Grade 9, Rena Le Lona
There was a girl named Pretty Dlamini, who stayed with her mother and father. Pretty was only sixteen years of age. She studied in Protea Glen High School, she loved reading and communicating with different people. Pretty was born with albinism; she’s the only person who has this colour in her family, and mostly in her community. She was the first born of her parents, and was the only child they had.
In school, she was performing well and loved to participate in all occasions and sports that were happening in school. Teachers loved her because she was respectful and loving. Many children were not supporting that, or even admiring her about the things she had done for the school. She used to win many competitions and challenges. Year by year, medals and cups were just flowing to her. Every day she would just sit there at break time, and read stories.
She wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Pretty was always lonely, and she spent her time alone. Her biggest wish was to meet or have a good friend that wouldn’t judge her about who she was. In her school, there was a girl named Palisa who was very aggressive and a bully. All the time she just bullied people without a valid reason, and she got more than five suspension letters every year. Palisa was coming from a very rich home and she stayed with her father; her mom died from a car accident.
One day, Palisa saw Pretty talking with her friends and she hid behind the trees. She didn’t want them to see her so she hid until they left. Pretty was going to the library to take out a book. She met Palisa. Suddenly, after they met, she saw another child with the same condition colour as hers. Palisa was busy making a scene and making her feel guilty about her skin and her eyes needing glasses. Pretty just ran off to her home, very upset. When she arrived, she just looked at herself in the mirror, crying and saying pitiful things, about how useless she was, asking herself silly questions, and then she just took a pen and piece of paper and started writing how she felt, and how people treated her.
The whole community didn’t love her, in school they despised her, and also in her family not everyone was showing her love or even pretending to. She put it on the floor, then she took her mother’s pills and drank them all. When her mother knocked off from work, she found her daughter lying on the floor with white bubbles around her mouth, and rolling white eyes like snow. She called an ambulance, and they took her away. She stayed in ICU for almost 2 weeks without recovering. Her family were now friends with the hospital day in and out. Many people started to feel pity, and remembered how badly they’d treated Pretty, even those who abused her in school. Her father Zacharia kept on reading the letter she wrote saying goodbye. It was so painful. Her mother Innocentia started being ill, and having stress about her daughter’s recovery; she used to have high blood pressure. They were worried to lose their only child. The letter that was written was given to the chief of Nondzabo village who was Nkosinathi Nyembe. He read it and organised a community meeting, complaining about the quality people there were lacking. The meeting was straightforward, and people really realised the mistake they had made. They tried to teach themselves how to treat people.
After a month, Pretty woke up and recovered. Her parents were happy, and also the community were over the moon because they were already taking blame for her accident. They organised a party for her recovery, and she was so happy to see many people changed and no more abusing her. She carried on with her studies and playing more sports in her school, she finally met the new friends she wished for, and they treated her as equal to others. But she once said, “Even if people treat you badly, killing yourself is not an option. You have a life you need to live and fulfil your dreams. Yes, people cannot be forced to love you, but that does not stop you from getting yourself a life you need, or a better life you have worked for.”