Days passed. Lina and Elif patiently saved their allowance. Each small coin, in Lina's eyes, wasn't just any metal; it was the key to a door opening to the sky.
One lunch break, Elif pulled a small pouch from her bag. Inside, there was the jingling of coins.
"Look," she said excitedly. "We saved, that's enough!"
Lina couldn't believe her eyes. She ran her fingers through the coins, as if touching the stars.
"Really... enough?"
"Enough!" Elif said, laughing. "Now we'll get that canvas."
That day, after school, they ran straight to the stationery store. The white canvas in the window was still there. Lina's heart pounded. They went inside. Paints, brushes, and notebooks lined the shelves of the small shop. The old stationery clerk smiled when he saw them.
"Welcome, girls. What are you looking for?"
Elif winked at Lina. Lina spoke in a slightly shy voice:
—We want to buy that… large canvas in the display case.
The man was surprised.
—People your age usually want colored pencils. What are you going to do with the canvas?
Lina opened her eyes wide. The words that fell from her lips seemed to come straight from her heart:
—I'll draw my dreams.
There was a moment of silence. A soft smile appeared on the man's face.
—Good answer. Well, let's see if you have enough money…
The purse was poured onto the table, and the coins rolled out. Elif and Lina held their breath with excitement as the man counted. Finally, the old man smiled and nodded.
—Okay, that's enough. This canvas is yours.
His hands trembled when he handed the canvas to Lina. A warmth spread through his heart as he touched the white surface. It was as if the canvas whispered to him: "Fill me with your colors."
He carried the canvas in his arms until he returned home, as if it were a secret. That evening, he locked his bedroom door. He placed it on the table. When he picked up his brush, he just stared at it for several minutes. That whiteness was the mirror of her dreams, which couldn't fit inside.
Finally, she dipped her brush into the paint. Tears streamed from her eyes as she drew the first line. All the feelings, fears, and hopes she had carried for years flowed from her brush. The sky slowly began to take shape on the canvas.
Lights hidden among the clouds, a thin path reaching to the stars… At the end of the path was the figure of a girl: her hair flowing in the wind, her hands reaching for the sky, as if dancing with the clouds…
Hours passed, and Lina didn't even notice. Her eyes were red, her hands smeared with paint. But when she completed the painting, she took a deep breath. What stood before her wasn't just a painting; it was the mirror of her own heart.
At that moment, she whispered:
— This is it… This is my dream blending with the sky.
And for the first time, Lina felt she had truly begun.