Family Day!
- CuppingEars
- May 7, 2023
- 3 min read
It's a nice day here in Allen, TX. 80°F, not a cloud in the sky.
I wake up with energy, like the day before. I am only a child, six years old. Life has shown me nothing but love, happiness, and positivity; and for that, I wake with passion. Plus, my mom is taking my sister and me to the mall today. I wanted some new shoes; and since I did well on my math test, she said she would buy me some.
My sister and I jump out of the car with smiles curling up our faces. Any day is a good day, but this one is even better. It's not every day we get to go to the mall; it's like a mini Christmas, but almost better because it's out of love, and not tradition.
Mom grabs my hand and then my sister's. Guiding through the maze of parked cars. We trust her not only because she is our mom, but because she has successfully survived the bad this life can give; the bad I am yet to witness. We make it safely to the front of the mall, and just before we walk through the entry doors, we hear the friction of tires screaming as they shred to a stop. We all turn our heads to see a man hurry out of a car. Holding a big gun and dressed as an army man. I don't have time to make an opinion on the situation before the back of my sister's head is painted across mine. My mom drops to the ground and takes me with her. The noise is unbearable and constant. As we lay on the ground my mom crawls on top of me: shielding me from the hail of bullets. After what feels like hours, the shooting stops. My mom lies motionless on top of me, forcing me into a mix of her and my sister's blood.
A helping man flips my mother's lifeless body off to the side. I tell him my mother is hurt; but I know she is dead. As I am carried away, my eyes are glued to the carnage. My mother and sister lay side by side; motionless. Seemingly drowned in their own blood. A picture I will have forever.
...
Now I sleep with my eyes open, like the night before; for my thoughts won't let me rest. I get up slow and heavy now, with consistent pain pulling me down. I am only six years old, but May 6th didn't care about that. Life has shown me hell; and for that, I live each day wishing I weren't. I have no mom or sister to go anywhere with today. But I did get the new shoes I wanted, for my old ones were dense with blood.
I walk alone now; with a stare into space, replaying our day at the mall. Any day was a good day. But now every day is not. There is no love in my world. Not anymore.
***
This is a fictional piece based on the mass shooting that occurred at a mall in Allen, TX on May 6th, 2023. The link below belongs to a video that includes an interview with the helping man. This is where I drew the inspiration.
Death gotta be easy, cause life is hard - 5o Cent
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