St. Mary’s Orphanage

Following the tragedy, Seigh was traumatized from witnessing the loss of his family, causing him to fall in and out of a catatonic state. He would stave off depression by reminiscing about the times he and Darling played make pretend. The imaginary worlds that they would create and the connection that they had once shared. Sometimes at night, when he was lying awake, the feelings would come to him. It caused him to wonder why he hadn’t been able to cry. He knew he was sad, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept the fact that his family was gone. He had missed Darling most of all. He loved his parents dearly but Darling was the most important thing in the world to him. He began to imagine that there was some way that he would be able to connect with her again.

Seigh’s time spent at Mary Ethel Costello’s Orphanage was brief. The events that took place had drawn the attention of some very interesting people. Two weeks after arriving at the orphanage, Seigh found himself sitting on a swing staring at the busy ants that fascinated him for much of his young life. Every little move they made helped to drive his imagination further into the back of his mind. He used this ability of vanishing within himself to ignore his torments. The ants would help him to escape the quarrels tearing his young mind to shreds carrying his mind to a much brighter place that he and Darling had created together. They named this place 1derland and this is where he thought he could find her.

One day, while staring at the industrious ants his thoughts dissovled into the back of his mind. Suddenly, a rock struck his shoulder and broke his concentration. Seigh’s attention had been diverted to seeing the orphanage bully named Ron Cellars, and he had a very sinister smile on his face.

“Hey! YOU LITTLE FUCK! Didn’t anybody tell you that’s my swing?” Ron Cellars was a tall kid, and three years older than Seigh. His hair was slicked back and he wore a white T-shirt, with a denim vest. Delinquent in training, next in line for the asshole throne. He walked heavily over to Seigh and shoved him off the swing, shoving him face first in the dirt. “Next time, ask, you little retard! No wonder your parents dumped you here! You probably still piss the bed, too!”

Seigh had never encountered a bully before. He wasn’t completely sure how to act in this situation. His fledgling emotions had taken over at the mention of his parents. He had felt angry for the first time in his short, previously happy, life. He gott up and Ron had stepped on his back, crushing the wind from his lungs.

“Did I tell you you could get up you little faggot! You stay on the ground. When I tell you to eat dirt, or lick dogshit, you’d fucking better. If I tell you your sister’s a whore, you’d better agree, or your gonna end up a bloody mess like your mothers cooter does every month!” Unfamiliar with what a cooter was and having never heard the word whore, Seigh only responded to the negative tone from Ron that wrapped around the mentioning of his sister. His mind detached and his heart took over. He stood up as Ron approached him readying his fist to deliver a broken nose. Before Ron could strike, a swing wrapped around his wrist and lifted him off his feet. Another swing coiled Ron’s torso, digging into the meat between his ribs and constricting his lungs.

Ron’s deflating wails of pain were heard by Sister Mary Nash. She ran with arms outstretched towards the boy wrapped up in chains. In a vain attempt, she tried to remove the chains with her own strength. As panic took control, she turned for help and saw Seigh, motionless with an empty look in his eyes. She reached out to him and clutched his shoulders. Shaking him violently, hoping to break his concentration. He came too confused, and quickly collapsed. Simultaneously, the chains released Ron and he plummeted to the ground. Both boys were rushed to the Cooper Hospital, where Ron had sustained two broken ribs and lacerations to his torso and wrist. Seigh fell into a catatonic state for two days.

~#~