That Beautiful Boy

• Jasmine Hawker, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2017

Landen was his name, that beautiful boy deserved to live a wonderful life. He was always an optimist no matter what obstacles life threw at him. Landen's life was horrible but he still managed to smile through everything. Landen was happy, living with his parents until one day an angered group of men smashed the windows of his house and broke in. These men killed Landen's parents, somehow Landen escaped. He started to go insane after this tragedy. A week later he bolted back to his house, faster than he had ever ran before. When he got there, he found the group of men, Landen couldn't believe after what they did, they had the nerve to stay at his own home. Landen, obviously enraged, charged in and stabbed every last one of them. All this death and murder had warped his mine, he was insane. Running around the street killing people. Eventually Landen was arrested and put in an asylum. Then he met me, Bailey. The asylum was getting rather full so I was put in the same cell as Landen. I was in there for cannibalism. The caretakers where worried I may eat Landen. When I first showed up, Landen was curled up in a corner. He instantly asked "Are you going to hurt me?" There was fear in his eyes. I slowly walked up to him and sat down in front of him. "Of course I won’t hurt you. The real question is are you going to hurt me?" Landen shook his head. He was beautiful, not because of looks, but because of heart. I know he didn’t mean to murder all the people, he just was upset. The next day we had an “out day” which is basically when we just all get put into a large room and are forced to interact with each other. I couldn’t find Landen anywhere. Then an ear piercing scream fills the room. My heart basically stops, I know that scream, Landen. I see him and run directly to him, he is lying on the ground curled up, surrounded by blood. Then I came across a horrific sight, I had to fight back my own vomit. Landen, his eyes, both of them on the floor. I look across the room to a guy with a wild grin on his face, I stopped for a second and realized, this guy has just ripped Landen's eyes right out of his head! I couldn’t believe it, but why would he do that, after all Landen has been through, this random guy has robbed him of his eyesight. The asylum medics rush in and carry Landen out, I asked if I could follow, they agreed. In the emergency part of the asylum they explain to me that they’re going to do all they can. I leave the room, hours upon hours of waiting. Finally they call me in. “Brace yourself” they say to me. “We did an internal test as well, Landen has terminal cancer…”