Monday mornings at school were never memorable, pretty much like any other day at High School. And yet I can vividly recall one Monday morning in September as if it were yesterday.
I was 15 at the time and the whole school year (back in those days it was the 5th form – just like in Harry Potter) was called into an assembly. I can still remember the groans and complaints as we all lugged our bags and books into the school hall. Assemblies were never fun – sitting on hard chairs in silence, watching the overhead lights reflect off the headmaster’s follically challenged head and wondering if there were any cute boys to stare at instead.
This assembly was different.
The headmaster gave a brief word or two then handed over the microphone to a detective. That got my attention. And everyone else’s.
A boy in our year had gone missing on Saturday.
He was happy at home, no problems to report. He’d been out in the morning with a friend from school, went into Woolworths where a friend of mine had a Saturday job then went into the main town, still with his friend, to catch a bus to watch football. His friend didn’t want to see the footie so they happily parted company.
The town, a suburb of London, where I grew up was, and still is, jam packed on a Saturday. Hundreds of people walking about either shopping or transport hopping into London town.
And yet back in 1988 nobody saw this boy. Nobody has seen him since.
He vanished.
I went to a large High School and I only knew him by name. He wasn’t in any of my classes. Until that Monday morning assembly he hadn’t touched my life in any way.
I wonder about him from time to time. He visited me in a dream once about 8 years ago. That is also something I’ve never forgotten – nor will I ever forget him. And I know however impossible it may seem people – ordinary, normal people with life ahead of them – can simply vanish.
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I live near the sea in the south of England, but I dream of living in the country with sheep and cows for neighbours. I write, blog, craft, and feed my terrible tarot addiction. I love the magical, mystical and spiritual side of life, and believe everyone should let their inner magical sparkle shine!
Oh wow! I wonder what happened to the poor kid, who is now a man. How strange that he visited your dreams, huh? There are certain things that happen to us during those forming years that will leave us changed.
In my case it was a girl who lied about rape. She wanted a boy to take her to the prom and he declined. She ripped her own clothes and even scratch herself and went to see the principle, the guy a three of his friends were arrested. She came clean about four months later, but the kids' lives were never the same. I saw one of them about 7 months ago; he still has that haunted look in his eyes, as if he is waiting for the cops to come and drag him out of the classroom in handcuffs. I don't know his name, but I'll always remember that look.
This is a wonderful blog-post reminding me how easy it is in reality to loose everything and how much we should appreciate every single moment with those we love. We should never take it for granted. Thank you!
Poor kid. I feel bad for his family too. It must be so hard, never knowing what happened to him.
Lyn, this touches me very profoundly.
Isn't it strange how some people just seem to disappear, either willingly or unwillingly. When I organised a school reunion several years ago, I had so much difficulty locating one of my old class mates. He had fallen out with his parents and changed addresses about every week by the sound of it. I managed to get him on the phone by a stroke of good luck, but the next day he was gone again.
That's sufficiently scary stuff.
Great pic, BTW.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
What a spooky story! I think I might have nightmares tonight.
Such a touching story…. I sometimes watch "Without a Trace" on TV about missing people…Every story is so different, and in many cases they literally "Vanish"… You shared this memory with so much depth and feeling. Thank you.
Chilling. I cannot imagine what that must be like for family and friends. Nicely written recounting – it is eerie that he visited you in a dream.
It is so hard to imagine that someone could just vanish in a blink of an eye. Thank you for telling the story of that boy.
BTW, I'm your newest follower. Brightest blessings.
Blessed be.
If you have time, do drop by my rant for today:
http://halie-photohunts.blogspot.com/2010/12/v-fo…
Chilling.
Its all I can say, I read your post and all I felt was chills.
Looking back it reminds me of the eagles song 'vanishing'
I don't think there's anything scarier than a child just vanishing into the haze. One of my brother's is a High-school English teacher and once he and other teachers and all these students went on a class weekend trip to a local lake. Two of the girls went out on a rowboat and were never seen again. Just the boat showed up and even when they dragged the lake, no bodies were found. What did the boy say to you in your dream, Lyn and how did he look?
That is such a sad story about the 2 girls. You just don't think things like that can happen. How do people just disappear?
I never saw him in my dream. He took me to a room or confined space which was pitch black and I couldn't see anything. Just blackness. Then it was as if I was experiencing the room from his point of view and I felt his emotions of being there. Pure panic and absolute terror. And a realisation that this was the end.