I Did Something Wrong....

             I do not know if I am supposed to be happy, sad, proud, disappointed… but I did something wrong, very wrong, and I am afraid someone else will get hurt because of this. Stacey, my older brother, had the idea of making a big slum on the thin road for the bus to sink on its way back. Us, black children go to a different school than white children and we are not allowed to get the bus. Not only because of the differentiation on the skin color, but also because we cannot afford to pay. I still don't understand why...

Every day, my brothers and I have to go walking to school. Due to the slim road, today, the stupid bus forced our way to fall in the soiled water, causing us to stay wet and muted for the rest of the day. Believe it or not, the driver does this on purpose! Just to see my brothers and I fall, and so the white children enjoy laughing at us. It was time for lunch when my oldest brother told us his brilliant idea, which made me agree to join the plan.

We got buckets and shovels from the toolshed to help us because there was not much time. It was the perfect day to dig up a hole on the road, since it was a rainy day and the mud was moisten. This also made it seem more likely that the road could have been washed away like that and it would also keep cars and wagons away.

We carved and carved with fear in our hands and when we looked to see how much work we had done, we realized how big the whole was. It was certainly going to work, I thought. Water covered the slum and the more it rained, the better. We completed this mission by adding more water in, so it would end up practically hidden.

For once in my life I saw Little Man was happy to see the mud spattering upon him. There was almost no time left, so we hurried back to school and stopped at the well to wash the mud off from our arms and feet. After school, we went back to spy on how the bus would fall into our planned trap, but the rain was far too strong and made the hole almost as twice as big. Soon, the bus came towards the big slump and just what we were expecting happened. The bus driver announced that it would probably take some weeks to be fixed, and everyone would have to walk home for a few days. Some of the White children took a wild guess to try jumping the whole, but fortunately, most of them miscalculated and fell in. I couldn't stop laughing! Now those stupid white children would see what it is like to walk to school. We were all undoubtedly happy, laughing all the way home, but I never thought that someone’s life could be at risk because of what we had done.

Back at home, Mr. Avery came when it was almost bedtime and Mama sends all three of us to bed so they could talk privately. I tried to sneak and listen to their quiet conversation and it was no good. Some White people were so furious when they found out what happened with the bus that they were planning to do something real nasty to some Black people. I tried to hear more, although it was not that easy. I felt horrible with myself, thinking that someone could have got hurt because of me; because of something I did for revenge! I know it was worth the laugh, but was it worth a life? No! Of course it wasn’t. I seriously don’t know what to do, neither my brothers do. I guess we’ll just have to wait and hope for the best, so that nothing bad happens to anyone…