"Echoes of Silence"

Adjah

In the blessed city of Rome, where the sun painted the streets in warm hues, lived Adjah, a spirited girl with dreams that reached for the sky. However, beneath the picturesque facade of the blessed Rome, a storm brewed—cruelty born out of ignorance and prejudice.
Adjah's journey began with an optimistic melody, but discordant notes emerged when her peers chose her as the target of their cruelty. The colour of her skin became a canvas for their hate, and her spirit bore the weight of their unfounded judgment.
Each day was a struggle against taunts and exclusion. Adjah sought refuge in her love for poetry. Her words became armour, shielding her from the arrows of hatred. In the rhythm of her verses, Adjah discovered strength.
Yet, Adjah knew she was alone. One day, on her way home, Adjah noticed she was being followed in the dark, but didn't speed up in time and was caught. She was grabbed, her dress was ripped and she was beaten, spat on, and humiliated. Ever since that night, Adjah lost faith that in the beautiful city of Rome, she could be seen as something precious too.
She always knew that when people looked at her they didn't see a fellow human being, but they saw an animal, a lesser being, an object of ridicule.
In the end, Adjah's story is about the scars left by cruelty and the desperate desire of a utopian community that chose compassion over ignorance. As the sun continued to paint the streets of Rome, a melody, a cry, a plea echoed far beyond blessed Rome and it remained forever unheard.