At The Edge Of Oblivion

- Foreword -

     Welcome reader. I felt it appropriate that I give you a heads up before you delve deep into my past. This story is not for the faint of heart. I don't mean that in the aspect that it is some horror story, but it is no comedy. This story deals with some heavy issues that are very prevalent in society today. "At The Edge Of Oblivion" is my account of a very dark part of my childhood. It covers real world  issues like Sexual Assault, Suicide, Mental Health, and more. I originally began writing this as an entry for a writing contest at my school. The more I wrote, I came to realise that my story could be more. I want to put a spotlight on these real world issues. I know that in society now these topics are gaining more and more coverage and I wish to encourage that. When all of this took place, these issues were almost unheard of. At least in our part of the world it was very rare. Nobody was prepared for what happened. That is perhaps the greatest tragedy in my opinion. I hope that you do enjoy my story. I hope that it opens up the ability for you to start a dialogue with your friends and loved ones. I hope that it causes your eyes to be opened. If you want to learn more there are so many opportunities nowadays. Even a simple internet search can provide plenty of resources if you experience and of these issues. If you have experienced something like this in the past, I implore you to let yourself be heard. I understand how hard and frightening that can sound. Even if you don't. If you aren't ready to share, just know that you are not alone. There are others like you out there. I will make sure to list some resources at the end of this story if you feel like you need to talk to someone. I implore you to learn from my mistakes. I am hoping that by sharing this it could help to make a difference in someone else's life.  I want to thank everyone that helped me write this. Because of the topic material, it was a very difficult write. To all the people who helped me fill in the details that I hadn't witnessed I am grateful. It is important to know that going into this all of the names and locations have been changed for privacy reasons. This story might be just that for you, but for us involved it was very real. There were a lot of feelings and smaller events that I did leave out of this story. However, I tried to put in as much as I was able to so that you could hopefully feel and understand what I experienced. Anyway, thank you for reading this. I hope you get something out of it
                                                                             - Shawn