A Tormented Young Soul

It was the beginning of the year of public school as a child it was frightening. In the time that fear became true, for this was a time when the bullying began. As a child constantly called a freak, four eyes, fatso, and they continued on. The memory of walking home with bruises, parents calling the school yet nothing happening. The bullies still calling me names bullying even harsher than before. Those were the seeds for the thoughts of suicide, for ending a young life. This is the beginning story of one child who succeeded in not falling into a pit that he could never dig out of.

   It all began at Liberty Elementary, at the kindergarten age, with the boy named James Alan Tomlinson. He was frightened sweat dripping from his forehead not wishing to leave mother’s side. His grip tightening on the pant legs screaming he didn’t want to go. The mother pulled him off her leg and walked in with him to the classroom. No one talked to him when he walked him nor did he talk to anyone. He felt isolated within this room until the bell rang for recess. He wanted to stay inside the classroom and help the teacher. She laughed and pushed him outside and said to go make friends it will help in the long run. Yeah, it helped him greatly when learned how people were. As he looked outside at grounds, having shiny new jungle gyms, slides, bouncy bridges, and a few benches. He walked slowly to one of the benches trying his best to not walk into anyone. As soon as he sat down on the bench he was pushed off his filling with wood pieces they called playground bark.

In time this became a routine till fourth grade when he was able to stay inside when the bell to go outside rang. The fourth teacher, to this day one of his favorites, never questioned it and welcomed him. They talked everyday joking having fun. This was first friend a teacher he called Mr. Herron having a blast talking about books. This was also the year James was introduced to Edgar Allan Poe his favorite writer to this day. He had fun until he was forced outside fifth grade and routine continued once more. One day he walked home, and he went to him to cry for by this time his mother had left because of the divorce, and dad was out at work. He had no one to talk to, no one to hear his cries, he wished to be dead. So, he puts his hands to his neck and tried to choke himself to death. He failed this attempt tears still filling his eyes. He screamed out to the world he wanted to die, he wanted to die.

Sixth grade was an uplifting, he had a teacher who cared about him. James became friends with Mr. Cembalisty as well. He had a fun time talking to that teacher, he even convinced him to play a video game with him. They talked, beat video game bosses together, and were the best in James’s eyes. He had fun opening his heart to this teacher sure they got into problems together but that what happens to friends. The smile on his face every day he entered that class was so wide it was from ear to ear. He never wished to leave that classroom he even waited in there to help Mr. Cembalisty with cleaning the class.

This was just the beginning years of this boy’s life and he was tormented. He was bullied, harassed, and lonely nearly every day. He regrets some of those years wishing he was home schooled most days. There are moments he was happy with making his first ever friends during those years. His fourth-grade year, as well as his sixth grade, will forever be in his memory in one of highest regard to everything in his life.