K is for Kenneth

K is for Kenneth who thought guns were a toy

We all grow up at some point and upon looking back at our childhood shudder at one particular moment we wish we knew better.  For Kenneth it was the day his little brother asked him to play cops and robbers.

I should probably preface this by saying Kenneth's father was anything but a cop. In fact, the only cops Kenneth ever saw were dragging his father out of the house by his collar at least once a month. His crimes ranged in intensity but he always seemed to slip right through the fingers of the police and end up right back where he started, drinking on the living room couch.

Kenneth's father had a "special room". One the boys were never allowed to go into, and to make sure of this it was locked up and bolted closed.  Kenneth had never seen the door open and had always just assumed he would never see the inside.  He fantisised about puppies and kittens and all the toys his father must be keeping from him.  Maybe even his mom! He did hear someone crying in there from time to time.

On this particular day Kenneth's father had been dragged away again and his grandmother had come to visit.  In his rushed exit from the home Kenneth's father had forgotten to lock his "special room".  The door was open just a crack and Kenneth and his brother could not wait to find the puppies and presents their father kept hidden in there.  Much to their delight the room was full of all kinds of toys ripe for the picking.

It was Kenneth's turn to be a cop this time.  His little brother always cried about being the bad guy but this time Kenneth would not give in.  He pulled the shiniest toy off of the shelf and took careful aim at his brother.  "Stop!" he shouted as his brother started to run.  In a split second he made the decision to pull the trigger, thinking like all his other toys there would be a pop and a whoosh and maybe some water.  Oh how wrong he was.

There was a pop all right.  A pop and a woosh and red water all over the floor. Grandma came running and all Kenneth could do was stand there in shock.  The cops came and snatched Kenneth up by his collar and took him away.

He always looked back on that day and wondered if he could have changed anything. Should they have left the room alone? Should they have just gone outside? Should he have told the police about his mother? After all she was the one who told him this was all just a game.

J is for Jasmine

J is for Jasmine who was nailed by a peg

J is for Jasmine who was nailed by a peg
To the wall of her classroom by her little left leg
For speaking out of turn and causing a fright
When she said "there's a ghost" as she turned off the light

I is for Isaac

I is for Isaac who was missing a leg

Young Isaac was an excellent swimmer
He could beat any of the local kids in a race with ease
Even with his severe disadvantage
He lost his leg to a shark in the seas

H is for Henrietta

H is for Henrietta who 's mom still hears her cries

Losing a child is never easy
Especially when you can still hear them crying from inside the toy chest

G is for Gilbert

G is for Gilbert who was eaten by flies

Gilbert liked honey and sweeties and cake
So much so he surrounded himself in goodies piled high
Thats why no one noticed him when he went missing
The smell was hidden by sweeties and he was devoured by flies

F is for Frannie

F is for Frannie who fell in the moat

Frannie was the smallest of her seven siblings.  Now, you may think that growing up in a castle with six other siblings would be great. Always having a partner to play hide and seek with, always having someone to play tag with. And it was great. Trust me it was lovely. Most of the time. Now the kids favorite game was truth or dare. The would always get into such mischief and stories would be told and the victor had bragging rights for a whole week. As time went on there were less truths and more dares and the dares got bigger and bolder and more dangerous until one day Frannie was given the scariest dare of all. Stand on the top of the wall around the castle, spread your arms, and call to the guards that you were as fearless as a phoenix! Frannie stood tall and brave and in her best gown she spread her arms wide. Just as a gust of wind came out of nowhere and took poor Frannie over the edge. Everything is alright though, There are still six more children left to play with.

E is for Earl

E is for Earl who was haunted by ghosts

Earl was always a clever child. He would notice things others didn't and could never understand why his parents were so angry whenever he told them what he saw.  They were even more furious when he told them he saw grandpa hanging about in the garden. The called him a liar and sent him to talk to a man with a clipboard. The man never spoke but wrote everything Earl said down and then sent him on his way.  A few weeks after his visit Earl was visited by a tall man with a badge. His parents looked on with scowls and anger as their son refused to tell the man the stories that he told them.

After his meeting with the tall man he realized that his talent of observation was something he should keep to himself. He stopped telling people the things he saw and he started to make friends at school. Even his parents were surprised at the changes in him and they were thrilled when he made all A's on his report cards. He was brilliant and driven and always knew the answer before anyone else. He decided to be a police officer so he could use his talents to help people and was promoted to detective within no time.

Now all this time his parents still refused to talk about his particular set of skills. They slowly cut off all contact with their son, fearing he was cursed by the devil and would bring them harm. They hadn't spoken to their son in years and he made no effort to convince them otherwise. That is until the day his mother showed up at the foot of his bed. She was yelling and cursing and full of that same rage he saw as a child. All of which he ignored of course. After all, he had been waiting for this day for a while now. He was wondering when his grandfather would stop digging around in the garden and come inside for a chat. He had always been good at giving Earl friends to play with.