Journal Entry - Volume 14 - Chapter 21

Children are very forgiving. But that doesn't mean your past actions don't still hurt them.

The story of Cybil's daughter was actually one told to me by an old friend of mine decades ago. A reporter was doing a news story in an orphanage. There was a single, solitary, sad little girl under a blanket sitting all alone while the others played. The reporter went over and sat next to her in an attempt to make her feel better. Failing to get her to talk, she asked the girl what she wanted most of Christmas, figuring it would be a new to of some kind. The girl turned to her with tears in her eyes and simply said, "I want my mommy". The blanket fell slightly as the girl covered her face with her bandaged hands.

After that, the reporter couldn't get her to say anything. Being a caring individual she asked the staff if she might track down the girl's mother for her. They told her she was in jail for numerous crimes. Apparently she was a drug addict whom, while wasted, burned her daughter's finger off at the stove.

I don't know what happened to that little girl. Hopefully she went on to have a better life. But I'm certain she would always remember that terrible night every time she looked down at what was left of her fingers.