My brain wouldn’t cross that line.
I wanted to run.
But I thought about the other kids.
They were counting on me.
I stayed.
The lawyer pressed on.
“Our teachers were just using harmless
methods to discipline the students. The tools
were fake.”
“Can you describe the tools they used and
what they did?”
Mom couldn’t take it anymore.
“She’s traumatized! You’re doing this on
purpose!”
The camp’s lawyer smiled.
<
“We’re just asking reasonable questions.”
They were trying to take me back to that
place.
And I was falling for it.
The teacher’s words, the sound of the whip,
the buzzing of the electricity…
They all came back at once.
The room spun.
I screamed and ran.
Mom held me, crying.
The camp lawyer laughed.
“She’s mentally ill. Her testimony doesn’t
count. We think she cut herself.”
That’s not true!
I shook my head, making noises.
The judge announced the end of the session.
Because I had depression, they weren’t
punished.
Outside the courtroom, the sunlight was
blinding.
But I felt cold.
Was there nothing I could do?
- 13.
く
After that, I didn’t sue them again.
I couldn’t handle it.
They’d ripped open all the old wounds.
Now, I was in pain.
I spent most of the day in bed.
My parents never left my side.
But I was angry.
Why didn’t the bad guys pay?
One day, the sun was shining, and I was
awake.
Mom looked tired, but she smiled.
く
“Let’s go outside.”
I agreed.
I forgot about all the men on the street.
I started to panic.
Mom took me back to the hospital.
Seeing my parents‘ worry made me feel
guilty.
Without me, they wouldn’t be suffering.
Days passed.
I had nightmares every night.
One day, Mom was doing laundry Dad was
buying food, and I was alone.
A nurse walked in with a needle.
She took off her mask.
I recognized her.
One of the counselors from the camp!
She smiled.
“Long time no see.”
I tried to press the call button, but she
stopped me.
I fought her as she injected the needle into
my neck.
く
I felt the liquid spreading through my body.
“Since you were my student, I’ll make this
easy.”
She wasn’t lying.
Mom and Dad were there, smiling and waving.
They didn’t look disgusted, like I was a
problem.
It was like when I was a kid.
I smiled and ran towards them.
They moved back, and I kept chasing them.
Then, a gate blocked my way.
<
But Mom and Dad were on the other side.
I climbed over the gate.
Then I heard a shout.
“Don’t move! You’ll fall!”
It sounded like Mom.
I hesitated.
But then something pushed me forward.
The wind burned my face, but I was still
smiling.
Mom and Dad were in front of me.
- 14.
く
As I fell to my death, my soul floated above.
I watched my parents fall to their knees,
crying over my body.
I saw the doctors put me on a stretcher.
After some tests, they announced my death.
Mom fainted.
The woman who killed me was caught.
My death brought the camp back into the
news.
The other victims spoke up.
Finally, the camp was shut down.
く
I smiled.
My death had saved so many lives.
It was worth it.
After taking care of things, my parents
became volunteers at an orphanage.
They gave their love and support to the kids.
It made me happy to see them playing with
the kids.
I floated over to them.
“I forgive you,” I whispered. “But don’t do this
again.”
Everyone’s life slowly returned to normal.
It was time for me to move on.
As the spirits took me away, I looked back.
The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight.
