SANDS OF DELUSION 

By Tessa Harvey


The doctor was concerned. "Has this child been traumatized before?" she queried.
    "Alice was a refugee child. She came on a battered boat. The conditions were terrible. Actually, Alice is the only one of her family who made it. She will not talk about it."
    Behind her, Alice moaned on her bed, tossing the covers away. "I no chink," she murmured, "not Covid."
    Dr. Wilson thought for a while. "She hasn't been physically hurt, but when Luis found her, he saw some youths hastening away in the distance." The doctor's eyes were sharp. She glanced at the parents. "Alice will be fine in a few days. Give her Children's Panadol every few hours, and walk with her to school and back, of course."
    "Bullying can rekindle trauma. If Alice can talk to you about her experiences, it will help. Call me if you need me, folks!"
    Briskly the doctor picked up her bag , shook Luis' hand and patted Maria on the shoulder. "You two do a great job. Don't forget that!"
    Rose Wilson waved goodbye and drove away in her dark Toyota into the warm brightness of the sunrise.
    It had taken Luis a good half hour to find his daughter. The fact she had vomited and collapsed had saved her from more serious bullying. Of that, he had no doubt. But she was still in a dark place.


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