Counseling
Gabrielson, Kaitlyn
Grade: 8
School: Valley Middle School, Grand Forks ND
Educator: Diane Krueger
AWARD: Silver Key, Personal Essay/Memoir
My head is swimming as I try to make my
way through the other students and to the front of the room. If you
don’t do this now, you’ll never get a chance again, I think. I am
practically dragging myself to the front door, and I’m reminded of the scene in The
Never Ending Story where Bastion tries to drag his horse through the
swamp of sadness. On one hand, I want to lay in the mud and accept my fate, I
want to lie down and die like that horse did. But, doing what Bastion couldn’t,
I somehow manage to succeed, kicking and screaming, to pull the horse and
effectively, myself through the mud. Just as she is about to reach the door,
I’ve caught up with her.
“Ms. Harper,” I say, reaching out to
touch her shoulder. The words slip through my mouth before I can stop them.
Before I can think about what to say and how to say it I am asking to make an
appointment with her. I am making a cry for help. My head is hazy as she tells
me to come down in
