The first day of school – the young girl is wearing her new uniform all primed and pressed
Nervous, but excited to see her friends again; the summer was long and she was depressed
Her parents left her at her private school that they pay good money for her to attend
The public schools in the area – less than adequate – but for their baby girl it was worth ev’ry penny spent
The young girl found her friends and her day was a fun day but filled with lectures
Teachers pontificating and theorizing about this, that and their boring conjectures
All are challenging the students to memorize and to regurgitate facts, figures, and outcomes
The students, however, are bored to death waiting – for the bell to ring – when that time comes
Then the end of the day comes and all of the kids poured into the halls like a raging flood
The screams and shouts of joy were deafening as were the slams of the metal locker doors
The young girl left the building with her friends to walk home; en route, the group split up – everywhere, blood
The kids scatter as the young girl was brutally attacked by a group of kids never seen – knocked down to all fours
The friends ran but a few stopped in terror and watched as this young girl was beaten savagely
Most were in fear when running but those who stopped to watch wanted to help but didn’t know what to do
They heard the screams, the cries, the bones breaking, the begging and the assailants laughing callously
But two of the kids watching knew something, anything to stop this; to break through
And these two brave boys decided to pull a dangerous move – a pure decoy
As they were starting their plan, the kids that had run off had alerted their parents
Who then alerted the parents of the young girl…and the authorities, who were now deployed
Before these thugs were able to run to avoid capture, they all were caught; to discover they were never in school – called truants
In the meantime, the young girl, her clean pressed uniform was now destroyed and covered in blood
Completely unconscious, eyes closed, battered, bloody, bruised and unable to respond
Paramedics were now there to treat her then take her to the hospital; This was an act in cold-blood
Why? Why did such an act of such cruelty have to happen to a young child? Was it because you felt she didn’t belong?
We will never know the true answers. The assailants refuse to speak about this crime.
The victim, can’t speak at all. She has no memory of the incident at all because of injury
Her first day of school in her fresh-pressed uniform ended and now she is schooled full-time
In a rehabilitation center for those with severe physical side effects from horrendous injury
And her friends? Are now feeling tremendous guilt for not helping her more….
The teachers no longer just pontificate over their subjects; they educate about safety and it’s importance
And educate especially about getting help for those that need that help fast
But they are also learning that these emotions will linger but not last
Or, will they?
That was intense..as a teacher, and a caring person, it was really hard to read without feeling disturbed (as I should). Thank you – I hope this wasn’t based too much on truth for the sake of the girl
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It is in part. It’s based on an incident that happened to me when I was younger and others that happened to others years later that had more severe outcomes; toss in some poetic license – there you go. But it’s based in some reality, unfortunately.
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Wow, I’m so sorry. It is a very powerful story and makes you want to protect every child
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Another intensely powerful piece. When such events have no ready explanation, it seems to make it worse. And when it involves people, worse still. Perhaps we think of our own loved ones, or perhaps it’s terrifying to face what humans are capable of. I find myself not really wanting to look inside the minds of such people.
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