This story has been made as a requirement of the author in her Masters Degree. It has been shared to an Out-of-School Youth to inspire them to pursue their education.

1. TOMORROW
Michelle I.Devera
Author
Mark Winson C. Mecija
(Conceptualized illustration from
Bitstrips)

2. THERE was once a young boy who was known to
be proud. He is Alessandro. He was boasting
how wise he is, and there is no question he
cannot answer. He doesn’t allow anyone to be
wiser and smarter than him.
Tomorrow Michelle I.
Devera

3. While on the other side of the town, there lived
a young, beautiful and smart maiden named
Heleinah who is very much fond of answering
riddles. In her young age, she had read a lot of
riddles in town. Every people she encounters
every day, she asks them to answer her riddle.
People in town found her very smart and she
became the talk of the town and apple of their
eyes.

4. Since Heleinah was famous of her knowledge,
the news about her reached to Alessandro. He
got angry when he learned that there was
another person who is smart and yet, smarter
than him. So he went to the place where he
could find the wise person. He wanted to see
himself and at same time test the person who
is wiser among them.

5. When he learned that it is Heleinah, he talked to
her. “Are you the one who is very fond of
riddles?” “I’m afraid I am, why?” “Oh, so you
are the one I am looking for!” Alessandro said.
“Why? Is there something wrong?” Heleinah
said. “People in town said that you are wiser
than me, is that true?” asked Alessandro. “I
don’t know what you are talking about. How
would I know?” exclaimed Heleinah.”And
besides, I don’t know you.

6. “You do not know me? You do not know me?” I
am Alessandro. I am the smartest and wisest
person in town. I am the son of the owner of
the lot where your house was built on, how
come you do not know me?” said Alessandro.
“How about you, who about you, who are
you?”

7. “Me, I am nothing. I am just the daughter of my
poor mother and father. I am just living in this
place, peacefully with my loving parents and
kind neighbours.” Heleinah explained.

8. “Hah! You are just like everybody. A commoner,
how come they said that you are wiser and
smarter than me while you are just nothing?”
”Now let us see, if you can answer my riddle, I
will give anything you want, but if can’t, you
and your family will leave this place and never
come back again.” Alessandro dared Heleinah.

9. “How arrogant can you get? Do you really have
test my ability to see who is smarter than
who?” “How narrow your mind is!” exclaimed
Heleinah. She was shocked that she would a
person who was ready to bet anything just to
prove himself for something. She thought it
would be nice to teach him a lesson.

10. “Okay, you bet! I will answer any question of
yours, if I can’t I will leave this place and never
come back but if I do, let me and my family
stay and do not ever come here to bother us,
is that a deal?”! Heleinah said, in a calm voice.

11. “Deal! I will do everything if you can answer this.
But I know you can’t”. Allesandro proudly said
this to the poor lady. “What is it?” Heleinah
asked. “here,

12. “I never was, am always to be. No one ever
saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the
confidence of all, to live and breathe on this
terrestrial ball. What am I?”

13. But when she is about to ask it to him, she
stopped for a moment and whisper to herself,
“I never was, am always to be. No one ever
saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the
confidence of all, to live and breathe on this
terrestrial ball.”

14. Then she turned to him, “the answer is
TOMORROW! Tomorrow will never be a
“was”. No one ever see the future, only God.
Tomorrow is the hope of us and aimed by
everyone”. The answer is tomorrow! It’s
correct, right?

15. “Nooooo!!!!” exclaimed by the boy.

16. The people around them were shocked because
Heleinah got the correct answer. Then she
said to Alessandro, “Now that I answered your
riddle, go! And never ever come here again to
bother.” The laughed at Alessandro who was
very red of shame at that moment, he quickly
walked away and went back home sadly.