To Be Known Epilogue

There has been a terrible tragedy in the small town of Willow Ridge, Missouri.  Four high school students were brutally murdered in a bathroom at their school.  Two other students were injured.  Sixteen year old, Aiden Pritchard, who was described as being a quiet kid cut off from other people, apparently hid in a bathroom at his school and waited for students to come in the bathroom.  Aiden Pritchard, after murdering his victims, eventually took the knife to himself.  From all of us here, and for all that it’s worth, our hearts are with the families of those poor victims.  Good night, America.

We’re back, and you’re listening to KWAK radio.  Okay, a topic that is really hitting hard all over the country.  You know about that incident in Willow Ridge, Missouri, right? 
         Oh, yes.  That’s terrible.  Aiden Pritchard, a sixteen year old high school student who killed four students.
         Yeah, that’s right.  There have been school killings before by fellow students, but nothing like this.  I mean, I’ve never heard a student killing several students with a knife.  I’m not saying that shooting them is not brutal, but the knife just seems bizarre to me.  It just makes you think.  I mean, I have a daughter in high school, and we live in a small town.  So her and I usually think we don’t have to worry about things like that.  But when a kid like Aiden Pritchard comes around, it makes you realize that this can happen anywhere.  It’s scary.

Welcome back to the show.  A year has passed since the killings of Willow Ridge happened.  And I have with me the best-selling author of the book Evil Next Door, Mrs. Wendy Richards.  Welcome to the show, Wendy.
         It’s a pleasure to be here.
         Yes, it’s been a year, but the thoughts of these terrible acts surely haven’t left the minds of not only the victims’ families but also of Americans in general.  Were you worried of how people would react to this book?
         The thought did cross my mind while I was writing it, but I threw that worry out immediately.  I did that because not only is it a very interesting story but also to prove that we’re not always safe.  For some reason there is an illusion that people have that terrible things can’t happen to them, and we need to get that thought out of our heads because that is completely not true.
         Yes.  You say in the book that you had an odd conversation with Aiden when you moved in.  How did that go?
         We were just having a little conversation, and some of his answers were quite bizarre.  He was a very weird kid.  There is no doubt about that.  I’ll never forget him.

Coming Soon to Theatres.  From the best-selling Novel, Evil Next Door comes a story of hate, sorrow, and revenge.  Aiden Pritchard is a quiet kid.  He is bullied, made fun of, and excluded from regular life.  Aiden is tired of it, and will take no more.  Based on the true story.
         “I want to see that,” whispered many.

“Come on, kids.  Sit around the campfire.  Time for ghost stories,” James yelled.  “I’ll tell the first one.  Have you ever heard of a kid named Aiden Pritchard?”
         The small children shook their heads with amazement.
         “Well you’re going to now.  This is a good thing because if you don’t know his name, he rises from the dead and skins your body.  So, before I go on, what name must you all remember?”
         The kids, eyes wide, chanted in unison: “Aiden Pritchard.”


                                                                                                August 3 – August 27, 2009