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Prompted by: The Surprise~Willian Barnes
And there, with stories of harmless joys
Young Illya ran smiling, heading home to the dacha.
He’s received an award in mathematics at his school and was the envy of the other students.
Papa beamed with pride.
The bullies did not bother me today,” Illya said happily. “Perhaps they will stop?”
“We can only hope my son.”
And oh!so playsome, oh so fair!
Illya was a serious child, but this honor made him smile, much to his parent’s delight.
The boy laughed and played with his little sister, showing her the medal he’d received.
“Can I have it Illie?” Katiya pleaded.
“Of course,”he smiled. “Promise me you will be careful with it?”
“Da.”
And one skipped on a downcast face,
The next day at school Illya was set upon by the bullies, dashing his hopes at peace between them.
‘Kuryakin, your family is bourgeois elitists. You are a stuck up pig! Show off! You think you are better than us!” They shouted as they punched and kicked him.
He ran...
And oh! som playsome, oh! so fair.
Why the tears?” Mama called to him, but needed no answer when she saw her beautiful child’s bruised and bloodied face.
“I am fine,” Illya insisted, as she washed his wounds.
“We will see about this.”
“Please Mama, nyet?”
“It ends tomorrow, once and for all.” Tanya hugged him.
And one pulled on behind her heel,
Illya’s mother stormed to school the next morning with him trailing behind her.
She threatened the headmaster with a wagging finger, swearing to cut off a certain body part that he treasured.
The man promised the bullying would stop...
Illya, though embarrassed, admired the power of his mother’s words.