It felt strange to have no filter on my words, to think and speak at the same time. I noticed how light the words were leaving my mouth.
I worked to keep up the retaining wall holding back all I didn’t say.
Drama is a funny thing, though. When you’re by yourself, lying facedown in the grass, drooling a little on yourself while you try to figure out how this horrible, horrible thing could have possibly happened, it isn’t dramatic. But as soon as you add a witness, it becomes absurdly dramatic. I guess the audience makes the difference.
The Stepping Off Place by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
This is Cam’s debut young adult novel. The horrible, horrible thing in the above quote is about suicide, in this case teen suicide. She deals with the subject with compassion, understanding, and ultimately with hope.
Readers of this blog may recognize her last name as that of my teaching, hiking buddy Paul Rosenblum, who would come to my University of New England teacher education class to share his passion for the teaching life.
over60hiker 