Chasing a Lost Kite

On windy days, the sky was filled with kites.

It was the season for layang layang, or kite fighting, where children tried to cut one another's kite strings in mid-air using strings coated with crushed glass.

We made our own kites from bamboo sticks, newspaper, and glue made from leftover rice.

When a kite was cut loose, everyone would run after it.

One day, a drifting kite crossed a busy road.

Without thinking, I chased after it while cars honked and swerved around me.

I caught the kite.

Only later did I realize how close I had come to being hit.

Lesson: Sometimes the things we chase are not worth the risks we take to get them.