Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-37855860-20181223154634

''I can’t keep this to myself anymore. It is eating away at me and I want it to stop. A starving crow to a meatless bone on the side of a spotless highway; that’s what it feels like. It’s the only way I can describe it. I can’t tell anyone, otherwise they will find me. But I can type this on my laptop and post it somewhere. Anywhere. As long as I am anonymous, and tell my story the right way, I won’t get punished. I am a nobody, and for once I accept it and I will never let it go. It’s the one thing I love about the worldwide web. So much freedom ; it has no end and it will never end. My story will be buried within it. All of it. And then I will be free. I will be satisfied .''

It was eight years ago, early spring. A group of seven children were taken on a school trip out in the middle of the countryside. An elderly bus driver took us there. Our teacher; Ms. Feb, sat at the front of the bus and behind her, staring out of the window while hugging a blue butterfly rucksack; was me. I always sat behind Ms.Feb because she was my favourite teacher. At school, I would spend my break time looking for insects. While on duty, she would come over to me to see what I've gotten my grubby little hands on. She would even join in the search for little critters with me. One day she came to class carrying an encyclopedia in her leather handbag. She let me borrow it for a while so I could identify all the creatures I found. I still love to look back on those days; I loved every minute of it.

The bus came to a screeching halt, followed by the sigh of the exhaust. The bus stunk of smoke from the cigarette that stuck out of the old man’s mouth. Ms. Feb stood up and instructed us to thank the driver as we got off the bus. The children leaped off their seats and dashed down the aisle, quickly saying “thank you” as they cautiously stepped down off the bus. I glanced at the driver and he looked back at me. Dull blue wrinkly eyes. Emotionless. I didn’t think much of it then but...I wish I had. I had never seen a look like that before. I wanted to ask him if he was okay but I was hurried off by the rest of children who were buzzing with excitement behind me.

And there it stood. A real wonderland. Horses and donkeys grazed along the snow-white picket fence. The clucking of chickens and singing roosters radiated from a spruce shed. Potted plants and crystal green-houses. The sun shine broke through the clouds.

Welcome to the petting zoo... 