~Memory of William Thomas Compton~
William had always been the shy boy in his class, the one that always sat in the back of the classroom, the boy that was always picked on by the other boys in the class. He never had the courage to stand up for himself, and always let the boys walk all over him. Many times he had come home to his mother with a black eye and his clothes torn and cuts and bruises on his knees and arms. He would always use the same excuse as she believed him too be such an energetic child as school as he was at home when he felt safest.
"It was an accident, i fell down the hill by the school mama" he would tell his mother so that she did not worry. He hated lying to his mama, but if the boys at school found out, he would bullied even more. Many nights after the flame to the burning candle that sat by his bedside burned out, the tears would come and flow like the stream outside his home. He fought many times to stop them from falling but he always failed.
Tomorrow was another day, they would be waiting for him at the bottom of the hill that he walked to and from the school. Jedediah Bellefleur the oldest of the boys in his class was the leader of his gang that always picked on William Compton. Jedediah and his seven other friends who were to scared of him to answer back to him.
They saw William as an outsider as William had joined their class later than most as his father needed him to help his mother look after his younger sister and help him around their land. William reveled in the fact that he was now able to go to school, but sometimes he wished that he could stay at home.
~The Next Day~
"William honey time to go to school. You don't want too be late" his mother shouted.
"Coming mama" William shouted as he dragged his feet along the floor as he knew that they would be waiting for him at the bottom of the hill. As William descended the stairs to see his mother cradling his baby sister close to his chest.
"Try to be careful William. We can't afford to keep fixing your clothes. We are not like the Bellefleurs who have everything" she smiled at him as she leaned down to kiss the top of his forehead.
"I will try mama....I promise" a promise that he knew he could not keep. Jedediah would see to that.
As William made his way out of the front door as he tried to think of ways that he could avoid the hill, but it was the only way that he could get to school without crossing the creek and wetting his clothes and he did not want too be late.
The sun was still low in the sky as it was still early morning, he did not see his father as he had been up long ago to tend to the fields and the horses that they kept on the land. As William kicked at the stones along the dirt path that led him to the school yard. With the gentle breeze in the air that swirled around him as he heard the crickets chirp in the long swaying dry hedges and the soft melody of the birds that sang their rhythmic tune seemed to fill William with some hope that today would be different from all the others that he had been subjected to silently.
Some days he felt all alone that all he wanted to do was leave and run far away so that he could feel safe. He had heard of a young man that was once his neighbor had taken his own life because he was sad. That was all his mother and father had told him, he felt sad all the time. Did he have too do that because he was sad? All he did was cry at night and when he was ever alone, his father never seemed to notice as he was always busy on the land, would his father miss him?
As the dirt path became narrower as he made his way down the small hill gently and quietly his eyes searching around for Jedediah and his friends as they normally waited at the bottom of the hill for him. As he stood still, he waited and listened as he looked around for them.....but could not see them. He felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He smiled for the first time today as he began skipping down the small dirt hill that led down a small path that opened up onto the school yard.
"GET HIM!" was all William heard as he spun around too see them running out of the grouped Willow and Oak tress as they descended on him in a wave that only stunned him for a moment....but a moment too long. Before he could get his legs to move he felt a searing pain shoot through the back of his neck as he fell forward, his arms failing too move as to prevent him from falling face forward onto the dusty dirt path.
"Did you think we would not get you?" Jedediah laughed as William pulled his knees up close to his chest as ticked his head under his arms and closed his eyes as he heard their chants as they each took turns in kicking him and punching him.
"Leave me alone!" he tried to shout out as his body became subjected too the searing pain in his back and on the back of his legs.
William laid there for what seemed like hours as he tried to block out everything that was happening too him, he just blocked it all out, his body numb with the pain as what felt like blood drip down his cheek and trickled its way into his mouth, the metallic taste was all he could smell as his eyes became clouded.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" an unknown male voice was all he heard as he heard the Jedediah as his gang stop from beating him.
"I said....Leave him alone"
Jedediah and his gang seemed to stop in their tracks as from what William could see as they began to back off as they ran in the direction of the school yard. William remained in his fetal position as he felt a nudge on his shoulder.
"You alright there young man?" William still timid lifted his head from underneath his arms and looked at the man that stood before him, dressed in torn blue trousers and a long brown shirt that was cut off by a black belt. His hair a mousy brown and yellow and his eyes a bright blue.
"Yes sir" he replied as he forced his aching arms and legs to sit more openly on the ground.
"None of that sir with me...You can call me Jonas....Jonas Stackhouse"
"Thank you Mr Stackhouse" William forced a smile as he wiped the blood from a cut above his left eye.
"I guess Mr Stackhouse will have too do. Now what is your name son?" he quizzed.
"William Thomas Compton" he relied quietly
"Well William...do you want to tell me why those boys were doing this to you?" he asked in the softest tone he could.
"They don't like me....they think i am different from all the other boys in my school" he said as a tear slid down his battered cheek.
"My boy, being different isn't a bad thing. It makes you special" he grinned at him.
"But what if i don't want to be special?" he responded as he wiped away the trickling tear.
"We are all special my boy...some of us just don't know it" he chuckled at him.
Was he special? Was what this man saying true? He thought to himself that why would plain old William Thomas Compton be special?
"Do not doubt yourself my boy" *William gasped as though the man had heard him when he did not speak*
"How did you do this mister?" he asked dumbfounded.
"I told you my boy.....we are all special in our own way.....*he extended his hand to William and helped him stand on his feet* Now would you like some lemonade? and then we will take you home to your mama?"
"Yes please Mr Stackhouse!" William answered with glee as the older man offered his hand as they began walking back in the direction to the Stackhouse home that laid just across from the Compton home.
~End of Memory~
We are all special in our own unique way...Bullying is not the way to treat someone who is different because of the clothes they wear, the weight, their height or the color of their skin. We are all the same, we were born with the right to live without fear. Bullying will get you no where, and it will hurt someone in the end.
THINK BEFORE YOU ACT.
William had always been the shy boy in his class, the one that always sat in the back of the classroom, the boy that was always picked on by the other boys in the class. He never had the courage to stand up for himself, and always let the boys walk all over him. Many times he had come home to his mother with a black eye and his clothes torn and cuts and bruises on his knees and arms. He would always use the same excuse as she believed him too be such an energetic child as school as he was at home when he felt safest.
"It was an accident, i fell down the hill by the school mama" he would tell his mother so that she did not worry. He hated lying to his mama, but if the boys at school found out, he would bullied even more. Many nights after the flame to the burning candle that sat by his bedside burned out, the tears would come and flow like the stream outside his home. He fought many times to stop them from falling but he always failed.
Tomorrow was another day, they would be waiting for him at the bottom of the hill that he walked to and from the school. Jedediah Bellefleur the oldest of the boys in his class was the leader of his gang that always picked on William Compton. Jedediah and his seven other friends who were to scared of him to answer back to him.
They saw William as an outsider as William had joined their class later than most as his father needed him to help his mother look after his younger sister and help him around their land. William reveled in the fact that he was now able to go to school, but sometimes he wished that he could stay at home.
~The Next Day~
"William honey time to go to school. You don't want too be late" his mother shouted.
"Coming mama" William shouted as he dragged his feet along the floor as he knew that they would be waiting for him at the bottom of the hill. As William descended the stairs to see his mother cradling his baby sister close to his chest.
"Try to be careful William. We can't afford to keep fixing your clothes. We are not like the Bellefleurs who have everything" she smiled at him as she leaned down to kiss the top of his forehead.
"I will try mama....I promise" a promise that he knew he could not keep. Jedediah would see to that.
As William made his way out of the front door as he tried to think of ways that he could avoid the hill, but it was the only way that he could get to school without crossing the creek and wetting his clothes and he did not want too be late.
The sun was still low in the sky as it was still early morning, he did not see his father as he had been up long ago to tend to the fields and the horses that they kept on the land. As William kicked at the stones along the dirt path that led him to the school yard. With the gentle breeze in the air that swirled around him as he heard the crickets chirp in the long swaying dry hedges and the soft melody of the birds that sang their rhythmic tune seemed to fill William with some hope that today would be different from all the others that he had been subjected to silently.
Some days he felt all alone that all he wanted to do was leave and run far away so that he could feel safe. He had heard of a young man that was once his neighbor had taken his own life because he was sad. That was all his mother and father had told him, he felt sad all the time. Did he have too do that because he was sad? All he did was cry at night and when he was ever alone, his father never seemed to notice as he was always busy on the land, would his father miss him?
As the dirt path became narrower as he made his way down the small hill gently and quietly his eyes searching around for Jedediah and his friends as they normally waited at the bottom of the hill for him. As he stood still, he waited and listened as he looked around for them.....but could not see them. He felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He smiled for the first time today as he began skipping down the small dirt hill that led down a small path that opened up onto the school yard.
"GET HIM!" was all William heard as he spun around too see them running out of the grouped Willow and Oak tress as they descended on him in a wave that only stunned him for a moment....but a moment too long. Before he could get his legs to move he felt a searing pain shoot through the back of his neck as he fell forward, his arms failing too move as to prevent him from falling face forward onto the dusty dirt path.
"Did you think we would not get you?" Jedediah laughed as William pulled his knees up close to his chest as ticked his head under his arms and closed his eyes as he heard their chants as they each took turns in kicking him and punching him.
"Leave me alone!" he tried to shout out as his body became subjected too the searing pain in his back and on the back of his legs.
William laid there for what seemed like hours as he tried to block out everything that was happening too him, he just blocked it all out, his body numb with the pain as what felt like blood drip down his cheek and trickled its way into his mouth, the metallic taste was all he could smell as his eyes became clouded.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" an unknown male voice was all he heard as he heard the Jedediah as his gang stop from beating him.
"I said....Leave him alone"
Jedediah and his gang seemed to stop in their tracks as from what William could see as they began to back off as they ran in the direction of the school yard. William remained in his fetal position as he felt a nudge on his shoulder.
"You alright there young man?" William still timid lifted his head from underneath his arms and looked at the man that stood before him, dressed in torn blue trousers and a long brown shirt that was cut off by a black belt. His hair a mousy brown and yellow and his eyes a bright blue.
"Yes sir" he replied as he forced his aching arms and legs to sit more openly on the ground.
"None of that sir with me...You can call me Jonas....Jonas Stackhouse"
"Thank you Mr Stackhouse" William forced a smile as he wiped the blood from a cut above his left eye.
"I guess Mr Stackhouse will have too do. Now what is your name son?" he quizzed.
"William Thomas Compton" he relied quietly
"Well William...do you want to tell me why those boys were doing this to you?" he asked in the softest tone he could.
"They don't like me....they think i am different from all the other boys in my school" he said as a tear slid down his battered cheek.
"My boy, being different isn't a bad thing. It makes you special" he grinned at him.
"But what if i don't want to be special?" he responded as he wiped away the trickling tear.
"We are all special my boy...some of us just don't know it" he chuckled at him.
Was he special? Was what this man saying true? He thought to himself that why would plain old William Thomas Compton be special?
"Do not doubt yourself my boy" *William gasped as though the man had heard him when he did not speak*
"How did you do this mister?" he asked dumbfounded.
"I told you my boy.....we are all special in our own way.....*he extended his hand to William and helped him stand on his feet* Now would you like some lemonade? and then we will take you home to your mama?"
"Yes please Mr Stackhouse!" William answered with glee as the older man offered his hand as they began walking back in the direction to the Stackhouse home that laid just across from the Compton home.
~End of Memory~
We are all special in our own unique way...Bullying is not the way to treat someone who is different because of the clothes they wear, the weight, their height or the color of their skin. We are all the same, we were born with the right to live without fear. Bullying will get you no where, and it will hurt someone in the end.
THINK BEFORE YOU ACT.
