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I first saw Ellen on the playground of
the two room school house that we attended, in 1954. Ellen
was laying on the ground, writhing and jerking. It was
terrifying to this little eight year old girl, but I was
more horrified by the chanting crowd of children who
surrounded Ellen.
???Witch??¦witch??¦witch??¦witch??¦.??? I??™ll never
forget it.
???She??™s having a fit!!??? Someone
shrieked.
???She??™s possessed by the devil!???
Someone else hollered.
Ms. Allen, our second grade teacher,
streaked toward the mob from across the playground. When
Ms. Allen arrived, I was already on the ground hovering over
Ellen and screaming at the kids to leave her alone. Ms.
Allen dismissed Ellen??™s tormentors with a withering look.
By this time, Ellen had stopped her jerking, and she was in
a deep sleep.
Ms. Allen scooped her up, and she
carried her into the school and down the hall, where she
laid Ellen upon a small cot. Ms. Allen, tenderly brushed
Ellen??™s hair back, and she asked me to stay with her until
she woke up. That was when Ms. Allen explained to me about
Ellen??™s epilepsy, and that she had just suffered a ???grand
mal??? seizure.
???When Ellen wakes up, don??™t upset her,???
Ms. Allen admonished. Then she left the little room, and I
sat with Ellen, who soon awakened.
???I had a seizure, didn??™t I,??? She
stated, with a smile. I nodded, as I took her hand.
???Did the kids all gather ???round,
again???? She asked. Trying not to upset her, I could think
of nothing to say except the truth.
???Yes.??? I said.
???They think I??™m demon possessed, you
know,??? Ellen stated, simply. I nodded again, not fully
understanding the cruelty I had witnessed.
Soon Ellen??™s mother came for her and
took her home. I then followed Ms. Allen down the hall to
our classroom, where all the children sat with there heads
down on their desks. Ms. Allen told them to sit up
straight, and she laced into them, immediately. She must
have talked for over an hour, explaining about epilepsy and
superstition to a bunch of ignorant kids who had been
programmed their entire lives.
From that moment both Ellen and I were
ostracized, but I didn??™t care, because I felt called to
protect Ellen, and she became my first real friend. Ellen
and I were total opposites. She was gentle. I was willing
to initiate a fight at the first sign of trouble. She was a
???lady.??? I was an original ???tom-boy.??? She forgave all her
tormentors. I was hunting them down, just aching for an
opportunity. To me, Ellen was an angel of grace, and I
became her guardian angel. And guard her I did, from the
other kids.
I hated Ellen??™s disease, because I saw
how vulnerable it made her to a bunch of cruel and ignorant
school yard bullies. What really upset me the most was
knowing that the other children??™s words and actions were a
reflection of the ignorance of their parents.
Protecting Ellen, in the face of
bigotry changed the course of my life. I had once been
cruel and ignorant, just like the other kids, picking on
others less able to defend themselves. I began to hate my
own cruelty, and in time I rejected it entirely. Although I
could not control the thoughts and actions of others, I
could change myself. I began to choke the monster within
myself, until it finally died.
Ellen and her parents moved that same
year, and so did we. I??™ve never seen nor heard from her in
fifty years, but still she remains one of the most important
persons in my life. Befriending Ellen taught me that I
didn??™t need to be a part of a crowd or a mob. Life has been
lonely at times, but at the end of the day, when I take that
last look at my face in the mirror, I know that I can live
with the person who is looking back at me. And most of all,
I can believe that I have the strength to stand alone, in
kindness
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Jaye Lewis is a born again Christian
and award winning writer, who lives and writes in the
Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, USA. Jaye is completing
her first book, entitled Entertaining Angels. Jaye says:
"Entertaining Angels celebrates the spiritual and even the
miraculous events in my life, and the angels who have
blessed me along the way." Write Jaye at
jlewis@smyth.net
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May you be blessed today
Bob Johnston
Editor / Publisher
To read archived stories, click on this link:
http://archives.zinester.com/9516/2004
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