Strong Girls

Maybe Tom would become my friend because of what happened today. I did try to help him with the test, had written down the answers on questions 4, 5 and 6. It was not my fault that I had such a terrible handwriting. It was not very clever of Tom to start to whisper to me, asking what I had written down. The teacher was not deaf. We were both sent away and had to wait outside of the classroom. Tom was smart enough to take the paper along and had thrown it in the bin.

After everybody was allowed to go home, we were ordered in again. The teacher asked what the talking was about. Tom said that he only complained about the hot weather. I nodded and we both showed our most sincere faces. The teacher looked at us in a puzzled way but gave us the assignment again and ordered us to complete it.

By now the school was empty except for the teachers and I was sure my sisters had gone home too.

It was Wednesday so everybody was happy to get away from the school and enjoy the free afternoon. This could mean trouble for me: I should have to walk around the forest, follow the road, my walk home would be half an hour longer and I was late already.

I completed the test in no time, it wasn’t hard. I gave my papers to the teacher. He observed me with a frown. He checked if I did answer all questions and then send me home. Tom looked at me in desperation, but there was no way I could have helped him. Finally I could get out.

The playground was almost empty, my sisters had gone home. Only two girls were there. One I knew, she lived in one of the houses behind ours. She was a few years older than me, she was 12. The other probably was her friend. They headed towards the forest, I decided to follow and keep some distance. That way I didn’t walk home totally on my own.

They walked a bit slow, but I didn’t want to be with them. I slowed down too. This way this walk could take ages. Maybe my mother would worry about me.

They stopped in front of me. I had no choice than to walk up and pass them.

When I was next to them one said: “Now!” They both grabbed me and threw me on the floor.

That was not very difficult for them. They were two heads taller than I was. One came sitting on my chest, almost stopping my breath and pinned my arms to the ground. She didn’t need much force, I was like paralysed. I closed my eyes and pretended I wasn’t there, I was nowhere.

The other girl had held my legs. Noticing the lack of resistance she let go. I hoped the other would get up, but she didn’t. I felt that they unbuttoned my shorts and pulled them down together with my underpants. I wanted to cry but I had no tears, felt nothing but emptiness. I reminded myself I wasn’t there. But I did hear very clearly that they opened a jar or a tin. The girls giggled and smeared something down there on me. I expected that they wanted to hurt me but this just felt strange. What did they want from me? “Please let go” I heard someone with a weird voice. The girls just laughed and added some more of this stuff. Now the tears did come.

“What a baby! He’s crying” one said. They told me I could go. If I ever had the guts to tell anyone about this they would get me. And they would get me good!

They got up and walked on. I still couldn’t move a muscle. It took a long time before I struggled to my feet. My shorts and my underpants were next to me. Before I put them on I tried to clean myself with some big leafs and noticed the stuff was Nivea. I recognised the smell. My mother always used this on the baby buttocks. Most of it I took off easily, I used a sock to do the rest and wipe my hands off.

I walked home next to the path to avoid the girls, but I didn’t see them again.

When I got home my legs were scratched and I had bumps from stinging nettles.

Nobody asked why I was late.

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