Saturday 22 June 2013

'Members of the Same Club' by Julie Ann Lees

The first blow came as a shock. The second less so as my arms shot up arching over a beleaguered head: a shield to protect my face.

‘Stop it!’

A shout broke free of the crowd, the attacker momentarily distracted.

Enough time to escape?

A school bag fell from troubled fingers: red, grazed, swelling. I crouched to retrieve it and felt the first kick. Then, a white flash of a trainer; the stench of rancid milk; liquid like tooth fillings on my tongue.

Drifting high above the curled dot of flesh writhing on the playground tarmac, I watched the blue bruises form on my skin like our planet’s isolated lakes as viewed from space. Girls gathered around my broken frame: screaming, chanting, and laughing.

Hold on a little longer. It will be over soon.

My ears filled with white noise. My brain throbbed. No time for weeping.

I climbed inside my protective, invisible shell and travelled to that special place: impervious, restorative, and redemptive.

‘Andrea!’

The menace in the threat gave me courage. Prising open a hooded eye, I looked in to the face of my assailant and saw something familiar... fear: Our common bond.

‘Coming, dad.’

I watched them go. The bully and her bully.

2 comments:

  1. Love how you turned the situation around in the ending. Great piece.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for taking the time to read it and comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete

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