The Beast and
the Girl
Once upon a time there was a boy who was different from the other children. If someone annoyed him, he got angry quickly. He didn't know what to do other than to keep the other children away from him with blows. And the adults watched him with worried eyes. Every time it happened again, the adults grew more and more impatient. They scolded. Hitting wasn't the answer. But no one told him what the right solution was. Did he just have to endure the annoyance of others?
The other children noticed that the boy would be scolded when he hit them. They made a game of teasing the evil beast in him. The boy soon said nothing more if they scolded him. He just stared at them with angry and petulant looks. Some adults wondered if he was a little stupid. Others just shook their heads and said that it was no wonder with his parents. He would never have had a chance. The words made him sad, but he stayed silent.
One day a girl suddenly stood next to him. She held a cuddle towel tightly in her hands, half hidden behind it. They stared at each other. The boy waited for her to tease him, but she didn't say a word.
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"What do you want?" Asked the boy after a while.
"Wanna play?"
Confused, the boy looked at the girl. Nobody had asked him that question in a long time.
"You just want to annoy me, go away!"
But the girl shook her head vehemently.
"I just want to play."
"Then go to the others."
"They don't want to play with me."
The boy blinked in amazement. Why would nobody want to play with her? She wasn't like him, he had watched her many times.
"Why don't they want to play with you?"
"They say I cry too much."
At her words the girls got tears in their eyes.
"But sometimes I'm just scared. Everything here is so new and there are so many children."
"I am also often afraid," replied the boy, "but I mustn't cry. They say I'm too old."
"That's mean."
The boy nodded while looking at the girl. She really had no one, like himself.
"Then I'll play with you. And if you have to cry, I'll make sure that they leave you alone."
He grabbed her hand and they ran to play. Not alone anymore.