EVOLUTION Vol.2

IN THE NEWS

Write a story - It's interesting when people die.

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The news of Mark's death spread quickly throughout the small town. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on what had happened, and the gossip mill was in full swing.

Some people whispered that he had died of a drug overdose, while others insisted that it had been a tragic accident. Still, others speculated that foul play was involved.

At the centre of it all was Mark's ex-girlfriend, Jenny. She was devastated by his death, but she was also feeling overwhelmed by the attention. People were constantly calling her, texting her, and showing up at her doorstep, all wanting to know what had happened.

She tried to ignore the rumours, but they seemed to follow her wherever she went. Even at work, her coworkers would whisper behind her back, speculating about Mark's death and what role Jenny might have played in it.

One day, a customer came into the coffee shop and asked to speak with Jenny privately. The woman introduced herself as a reporter for the local newspaper and said that she was interested in doing a story on Mark's death.

Jenny was hesitant at first. She didn't want to talk about something so personal in such a public way. But the reporter was persistent, and she promised to give Jenny a chance to tell her side of the story.

So they sat down together, and Jenny started to talk. She told the reporter about her relationship with Mark and how they had broken up a few months ago. She talked about the last time she had seen him and how she had tried to convince him to get help for his addiction.

The reporter listened intently, taking notes and asking follow-up questions. And when the interview was over, she thanked Jenny and promised to write a fair and balanced article.

But when the article came out a few days later, Jenny was shocked. The headline read "Ex-Girlfriend of Local Man Speaks Out About His Tragic Death," and the article went on to suggest that Jenny might have been responsible for Mark's addiction and eventual death.

Jenny felt sick to her stomach as she read the words on the page. She knew that they weren't true, but she also knew that the damage had been done. People in the town were already talking, and now the article had given them more ammunition.

Over the next few weeks, Jenny felt like she was living in a fishbowl. Everywhere she went, people stared and whispered. She heard people speculating about her role in Mark's death, and she knew that the rumours would never stop.

One day, she was walking down the street when she heard a group of teenagers laughing and joking about Mark's death. They were making light of the situation, and it made Jenny sick.

She couldn't take it anymore. She decided to confront them.

"Hey, that's not funny," she said, walking up to the group.

The teenagers looked at her, surprised. "What's not funny?" one of them asked.

"Making jokes about someone's death," Jenny said. "Mark was a person, and he deserved better than this."

The teenagers looked at each other, abashed. "We didn't mean anything by it," one of them said.

"I know," Jenny said. "But you never know what someone else is going through. We should be kind to each other, no matter what."

The teenagers nodded, and Jenny walked away, feeling a sense of relief. She knew that the gossip would never completely go away, but she also knew that she could choose how she reacted to it.

From that day on, Jenny made a conscious effort to be kind and compassionate to everyone she met. She knew that it wasn't always easy, but she also knew that it was the right thing to do. And in the end, that was all that mattered.

© 19 April 2023