"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes, I will tell the truth," she replied.

"How old are you?"

"I'm four years old," and she held up four fingers.

How weird to question a four year old at a trial, I think. I look at my fellow jurors to see their reaction to this oddity. Apparently, they did not find it odd.

"Please tell us who you shared a bedroom with on the night in question."

"My little sister and my baby brother," she said.

"And tell us where you were the night your baby brother died."

"I was in my bed but then I had a bad dream and woke up."

"Continue, what happened next?"

"I went to the couch to sleep."

"And you saw something before you left your bedroom, didn't you?"

"Yes," and she started to cry.

Oh, I felt so sad for her. I wanted them to leave her alone. Where is her mother? She should stop this nonsense. I looked around but did not see anyone who might be her mother.

"Tell us what you saw."

"A doll," she sobbed.

"It wasn't a doll though, was it?"

Her little body was shaking and you could see how scared and lonely she felt as she cried. I just wanted to hold her tight and tell her it's all alright and I wanted more than that; I wanted to take her and take care of her and love her.

"No," she said.

"What was it that you saw?"

"My baby brother," She could barely get the words out as she gasped for air.

"Oh my god, she killed him. She did do it. Oh, she's evil. She's an evil little thing. Punish her. Punish her," Roared the audience.

"Silence, silence in the court," the judge said as he banged his gavel.

She looked at the people through her sweet and not so innocent, teary eyes. They all appeared to have masks on. Plastic faces with plastic smiles like her father. They terrified her. The people, the people who look at me with their real eyes but everything else is plastic.

"Did you kill your baby brother?"

She looked out to her father. She looked at him for a long time and he smiled that charming smile and shook his head.

"Yes," she said.

She doesn't know what she is saying, she did not kill him. She did not do it. God, someone has to help her. Please someone out there has to speak up. Where is her mother? Save her, for the love of god.

"Guilty," eleven out of twelve jurors screamed out.

"Punish her. Burn her," they were all roaring.

"Silence," the judge banged his gavel.

"Her punishment will be by the hands of her

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Novel excerpts: Loss of innocence?
We want to hear your view. Write now!