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50 years ago...
1964...
'He's dead'
'Did you hear about the kid?..'
'Hung himself..'
'Basketball ring net..'
'Peter found him..'
'Poor guy..'
The whispers hush as I walk past groups of people. Head down, hands in my pocket. But I know what they are talking about.
How I found the sadistic school bully, Jonathan Airsfield hanging from the basketball hoop, in the school gym.

Present...
2014...
'HAHAHA!...' The child's laughter rings throughout the room, the thuds of balls bouncing and people calling out names, echoes around.
I hang from the hoop, watching it all. But they don't see me.
I try to call out, to scare them away. They shouldn't be, no one should be.
They throw balls across the room at each other, occasionally stand off onto the side.
A ball passes through my head and thunks on the backboard, a cheer erupts from one side as people stream back into play...


Later that day...
Quiet, peace and quiet. It is nice, but I long to drop from this noose and keep everyone away forever.
The door swings open, bathing the floor in light for a couple of seconds.
Three teenagers stroll in chatting and laughing. I try to growl, but the noose just tightens. They walk up to the room filled with sports equipment. The padlock drops, and so do I. Surprise hits me for a second, but I need to take advantage of this opportunity. They need to stay away.
I make no sound on the vinyl floor. They stroll in, and laugh again. The sound grates on my nerves!
The shiny padlock beckons me. I pick it up and step into the room, the door creaks and grinds shut. 'Who closed the door?' A girl asks in a high pitched voice. the padlock clicks as it locks. The children go silent.
'I did,' I choke out as I flick off the lights.