Fantasy and feelings...

Love gone sour

TW: Suicide, abuse

It was Scouts camp, 2015. I was a senior member. It was my last year in Scouts. We were learning knots that day. I've done this every year. I could tie some good ones within a few seconds. But then this little kid walks up to me.

"C...can you help me with these knots? I don't know how...how to do them."

So I sat him down and showed him step by step. It took a few tries but his knots weren't too bad when he was done.

"How did I do?"
"Perfect! Well done!

"Really?"

He did do them almost perfectly. Couldn't have been more proud. I nodded and he couldn't have been happier.

"Thank you, Bernie!"
"Hey, no problem. But what's your name?"

"Asher."

After that final camp, I never saw Asher again. Until a week ago. I was reading the paper when I saw the headline;

"Teen Hangs Himself due to Abuse."

The news underneath had Asher's full name and his age. He was only 14. The knots have been well-done...

A tear fell from my face. Hadn't it been only a few years? He was just a kid when I showed him those knots. How could knowledge given to someone with care and patience be twisted so morbidly? If he hadn't known how to do them properly, maybe he would've fallen. Hurt but still alive. But I taught him until he made perfect knots. I killed him...