Once upon a time, in a small village nestled in the vast savannahs of Africa, there lived a spirited girl named Amina. Her home was a canvas of earth tones, the walls were made of sun-burned clay, and the roofs were carefully covered with golden thatch gathered during the season. Amina’s days were woven into the fabric of village life, filled with work, laughter and wisdom passed down from generation to generation.

In the middle of the village stood a large full-length mirror, an unusual relic left behind by a traveling merchant. It was leaning against an old baobab tree, which also served as a gathering place for the villagers. The mirror, though out of place among the humble dwellings, became a dream portal for Amina.

Every day, after fetching water from the river and helping her mother cook, Amina would stand in front of the mirror. She clutched in her hands an old tattered briefcase found in the attic of the modest mud-brick house that had belonged to her father, a man of wisdom and many stories, who had passed away when she was very young.

Amina’s reflection was not like that of the other children: where they saw only an extension of their present, Amina saw a vision of her future. The mirror showed her not as she was, but as she wanted to be: dressed in a strict, tailored suit that was the armor of the business world she wanted to be a part of. It was a stark contrast to the size-less dress she wore, faded from the sun and covered in patches from playing and working.

Her aspirations were as much a mystery to her as she was a lighthouse. She had heard tales of travelers passing through the village, stories of vast cities and towering buildings, of men and women walking the streets paved with more than dust and spirit of the earth. A burning desire to become someone significant, someone who could make a difference not only in her village but in the world.

The villagers often noticed Amina chatting animatedly with her reflection, holding her briefcase like a precious treasure. They were unaware of the dreams that danced in her young mind, but they respected the glow of purpose in her eyes.

Years passed, and the seeds of dreams planted in front of that old mirror began to sprout. Through perseverance and the support of her village, Amina received a scholarship to a prestigious city school. She left her village not with a briefcase, but with a promise to return and elevate the place that held her dreams.

Over time, Amina became a powerful woman, an entrepreneur bridging her heritage and the pulsating modern world. The mirror in the village became dilapidated, but remained a testament to a little girl’s dream that soared as high as one can go in the African skies.

So Amina’s story became a cherished legend told to the children playing around the baobab tree, their eyes full of wonder and their hearts full of hope that they too would be able to see not only what is, but also what could be,
in the reflection of the old full-length mirror.