Andy sat in his room colouring a picture of the sky. The voices outside were getting louder and angrier.
He heard the first crash, that was probably Mum throwing a glass at Dad. A cracking sound of a whip echoed through the house, Dad had slapped Mum. More yells, foul language and breaking vessels were heard.
Andy’s fingers gripped the crayon tightly, as his hand moved furiously, covering the bright sky and fluffy white clouds in a blanket of black.
Several years later when the police found the bodies of his parents in the kitchen, a blood splattered Andy was seen sitting in his room, colouring the same picture over and over again.
At his school, Mrs. Hemsworth, Andy’s art teacher, held the drawing of a radiant blue sky and wisps of clouds obscured viciously by blotches of black, and wondered if there was something she could have done to save Andy from committing such a heinous act.
A tale that is very much in the news at this time of the year with Christmas just around the corner. Hindsight is always 20:20 vision. Although I have heard of some teacher approach the children and question them about the pictures they have drawn and ask if everything is okay at home.
My daughter once told me something that one of her friends said when she was at school. The first thing I did was to contact the school and ask them to keep an eye on the child. The girl left the school a few weeks later, according to my daughter, her friend was going to live with relatives. I’m not going to go into what it was, but noticing the little things is what helps.
I was worried that we would be approached when my son broke both of his wrists, then broke one of them twice again after. It was “lucky” that each time he broke them, he was at school.
I suppose to be on the safe side, a teacher should always take time out to least talk to the child she thinks may be in trouble (but not overreact! What if your son had broken them several times at home?!) And even as a parent if your child does mention something which makes you uneasy, it’s always better to say something rather than keep quiet….Sad reality indeed.
I agree. If he had broken them at home, the social services would be all over us. A teacher should be someone kids can go to if they are having problems at home. As you say though, it is easy for the teacher to overreact.
This is a brilliant flash fiction story. Superbly done.
Gosh, thank you so much Iain! I’m thrilled you liked it! 🙂
Tragic tale well told.
Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
Excellent piece of writing, I love it
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it!
Well written really. I can imagine why he did what he did, frustrated and tired of his parents relationship. I wonder though, what made him snap? What was the moment he couldn’t take anymore? Was it a plan or simply a reaction?
Thank you! Quite terrifying indeed to think that there comes such a moment (planned or unplanned) in a child’s life for him to take such a heinous step!
An excellent piece of flash fiction. It leaves a lot for the reader to take away and contemplate.
Thank you so much for reading! Really glad you liked it! ☺