The Nameless Faceless Boy

          He was a small lad and even as he gained his age he never quite made it to the levels achieved by others. Still, his stature (or lack thereof) was perfectly suited to aid him in his quest to go unnoticed as he slid and skulked down the back hallways of the school. After all, attention only brought about humiliation and pain, both the mental and physical kind. Bullies were always a plentiful commodity. Different groups had their own nicknames for him and others like him. They always thought they were so funny and cool. Years later if pressed his classmates could only admit that they knew of him without really knowing him. Although they found this to be a peculiar thought, rarely, if ever, would one of them actually spend any time ruminating over him. It just wasn’t done. After all, his kind was beneath them. It just wasn't done. If they had bothered to take even a few moments to speak with him they would have found underneath the shyness and insecurity an intelligent, gentle and surprisingly caring young man. Of course they never did, speak to him that is. It was far easier to ignore him until one of the more aggressive classmates chose to publicly humiliate him. Then they merely laughed at him.

          As a matter of fact it was doubtful that any of them noticed when he left school, never to return. There were no questions regarding if he had moved, if he was sick or injured or what exactly had happened to him. One day he was there and the next he was gone. Poof, like magic. They neither cared or even noticed his disappearance. Life continued on as usual, another of the lost ones fell into his place. After all, the”haves” always need someone to be the focus of their unwanted attention. So another unnamed one took his place and he fell between the cracks of their memory. As far as they were concerned he no longer existed. Except he did of course. He traveled to another place. Another counselor lamented that she wished she could have gotten to him sooner so that he could have reached his full potential. He managed to continue his incognito ways although he did slightly peak out of his shell. There he began the long trek to become who he should have always been. The process was a long one but in the end he learned that it's never to late to make an impact. It's never too late to realize your dreams. It's never too late to become the person you want to be. It's never too late no matter what they say. The only one who can hold you back is you. So let yourself go just like he did.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.