The unsent letters of convicted double murderer Harry Styles, explaining why he ended up buried in a world of broken dreams. What happened to innocent till proven guilty?
( cover design: @crescend )
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day 27➜ to the friendliest person I knew for one day
Dear Irene,
You might not remember me. I really did only meet you for one day and you were so small too, probably about six or seven.
You didn't even reach my waist, height-wise.
I remember the day I met your bright face. It was a Sunday and I was in I think Year 10 at the time. I got up early like any other day at Aldertree and had breakfast by myself. Mike was going nuts because Jamie and his mates didn't come back to the home after school on Friday. It was Sunday. I bet you can imagine the screams down the home's office phone.
And Shelley was scratching her head.
"Harry!" She called and I came up to her.
"What's up?"
"There's a brother and sister here for the day, emergency accommodation. The brother's got on well with the kids Matt and the others but his younger sister, Irene can't seem to find any friends."
"Oh," I said.
"You aren't doing anything today, right? Usually, I'd ask the twins but they're out shopping today."
"No, I'm not. Where is she?"
"She's in the playroom, by herself," She told me before giving me the thumbs up and an encouraging smile.
When I got to the yellow-painted room. You were cross-legged on the floor with a couple crayons bunched in your hand.
I sat down next to you and watched you until you looked up at me. You didn't say anything you just carried on doodling and then you looked up me again with a wide toothy grin.
"You didn't go," were the first words you said to me and I laughed.
"No, why would I?" I asked you.
"Because I'm weird, everyone says so, even Elliott."
"Everyone says I'm weird too," I say with a smile.
"Really? But you're so cool!"
"I'm cool?" I asked and you nodded excessively.
"Yeah, you're so tall and you have Mummy's eyes."
"I have your Mum's eyes?" I asked and you nodded excessively, again. I laughed this time. Your little expressions were so funny, Irene.
"Yours are lighter than Mum's though."
You put down the blue crayon and I read a name underneath. "Who's Elliott?"
"He's my brother."
You started doing something new on the blank paper. "What are you drawing now?"
"You."
It looked nothing like me, but given it was a kid's drawing and you seemed genuinely happy humming and nodding drawing with your tongue poking out at times that I was touched (and it was the first time some else drew me too).
"What's your name?"
"H-A-R-R-Y," I said and you wrote underneath before spinning around and holding it out to me.
"I love it, thank you Irene."
We spent the day the playroom drawing some more before we went outside and played on the swings. You loved being pushed by me though, a little too much. At one point I thought your shoes would go flying off by how high you were going.
And with everything we did, we always exchanged smiles and I don't think I've ever forgotten your face, Irene.
I smiled so much that day, I was sad when Shelley called out for you to go to her.
And I could tell you were too, when Shelley was standing at the door holding Elliott in one hand and you were walking towards them slowly.
Then you turned around and ran to me and gave me a big hug.
"I wish you were my big brother," you said.
And to this day, I've never been so touched.
I hope you're doing well, I hope you and your brother Elliott never needed to return to Aldertree again.
Oh and that first drawing you did of me, I pinned it to the Aldertree fridge. I think it's still there, although I'm pretty sure every time Mike sees it, he cries. Remembering me, I mean.
