Dear Paul Fleischman,

 

One little mistake could hurt another, and I've seen that happen many times. A bit of carelessness, some out-of-hand mischief, or even the smallest distraction can throw you off the road of control. But it's not what you do that matters; it's how you pay.

 

Whirligig has opened my eyes to show me that I might not be the only person that sees hurtfulness. By doing wrong, we will learn never to do it again. The journey of repayment is a reward itself, and suffering as others have suffered is the entire lesson.

 

I myself sometimes wish that I could journey back in time and redo my past. There are so many things that have affected others that have made a little scratch in my mind. Like the time my sister when she ran down that rough concrete sidewalk. Oh, how I wish I could've reminded her to walk, not race. Now every time I look at that gap in her smile, I cringe a little bit, but I remember to smile, as if she lost her tooth from sweets.

 

I keep getting this feeling that it's somehow my fault I didn't look out for her, like I tripped her on purpose, even though she tripped on her shoelace. Every time I think of my sister, I think of her missing tooth. The dentist said it wouldn't grow for another two years, which means she'll have to wait for her snow-white smile for an eternity, which is a very, very long time in her world.

 

When I look back into our family album, I cross over pages that show her teething on a plastic toy, smiling with only her pink gums. Then I flip over a couple more pages to see her with her full, sparkling smile, riding a tricycle. But at the end of the album, on the last picture, I see her with tears rolling down her cheek, a bloody section on her teeth where her front tooth should have been.

 

Right now, my sister is sitting on my bed shuffling through a pile of photographs, looking at memories of years past. She holds up a picture of herself and her cousins at the park, the same park where she tripped and lost her tooth. She smiles at it, sets it back down, and continues shuffling through that pile of photographs.

 

But I've learned my lesson, Mr. Fleischman, about how one mistake can affect another. I will forever remind myself to watch out for my siblings, and be aware of what they do without you.

 

Sincerely,

 

My N., Grade 7

 

 

 

A LETTER TO PAUL FLEISCHMAN

My N.

Letters About Literature