Where the Sun Sets
One rainy day, just after lunch, the girls were all sent to their rooms to
study. Josephine was not in the mind to study. She wanted to be outside. The
rain always brought the frogs. Josephine loved to chase frogs. She was
bouncing up and down on her bed, watching Antonia read. Josephine stopped
bouncing. She picked up one of her books and threw it at Antonia, hitting the
girl in the shoulder.
"What did you do that for?"
"I don't know, just felt like it I guess." Antonia went back to reading,
as if nothing had ever happened. Josephine started bouncing once again and
when she had her dresser in her sight, she stopped. An idea came to her. She
pulled out the drawers of her dresser and started to climb up to the top.
Antonia looked up from her book. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Josephine ignored her as she made it to the top and stood on the dresser,
facing her bed. Josephine jumped. With her arms out stretched, she played like
she was flying. She landed safely on her bed.
Antonia was uncomfortable with this new activity. "You are going to get
hurt Joe, stop it."
"You are going to get hurt Joe, waa waa waa." Josephine repeated
sarcastically. "What do you know about getting hurt?" Josephine kept talking
as she climbed back up the dresser. "Can't get hurt reading a book, now can
ya?" And off through the air she went again. Antonia put her book down and
looked at her friend. "I know what it feels like to get hurt Joe, and you are
going to get hurt. Please stop it."
"Make me, if you are so worried about my getting hurt. Make me stop. I
dare you."
Antonia was concerned, she knew Joe was going to get hurt. She knew it
with every fiber of her being but she didn't know how to stop her. She got up
off of her bed and walked over to Joe's dresser.
"Please, Joe, come down from there. Please." Antonia was looking up at
Josephine. Pleading with her eyes as much as her words.
"Please, Joe. Please." Josephine repeated again, sarcastically.
Josephine brought her hands to her face, in a mock show of fear. Then she
quivered her knees and threw her arms out to the sides, in a display of
tightrope walking. "Oh no," she laughed, "oh, no Antonia, I'm gonna fall.
Help me, Antonia, help me please..." but as she said her last line, the statue
that claimed ownership of the top of the dresser started to rock. Josephine
tried to grab it before it went crashing to the floor. The statue escaped her
grasp and fell to its doom, with Josephine following. She landed with a thud
and a crack, which Antonia was sure, came from Josephine's arm.
What followed was perhaps the single worst memory Josephine had from St.
Agnes. She had not thought of it since, pushing it as far back in the recesses
of her mind as she was able. Sister Katherine had been called to the hall, when
the noise from Josephine's flying had disturbed the girls studying in the room
next to them. She was at the door a few moments after Josephine's fall.
Antonia had no time to back away from the situation. Sister read what she had
wanted to into the accident. In her eyes, Antonia was to blame. She had
purposely and maliciously destroyed school property.
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