the scientific world. Our dad likes us to call him by the name of David because
that was his name in college given to him by his friends. My dad still keeps in touch with all his
friends that he had in college. I personally dont know the point of it but I kind of like it. My dad
has a strong build because he used to work out a lot in college and since he became a Doctor
about 18 years ago, which is a very long time, he always eats healthy.
Hey Max go help your Dad out of the car.said my Mom
But why he usually does not bring anything heavy to work
Well since this is a special occasion so me and your father decide to get Nick something
special.
Dont tell him it is a secret.
We are going to give him it tomorrow as a surprise.
Nick was inside playing with Emily and I looked at how well Emily was acting and how
hard he must be working at College. Dad and Mom are really proud with Nick because so far

every semester for college he has been getting straight As. That is why Nick is my inspiration, I
want them to look at me someday the same way they look at Nick. Not that I am jealous of him it
is just that I want to do as good as him in college or even better. I felt a warm feeling in my
chest. Well whatever it is it made me ready for the challenge.
Hey Nick
What do you need my little bro
*Wink
I doubt he didnt know why I winked at him that day because the moment I was
going back outside to help Dad he called me.Hey Max.
He winked right back at me..I was surprised but broke down into one of the
biggest grins I have ever made and I could not shake it off.
---------------------------------------------Chapter 1V---------------------------------------------Hey Max
What David
Why do you have a huge smile
Oh nothing just some friendly brotherly competition between me and Nick
Well, what is this competition were talking about, he said while taking out something
out of the car.
Oh Nothing, I said
I couldnt stop smiling and I dont know why. It just felt good that Nick who I look up
to acknowledged my challenge. The reason I did not just come out and tell him that when I will
go to college that I will try to do better than him is because I did not want him to laugh at me.
But it seems he accepted my challenge and that makes me want to do it more.

My smile went away and turned into a gasp when I saw what Dad got Nick.YOU
GOT HIM A TV!
SSSSSHHHHH
You dont want your brother finding out or else it wont be a surprise tomorrow
oops, sorry dad I totally forgot
Thats fine it doesnt seem like he heard anyway so we are good.
I could not believe that Dad got Nick such a huge tv and it was flatscreen. It had a
thin black screen but it was high-def.Nick is going to be so happy when he finds out what Dad
got him
That is why I like my dad do much. He is very professional but he is not boring
like many other people. To other people he may seem a little cold and brutal and believe me he
sometimes is but I guess that is what I like about my dad. He has dark, straight hair and is taller
than most. His eyes are a very dark mix between brown and dark grey. Davids eyes are
somewhat mysterious, if you stare at his eyes it feels like he is staring directly into your soul and
then you start quivering but you are not scared.
Hey Emily, since this is first time I've come in a while I thought why not get you a
present whispered Nick happily
He gave a wrapped box to Emily and told her to open it.
Its a doll!I always wanted this type but I know where to get it.Thanks Nick
Your welcome but lets keep this between us because I have feeling that Mom would take it
away if she ever found out.
Dinners ready everyone, get ready to dig in

After dinner was over it was time to go to sleep but I couldn't because I did not
want to go tomorrow to celebrate the festivals. It was dark outside so I decided that I would go
downstairs and drink some milk to help through the night. I got a cup of milk and sat on the
couch. I heard creaks coming from the floor and I know it was Nick.
What you cant sleep today, said NIck
No, Mom is going to force me to go to the festival tomorrow even though I dont want to and I
dont see the point in religions and these festivals
Ohh, thats what it is about
Why
When I was your age I went through the exact same thing
Im pretty sure you didnt
Oh, I did and trust it was frustrating
Well then can you help my predicament.
You

like

christmas

dont

you

Its one of my favorite holidays

Then think of it this was whats the point of christmas
Well its supposed to celebrate
Christmas is celebrating Jesuss birthday, just like how versak is celebrating Siddhartha
Gautamas birth.
So? Then what is the point of religion then
Religion is a very complicated ideal but most people follow one around the world. Our
religion, Buddhism, simplified is a way of finding peace within oneself. It is a religion that helps
us to find the happiness and contentment we seek. We develop inner peace, kindness and wisdom

through daily practice; and then share our experiences with others bringing real benefit to this
world. They try not to harm others and to live peacefully and gently, working towards the
ultimate goal of pure and lasting happiness for all living beings. You can never be truly happy if
you are alive because of craving and attachments. When you die you are reborn and live
through suffering and misfortune again and again, this is called Samsara and it is like a ferris
wheel. For as long as we remain in this wheel you will experience and unceasing cycle of
suffering and and dissatisfaction, and you shall have no opportunity to experience pure, lasting
happiness. By practicing the Buddhist path to liberation and enlightenment, we can destroy selfgrasping, thereby liberating yourself from the cycle of uncontrolled rebirth and attaining a state
of perfect peace and freedom.
Thanks for that long wonderful speech but that still does not answer my question.
But it does, you see religion is not scientific but it does not need to be. Religion is a way
for people to change their entire way of life and belief. I should know because do you really
think I would get all those good grades if I acted like my old self. You could consider it cheating
but I practice Buddhism everyday in the morning to help get a clear, fresh, calm, and focused
mind for the day. I am telling you this because since you are challenging me in a fair brotherly
competition I dont want an unfair advantage now do I.
------------------------------------------------Chapter V----------------------------------------------With that Nick walked away with the night like my savior. I slept on what Nick had said.
The next morning I woke up really happy for some reason.
Max you ready to go to the temple today,asked my Mom
Yes, yes I am

When we reached the temple which was a little far away. I was exhausted. Emily
stayed home with a babysitter while me and Nick went with Mom and Dad. The temple looked
amazing. It was dark out but the temple was so beautiful. You walked up the stairs of the temple
and enter the massive corridor. To the left and right are long narrow pools of water filled with
lotus flower. Inside the lotus flowers were small scented candles which made the flowers
illuminate and smell like a beautiful aroma. The sweet scent fragmented the room calming my
mind and body. This big Buddha statue was at the middle of the temple. On top of it was the
wheel of life/Dharma. We stayed at the temple for a hours on end but I was calm and I did not
feel an urge to leave. For most of the time I was focusing on what Nick said and by the time we
had to leave I had decided that I would stick to Buddhism for a long time to come.
Hey Nick I have decided to stick with Buddhism
I hope the choice you made will be as beneficial to you as it to me
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something about the talk we had earlier.
What did you leave out
Dont take medications to help you focus in college because you already have the best one out
there. Ive been using it for a long time. Its called religion and you can never get to much of it.

The End

Bibliography:
All information found in this story
is either from World Religious Notes or are from
Creative Commons..