The Bloodstained Dress

And then she saw the world. A cold place, full of despair. A place where children were desensitized to the splatter of their teacher’s blood across the chalkboard. A place dominated by hate.

“Maddy, where are you going?” the teacher’s aide asked.

“To close her eyes, Miss.”

 It was more complicated kneeling in front of the classroom. She worried about the blood staining the new dress Daddy bought at the Disney store. But Maddy had to do what was right, what was respectful. She couldn’t let the world stay broken; she would do something about it. And that stunned her.

**I wrote this 100-word story as a part of a flash fiction contest on Janet Reid's blog. (Highly recommended, in fact, here's a link: http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/) I didn't win the contest, so I'm assuming that's permission to post my entry on my own sites. Words in bold italics were part of the contest requirements.**