Alison

Alison’s life was not at all pleasant. Sure, being at home was okay; she loved her mother’s homemade cookies and her father nearly always took her out fishing - but school was a different matter. As the beginning of the new school term approached, Alison hoped that third grade would bring her a friend. They were there all the time at school; the type of people who saved you a seat in class or saved you a bag of chips from lunch. But these people did not belong to Alison. Or so, Alison did not belong to them. No, these people belonged to the smart kids in class, or to the cool kids who flaunted and strutted their way through school.
‘Dumb fish! Dumb fish!’ Alison used to be taunted with. She hoped that the summer break had changed her classmates into nicer, caring people – but as you and I both know; children can be cruel.
But Alison, smiled at the faint hope in her little heart as her mother dressed her on the morning of the first day of school. As a special treat, she was welcomed to breakfast with her favourite oatmeal cookies and a glass of cold milk with jelly crystals. For awhile Alison pondered over what third grade would be like. She knew that homework would be increased, and also that she would be learning an extra subject for this year. And she hoped, with every bit of her heart and mind, as she sat spraying cookie crumbs and things on the table; that she would have a nicer teacher with nicer classmates.
Alison’s house was not too far from the school; only three blocks away. However, since her mother never allowed her to walk in the mornings by herself, there she was; clutching her mother with one hand, and holding a small red bag in the other. Mothers and their children walked past them in great numbers, and she could hear them shouting, yelling and playing with one another.
As they arrived at her classroom door, her mother bent down and gave Alison a hug.
‘Do remember to be good and take care of yourself.’ She was told.
Nodding that she understood, Alison then took her teacher’s hand, and was led into the noisy classroom. Silence fell when Alison entered the room. Feeling very nervous, she gripped her teacher’s hand more tightly and found herself sweating.
‘Everyone this is Alison,’ her teacher announced, ‘now Alison is very special and we must treat her like a special person.’
No one moved, no one clapped, no one smiled and no one blinked. Yes, Alison was used to this; and as she stared out into nothing in particular, her small heart started hurting and the faint hope she carried with her departed in a flash.
‘Now Alison, why don’t you sit here?’ Her teacher produced a little chair for her. Alison sat down and listened to the gradual increase of voices, before the classroom erupted with noise again. For the rest of the morning’s lesson, Alison sat listening to the teacher explain mathematics to the class. She did not understand what she was being taught, but Alison did not dare raise her hand and draw attention to herself.
She also did not dare draw attention to herself during lunch, when she sat by herself on the ground in some area away from the others and quietly ate her jam sandwich. Whenever she heard people starting to walk her way, Alison curled herself into a small ball and prayed that they would go away. She was scared of the other children, and her body trembled every time she heard a sound nearby.
By the time class had started again, she was relieved. Alison sat in her little chair again, reminding herself that this was the last lesson for the day and then she could go home.
‘Now class, we are going to go around the classroom today and everyone has to read a passage from this story book.’ Her teacher instructed. Alison felt sweat forming again. Read? No, Alison could not read. Nevertheless, the first person in the front row started to read and Alison sat there wondering what she could do. Maybe when it was her turn she could say that she did not know how to read. Or maybe she could pretend that she needed to go to the toilet. Alison fidgeted in her little chair, and nervously scratched her arms. When the time came for the person before her to begin reading, Alison was ready to jump out of her chair and run home.
Suddenly there was silence. She did not know what to do. Was it her turn? Or did the person who was reading suddenly become stuck on a word? And then she heard a voice, a loud Californian southern drawl coming from in front of her – ‘Well of course, how can we forget? The dumb fish here can’t read. Oooooh fish! Can you hear me? Can you see me? Dumb fish! DUMB fish!’
Alison jumped up, knocking her chair back. Her little hands were curled in balls ready to fight and she swung her right hand in front of her. But she hit nothing. Laughter filled the room as tears filled her eyes.
‘Go away! Get away from me!’ Alison yelled, as she blindly waved her arms around.
‘Ooh! Alison’s getting maaaddd! Dumb, silly, stupid fish is getting mad!’ The voice yelled again. By now, the whole room was noisy as people surrounded her, pushed her and yelled at her. Alison could vaguely hear the teacher trying to calm things down, but she knew better than to trust the ability of teachers in this school.
With a sudden burst of energy, Alison fought as hard as she could and broke free from those around her. She bolted for the door, crashing into tables and chairs along the way. And then, when she felt the cool breeze that told her she was out of the classroom, Alison ran as fast as she could; not knowing where she was going. She heard shouts behind her, and cries from voices that she did not know, but she did not stop. Instead she ran faster, and faster. Alison kept on running.
Until she ran headfirst across a road and headfirst onto an oncoming bus. Alison was killed instantly.
***

Few attended her funeral. Her parents were there of course, silently dabbing at their eyes as they held each other. Her grandparents were there, silently staring at the little white coffin. Her classmates were there, feeling quite sad but plainly wishing they were elsewhere. Her teacher was there, regretting that she had done nothing to save her student. But the most sympathetic were those who watched the news on television while shaking their heads in dismay; as society often does when it frowns upon its own wrong doing. This unfortunate little blind girl just grew up in the wrong society.