The Sad Boy

                                                    graphic by *perselus

There was once a boy. His name was Harold. He did not have a happy life. His mother died giving birth to him and Harold was left with his father who was a heavy drinker. Harold was not cared for and beaten by his father often. When Harold was old enough to go to school, he would get teased by the other children because he was always bruised and wore dirty clothes. His teachers paid no attention to Harold thinking him a naughty boy and always getting into fights with other children. Harold would remain silent at school for fear of getting teased further. This however made it worse as they started calling him Harold the Dirty Dunce. After school, Harold would return home and search for what little food his father might have spared from drink. Harold would sometimes go entire days without food and this made him awfully hungry and sad. At the end of the day, often times Harold would cry himself to sleep. Other times he would be too hunger stricken to even cry. He would be awaken during the night with a heavy crash through the door and have the unpleasent chance of a hiding from his father due to whatever reason, might it be not lighting a candle for his father's return or leaving the windows openned. Harold lived a sad life and he felt himself such a miserable creature. On a very cold day in the winter of his tenth year of living, Harold put on his ragged shoes and walked onto the frozen lake. Harold found a spot of thin ice and jumped on it several times. The ice broke and Harold plummeted through into the icy cold water. He swam hard to where the ice was too hard to break through. He closed his eyes and waited for the cold to seep into his being. This was the end of Harold's sad life.

However, it was not the end Harold had hoped. His spirit had so long been sad and miserable, this weighed so heavy upon him that he was not able to move on. He wandered back to his school for he knew not what else to do. He saw the kids playing gaily. No one missed Harold. He regretted never playing with the other children and was always an outcast amongst them. Harold felt a deep sadness envelop him he burst into tears for his plight.

After the tears subsided, Harold came to realization of a strange sensation. Or rather a lack of it. For once, in a long time, he did not feel hungry. Nor did he feel pain from the bruising, nor weariness, nor afraid. Harold let out a sharp yelp and quickly covered his mouth for fear of it being inappropriate and him being teased again. He looked around and no one seemed to have heard him. He let out a little scream and looked around again. None of the children paid any attention. Harold smiled to himself and was overjoyed. He ran around screaming as he never screamed before letting out all the years of kept emotions. He circled around all the children like an aeroplane and screamed at their ears as loud as he could. He also screamed at the teacher's faces who ignored him as much. His spirits were much lifted.

With his new found freedom, Harold ran all the way back home. He found his father lying passed out on the floor having fallen off the kitchen stool. Harold knelt down beside his father. He looked at his father's wrinkled face and patchy hair, aged years beyond what it should be. Harold did not feel resentment or hate towards his father, only sadness their lives had not turned out well. Harold placed his palm across his father's heart and wished their lives could be different. He felt wetness on his own cheeks and tears rolling down his face. The teardrops fell upon his father's face. Harold shut his eyes tight squeezing out all remnants of tears and fell to hug his father tightly. He finally felt at peace, letting go of all the sorrow in his life. The tears he cried released the last of Harold's sorrowful weight and he smiled a genuine smile. For the first time of his being, Harold was happy.