WHEELS
OF
LIFE
All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission of
the publisher.
First made in Sydney, New South Wales in 2014-5-20, Ravenswood School for Girls, 1B
Cecil Street Gordon, 2072, Australia
This edition was first published 20th May 2014
Copyright © 2014 Ravenswood School for Girls All Rights Reserved
The moral right of the authors has been asserted
Typeset by Team Thanatos 2014
Printed and bound in Australia by Team Thanatos 2014
Parameters:
Primary Character 1: Poet
Primary Character 2: School Teacher
Non-Human Character: Reindeer
Setting: Farm
Issue: Love is in the air
Random Words
· Hectic
· Fascinating
· Cantankerous
· Furry
· Curious
Authors:
Sammi Coffey
Yvette Nguyen
Thalia Jeanson
Anna Terzaghi
Neha Vinodh
Sian Hamilton
Olivia Inwoods
Illustrators:
Teah Linnegar
Carly Wamsteker
Coordinator:
Olivia Thomas
Acknowledgements
It has been an absolute eye-opening experience writing, illustrating and overall, creating
this book. Working with the other year groups and the general effort shown was
incredible and we’re all proud of each other. This experience will be engraved into our
memories forever and this project would never have been possible without the support
of many people.
Thank you to Ms Francis and Mrs Colmer for guiding us along the way, and telling us
to get back on track. We’re very grateful for everything you’ve done.
Thank you also to the other librarians for their support.
Thank you to Ravenswood School for Girls for funding this project and letting us use
the library. We’re very sorry for being so loud.
To the children who are reading this:
Never fall out of love with reading. Books will always be there to offer you worlds of
imagination. We hope you enjoy reading this book, because we’ve certainly enjoyed
writing and illustrating it for you.
Dedication:
This book is dedicated to children all over the world, no matter what age, gender, race
or religion. We hope you enjoy it and never stop reading. Never fall out of love with
books. Remember, you can accomplish anything if you try hard enough.
Contents:
Prologue - 8
Why me - 9
Gift - 13
Ben’s Ode - 18
Writers Block - 23
If he was the only one here - 28
The crack of dawn - 31
Remember Me - 34
Epilogue - 38
Chapter 1
Why me?
The pen scrawled hastily on the page, the ink smudging here and there as his hand dragged
across the crinkled paper. Words spiralled out, accompanying the boy’s mutters of approval
as the previously blank page filled up with scribbles. A few tendrils of curling brown locks fell
in front of his face, and he impatiently pushed them back, a look of intense concentration
written across his features.
Will lifted the pen to his mouth, chewing thoughtfully on the end as he surveyed his work.
“What do you think, Ben? Is it good enough?” He picked up the stuffed toy next to him and
stared into its gleaming eyes, smiling a little. He cocked his head, scanning through the
poem. “Do you think I should-”
The door to his room creaked open. Will jumped, setting the reindeer down on the bed and
closing his book abruptly.
“Hey Will,” his mum whispered. “How you going honey?”
“I’m fine Mum,” Will muttered, slightly annoyed.”I was fine five minutes ago when you
asked.”
The slender woman edged around the door and came to sit on the edge of Will’s bed, whose
features were set in a deadpan expression. Her face was perpetually contorted into a
sympathetic expression. Will dubbed it, the Sympathy Look. He hated it; the Sympathy Look,
the Pitied Look and the Life-is-so-unfair-and-I’m-sorry-I-can’t-do-anything-to-help Look. As if
he needed that at this point in his life.
“I know, honey, I just wanted to-”
“Mum. I’m twelve. I’m not a little kid anymore. I can do things myself and I don’t need your
help,” Will retorted, a burning frustration concealed in his fierce, blue eyes. “I just want to
be alone right now, okay?”
“Okay honey.” His mum smiled sadly and ruffled his hair. Will ducked away, looking
pointedly at the window. It was autumn now; the leaves were just transitioning into the
beautiful hues of crimson, gold and a fiery orange, bringing to life a myriad of vibrancy and
beauty that Will couldn’t find in anything else. The best thing about it was the isolation, and
the feeling of being in a world that offered him escape from the harsh presence of reality.
Living on a farm did just that and Will was grateful for the one bright moment in his life.
That, and his passion for poetry.
It was almost evening; the last rays of light weaved pinks and oranges through the sky, and
illuminated his room, washing the wood with soft colours. A new idea for a poem raced
through his mind, his brain transforming the scenery in front of him into words.
“Will, it’s almost time for dinner.” His mother’s soft voice cut through the silence. Will
sighed.
“Yeah I know mum.”
“Do you want me to…” she gestured at him, than at the contraption in the corner of his
room. She wore the pity look that he so detested.
“I can do it myself Mum,” Will said through gritted teeth. “I can wheel myself there alone.”
“Okay honey.” She braced her hand on the door and looked back at Will’s bed-ridden figure.
“If you need anything, just-”
“Mum. Just leave. It’s not like I’m going anywhere’ Will flung a careless hand at his legs,
grimacing. His Mum threw him another Sympathy Look and ghosted out of the room, finally
leaving Will to his thoughts.
‘She’s finally gone. Thank God.’ Will picked Ben up and clutched him to his chest, exhaling
slowly. He loved his parents, there was no denying that, but he constantly felt suffocated by
the way they treated him. Like he was fragile, prone to shatter into a million pieces at any
moment. He just needed his parents to understand that he wasn’t a glass vase; that he
needed to be treated like a strong, healthy person, even if he didn’t feel like one.
‘Well, I think it’s time to write another poem, eh Ben?’ Will twirled the pen between his slim
fingers, thinking, until he finally scratched it across the paper, writing in the dimming light.
The world melted away until it was only him and his poems, guarded by Ben’s ever-watchful
eyes.
Chapter 2
Gift
Now, it was dark outside, the eerie shadows of the branches fell against the window panes.
Will was never the one to feel scared, he usually just ignored the aggravating sound of his
father snoring across the hallway, and the scraping of the dry autumn leaves against the
glass. Cuddled against his warm blanket with Ben next to him, he felt safe and comfortable,
a luxury at most. He leaned against the headboard while writing; the open book sat
between his hands. His thumb and index finger were tightly wrapped around a pen and
concentration was written all over his face. As he wrote, he muttered the words, ‘I watch
the sun go down, and my face had but a frown…’
Although Will knew that no-one would ever find out about these poems, he also wanted to
be good at something. Just… what if they didn’t like his works? What if they thought of him
as a joke? Or would they just take pity on him like everyone else did? All these questions
were doing his head in; he was tired and wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and
melt into sleep.
Soon after, the pen stumbled onto the floor and the book lay sprawled open at the edge of
the bed. He snored lightly with an expression of serenity on his face, all his problems
forgotten, for the time being.
Will woke to the faded chirps of the birds outside and the wind swishing the autumn trees
back and forth. Yawning, he looked at the clock instantaneously remembering that his new
tutor, Tessa, was coming for the first time today. Great. Another person to pity me. He
swiftly climbed off his bed and manoeuvred awkwardly into his wheelchair. Struggling into
his signature worn-out, jeans and his plain, red shirt, he made his way down the hallway
into the dining-room.
“How’d you sleep William?” his mum asked as she entered the room.
“Yeah it was alright,” Will mumbled without any emotion.
“Are you ready now? Your new tutor Tessa is going to be here soon.” Will’s mum stated,
observing him.
“Yeah, I’m so excited,’ he drawled sarcastically.
‘Will,’ his mother chastised. ‘Behave yourself.’
He rolled his eyes, huffing as he ate without further discussion with his mum. Suddenly,
there was a rap at the door; Will sighed. Here she was.
Will’s mother walked towards the door and opened it, and there stood a woman, her
features highlighted in the doorway. She looked like she was in her mid-20’s; with a glowing
smile and visible features, which added to her youthful appearance.
Will already resented her.
His mum switched on her Greeting Look and met Tessa. They conversed for a while,
probably about Will’s education, his disability, his life even… God he felt like a museum
artefact. Finally, they wrapped up Will’s biography and his mum left the room, leaving him
alone with Tessa. Cue awkward moment number one.
Will glared at Tessa, whose smile did not waver once. Who was she to waltz into his life and
tell him how to live his life? Why couldn’t anyone leave him alone? He was fine with his
poetry, and with Ben. That’s all he needed in his life.
“So Will-”
“Don’t talk to me.”
Tessa sat down on the couch next to Will’s stationary wheelchair. He resisted the urge to
move away.
“Will,’ she tried again. “I know it must be difficult, but-”
“Please don’t tell me about how difficult my life is. I’ve already heard enough from my
parents. So if you’ll excuse me-’ Will pivoted his wheelchair around, already tired of Tessa.
***
Tessa sighed. She could already tell Will was a bright kid, but he was headstrong, like her
actually. Running a hand through her vibrant red hair, she exhaled, until something caught
her eye. Reaching down, she picked up a leather bound book. It was quite worn and
creased, with a faded label on the front. Fascinated, she peered inside, smoothing out the
crinkled pages. Scanning the first few pages, her eyes widened.
***
Will was halfway down the corridor when he jerked to a stop. Oh no. His book. Doing a spin,
he rolled back into the living room, when he was greeted by the sight of Tessa prying
through his prized possession.
‘Hey!’ he exclaimed in indignation. ‘Give that back!’ He wheeled over to her and snatched
the book out of her hands, cradling it to his chest. Now he really wanted her gone.
Furrowing his eyebrows in anger, he stared icily at her, seething.
“Will, I-”
“Do you have any respect for privacy?” he yelled. At the back of his mind, he realised that
he was being rude, but she had poked and prodded through his book. His private book, full
of poems that he had written.
“Will, they’re really good!’ Tessa interjected. “They’re amazing, as a matter of fact, and I
would love for you to write some for me.”
Will ceased his inner, tormented rant. What had he just heard?
“You… liked them?” he asked, hesitantly.
“Yeah! These have great potential! In fact, I have a great idea.” Tessa beckoned to him
excitedly. Slightly cautious, Will approached her side and listened. For the first time in a long
time, he felt appreciated. And maybe, just maybe… Tessa was the key to his hidden
potential.
Chapter 3
Ben’s Ode
Will was sitting in his wheelchair, staring out of his window into the yard that was awash in
a whirlwind of orange and red leaves that had been blown about by the autumn wind. Tessa
had found his poems yesterday and although she had heaped praise on him, Will was still
worried to wh for she also taught in a school and no doubt other kids his age would do
much better. Unbeknownst to Will, however, Tessa had been very impressed. So impressed
in fact, that she decided to ask Will to write a poem for her. And so she did, thinking she
could get him started with a rather hard topic.
“Love, Will. I want you to write a poem about love.” Tessa had said.
However, Will was a little less than happy with the suggestion. “Love, Miss Tessa? But I
don’t know anything about love.”
“I’m sure you have, Will. Surely you love your parents, or your farm, or your toys?” Tessa
answered.
“I… I guess.” stuttered Will.
So Will set about to write, for him, one of the hardest topics to write a poem about. Love.
He began to twirl his pen again, setting it to paper and writing.
I don’t know anything about love.
I can hardly touch it, I can hardly obtain it.
Reading over his first stanza, Will grumbled and crossed it out, trying again.
I don’t know anything about love.
I can hardly touch it, I can hardly obtain it.
Love is not my strength.
To me, it is nearly unobtainable.
Almost untouchable.
Only appearing in one form.
The form of a reindeer.
Still not satisfied, Will scratched out the last two lines.
I don’t know anything about love.
I can hardly touch it, I can hardly obtain it.
Love is not my strength.
To me, it is nearly unobtainable.
Almost untouchable.
Only appearing in one form.
The form of a reindeer.
My love is for my best friend,
My comfort in times of hurt,
My Reindeer.
When my legs are numb,
And people look at me pitifully
When I wheel through the streets,
When I am left by myself.
When the people my age
Are out with their friends,
And I am left all alone on my farm,
My Reindeer is there.
People tell me he is nothing but a toy,
But I disagree.
But Ben disagrees.
We have been together since the beginning of time,
Since the beginning of my life,
And he will stay with me,
Now and forever.
When nobody is looking,
He comes alive, and comforts me.
He draws the pain away from my legs with his smiles,
He tells me to ignore the words and the looks.
I shall never need another friend,
For as long as I have my reindeer, my Ben,
My hectic, frantic thoughts of worthlessness are stilled.
When my best friend is with me,
No longer am I bad-tempered, cantankerous,
Instead intrigued by the fascinating world around me
That I can explore thanks to the legs offered
By Ben.
When my Reindeer supports me,
I can forget that my feet will never touch the ground,
That my life is confined to a wheelchair.
I can forget that my only socialisation
Has been in a hospital bed,
And the only people who ever came
To visit me were my parents.
I never wanted a tutor,
Much less one that was a school teacher,
And would see how far behind I was,
Compared to my peers.
But Ben told me it would be for the best,
So I agreed,
And maybe it was.
I wouldn’t be here today without my best friend,
My reindeer,
My Ben,
I love him,
Now and for eternity.
Will finished writing, and looked up to see Tessa staring intently at him.
“Will, that was quick,” she said. “May I have a look?”
Without waiting for a reply, Tessa took a hold of Will’s work and began reading. He watched
in a slightly anxious manner as a frown slowly creased her features. Tessa began.
“Will… This is a very good piece of poetry, especially for a twelve year old… However, I feel
it might be slightly more appropriate if you were to perhaps write another poem about love,
although maybe a slightly… happier version. Although I do think it is still a very good piece.”
Chapter 4
Writer’s Block
A poem about his reindeer…
Sure, Will had written dozens of poems, but none of them were serious, just childish
threads, sometimes interwoven with a deeper meaning. He had never thought of writing a
deep and meaningful poem especially about love without childish characteristics. However,
that was his task, and so he would accomplish it.
‘But, what to write?’ thought Will, as he turned his wheelchair to face Ben. He gazed at his
furry brown face, thinking about all the times they had shared together. He tried to
brainstorm ideas, but he could only think of poems he had written before.
My furry reindeer is the best…
No. He had already written that before.
Original. Think of something original!
All of a sudden, he had a fleeting idea, something he could write about! He grabbed his pen
and book and began writing. But, as soon as the idea came, it had escaped him. He gazed at
the page dejectedly, his writing was too hectic to recognise the words.
He thought back to his previous poem, couldn’t he borrow elements from that?
“No,” he muttered sullenly, “that would be cheating!”
Besides, his teacher had discouraged him from writing sad poems.
He racked his brain for more ideas.
Meaningful… Love… Happy… Meaningful… Love… Happy… Meaningful… Love… Happy…
Ideas! Ideas! Ideas!
Why couldn’t he think of anything?
Is this what writer’s block feels like?
He had never had it before. He was always full of whimsical ideas for poems about Ben, his
precious reindeer. But, to write a deep and meaningful, yet happy and optimistic poem
about love, it was harder than he first expected.
Might as well just start writing, hopefully I’ll find a good idea.
And so he did. He wrote, and wrote, and wrote, until his hand was sore. Time flew past like
a frantic raven. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, and morning
turned into late afternoon. By evening, piles of his unfinished and rejected manuscripts
were strewn around his room, and scrunched up paper balls, full of ideas consumed his
paper bin. Will flicked his long dark fringe away from his eyes and glanced around the now
messy room in distaste. He wished that Tessa was by his wheelchair-bound side, giving him
advice, and helping him write about the topic. He missed her chastising him when his
writing was too childish, or wasn’t optimistic enough.
If only she was here… she could help me come up with ideas! But, she isn’t here, so I might as
well focus on my present task…
Will sighed, Tessa was coming tomorrow, and he still hadn’t written the poem. Once again,
Will began to write, his mind suddenly abuzz with fragments of a potential poem. Once the
poem was finished, he went over it carefully, editing and rewriting it over and over, until he
was satisfied with his work. He lifted his pen with a flourish. It was done… or was it? He
reread the poem and frowned, he was so caught up in the adrenaline of having a new idea,
that he completely ignored the theme and emotion conveyed in the poem. It was a
depressing poem, filled with sorrow and loneliness caused when his reindeer wasn’t by his
side.
Will growled in frustration and swiped at his works, scattering his unwanted poems in a
hectic hurricane of paper. He couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t write a stupid happy poem
about love. At least, not one that Tessa would be happy with. He huffed in annoyance, why
did Tessa want him to write about such a foreign topic?
Deep and meaningful, yet positive? Seriously?
He grabbed the wheels of his wheelchair and angrily rolled out of the room, uttering
irritably about how he hated his task and how it was impossible to finish. As he entered the
kitchen, his mother, busily cooking dinner noticed his frustrated face, and walked over
curiously.
“Honey,” she asked gently, as she had rarely seen him so angry; the last time he was was
when she had attempted to throw Ben out, as Will was way too old to keep holding on to a
silly reindeer toy. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
Will didn’t answer; he didn’t want to admit that he couldn’t write a simple poem. Instead,
he yanked open the door of the pantry, and angrily grabbed a packet of chips, completely
ignoring his mother’s worried questions. He would write that poem, if it was the last thing
he did.
Chapter 5
If he was the only one
Will had a sudden thought: he had always been told to write about what he knew. Will
returned straight to his room, cluttered with paper. He sat behind his lowered desk and
stared at the blank wall, just thinking. His reindeer was the only one who had been there
through thick, thin, watching and wheeling. Neither of them had such a special connection
with anyone else. People may have said he, Will, was not the smartest but he wrote by
pouring his emotions onto the page and his emotions were screaming at him: “Write about
Ben and you will follow it through, write about Ben and trust me you’ll know what to do.”
He felt like his emotions were wiser than his thoughts and he trusted them just as much his
furry friend Ben. He reached down to the sloping floor and retrieved his book to start a
draft. His thoughts spread their wings and flew onto his page.
He shut his eyes and flashed back to when he was just 5. His mum wheeled him out into the
fields to visit his dad, who was always farming and was never home to say goodnight. Will’s
wheelchair hit something and he fell straight onto his face. When they retrieved the wheel
out of the mud, a reindeer toy caught Will’s eye. He insisted that he and his mum take the
stuffed animal inside and scrubbed it until it was spotless. That day was the last time that
Will visited his dad, as even now Will refused to go out into the fields.
Ben, oh Ben,
My precious friend.
I will love you always,
It will never end.
My emotions show,
They rule my mind.
I don’t let it make me sad,
When people just stare at me,
They only see my chair,
No one sees through my shield,
They wouldn’t dare.
But you don’t want to look,
You feel no satisfaction from my disability.
With you I feel happy,
With you I feel complete.
I am told I am crazy,
Crazy for believing,
For being myself.
Ben, oh Ben,
Never leave my side,
When you are absent I feel blind.
The young pitied boy felt proud of his work and instantly showed it to his mentor. He didn’t
value Tessa’s opinion but wanted the praise that he was expecting. Even on his worst days,
she could never shout at him as she had too sweet a soul. When she first found his book this
was the feeling she felt, a feeling of hope mixed with determination. His first poem was
childish and too focused on his mystical friend. Now she had to pound his dreams, once
again. She tried to sound proud and not criticizing.
“Will, don’t misunderstand; please don’t get upset. I can’t help but feel that you are
avoiding my help and constructive criticism. I thought that your next poem would be written
about, maybe, love for a human? Not for Ben. It is less childish but still too abstract to
publish.”
Will looked at Tessa, his sapphire eyes locked in with her hazels. She detected a hint of
anger in his eyes and on that note, Will took himself to bed. Through the night Will sat up
pondering on Tessa’s words. He questioned if maybe she was right, maybe he should let go
of his reindeer?
Chapter 6
The crack of dawn…
The crack of dawn brought that feeling of life. The dead of the night gone, melted into rays
that fill the empty sky. The bed sheets were all furrowed around Will giving the impression
that he hadn’t slept well; however this was relatively normal for Will. The sound of his
parent’s normal kerfuffle filled the air, followed by the usual sound of his mum’s heavy
footsteps coming up the now creaky thread bare hallway which woke him up completely.
Will was prepared to give his Mum a smile today; one that would show her he wanted to
change, wanted to be a Poet, albeit a quiet one. His dad entered instead. Will was shocked
because he never saw his dad; he never bothered. He stopped in his tracks, not noticing his
son’s shockwave.
“Son,” He paused. “Your mother and I have been thinking that, well, we don’t think that
your teacher is doing much to expand on your abilities.”
“So…’’ a sure sign he was not finished..
“Well, we have decided to cut your lessons with Tessa.”
And then it hit Will, his words cutting through him like a thousand knives impaling him all at
once. His eyes were all hot and tears were preparing to spill like a waterfall colliding down
his cheeks but he refrained himself.
Will’s slow nod gave his dad an excuse to leave, so he did. As soon as he was out of earshot,
tears came flying down Will’s face. God, why did he have everything taken away
It took an hour for Will to finally come to his senses. There would be no more laughter, no
more happiness, no more days of waking up to a glory filled room and a day where he could
be recognised for who he was and accepted because of it. Those days were in the past and
this was something that Will would not forget and forgive any time soon. After a while Will
started to have an imaginary moment as to what had happened and how it had happened.
He thought it went something like this…..
“Look Tessa thanks for meeting us here. We have something we would like to tell you.”
“Of course anything you want you can tell me.” Tessa
“We think it would be best for Will to stop his tutoring.”
Tessa’s face was not so relaxed and innocent anymore.
“What? You mean I won’t be teaching him anymore?” asked Tessa her face covered in worry
and confusion.
“No, I’m afraid not. We really are terribly sorry for this inconvenience” his parents stated.
Tessa, now desperate, said “Then I’ll work for free.”
“That’s all very kind of you dear but I really don’t think that that will be necessary” was his
dad’s final word.
Will woke up from the imaginary nightmare that possessed him. Then he realized that this
was just the start of the nightmare that turn his life upside down.
Chapter 7
Remember me?
Years later as Tessa sat in an overcrowded train heading into the bustling city of Sydney she
noticed the bold, large print of a newspaper front page heading. Fat, black font splashed
across the top; “How a disabled, homeschooled boy becomes a prize winning poet.” The
man next to her stood up, leaving his newspaper on the seat as he departed from the train.
Tessa looked at the title questioning the possibility of it being Will, the Will she had taught
years before. She picked up the newspaper and began to read.
“Will was born disabled, meaning he would be spending his life in a wheelchair and would
never walk. Will also lived in a small country town named Bindogundra in central New South
Wales and to alleviate the pain, sadness and loneliness of his childhood, he wrote poetry.
Will has won many prizes for his poetry such as the National Poetry Award and the
Australian Poetry Writing Championships.”
“So how does a disabled, country boy become a prized author?” the interviewer asked Will.
“I had a teacher for a short period of time when I was 12 who found my poetry book, in
which I had written many attempts at poetry. Although she was nosy, I thank her for it, for
she saw potential in me and made me work on improving my writing. I have had many
tutors since but she stands out to me and I hope to see her soon to thank her in person, so
thank you Miss Tessa Richardson.” Will’s grin shone out of the picture and Tessa smiled
back proudly at the mention of his achievements. She scanned the rest of the newspaper.
“William J Carter will be holding a poetry reading at the Opera House at Sydney Har-”
Tessa slammed the newspaper shut and threw it down on the seat next to her, dashing
through the open doors of the train. Now she knew where to find him.
Thoughts of their past friendship rose up in her mind. Would Will recognise her? Did he
really mean what he had said? But she decided that she would go and see him anyway, for
he had always been at the back of her mind ever since she left.
Suddenly she heard someone yelling “Tessa, Tessa, Tessa” but she continued walking, telling
herself she was hearing things. When she heard the call again she turned and found herself
facing a young man in a wheelchair with short brown hair cut to show his face, big sapphire
blue eyes and an expression of happiness. She felt herself smile and her eyes filled with joy.
“Do you want to get a coffee?” he asked.
“Yes, of course,” she replied.
As they sat in a coffee shop, they talked about their life in the past 10 years, Tessa marvelled
at how successful he had become.
“ So what made you continue to write?”
“I felt like I wanted to be people’s inspiration for I’ve been given a hard life but so have
other people,” Will said.
“I think that’s brilliant” Tessa couldn’t stop smiling. “I’m really proud of you, Will.” A faint
blush spread across his cheeks, then he leaned forward.
“I’d like to thank you for being nosier than you should have, but it paid off. If it wasn’t for
you then I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have. So thank you for pushing me and believing
in me.”
”You’re welcome,” Tessa said, her face full of pride.
“I wanted to show you the poem that has won the most awards.”
He pushed his book toward her, the page open with the poem ‘Love is in the air.’
Epilogue
Love is in the air
This poem is dedicated to Tessa, my tutor, and to Ben, my reindeer
Love;
A very curious emotion.
For me, love has always been there,
It simply took a very long time to surface.
Love exists in many forms;
A mother to her child, a teacher to her pupil,
A child to his toy, one friend to another.
Love first existed in my heart for my parents,
But that was soon shared by the love I felt for the stuffed toy
That helped me through many a lonely night.
To me, that toy was my rock,
He provided me legs to make up for my useless ones,
He was a friend to stand in for my absent ones.
His name was Ben, a reindeer, and that reindeer took up most of my heart.
Until I met Tessa.
Tessa was my tutor, my mentor,
And I loved her like my mother, like my friend.
She taught me things I could not learn,
She was my school away from school.
You had to leave twice,
And once you never came back.
If you’re out there somewhere, reading this,
I just want to say thank you,
And I love you.
-Will
Will is a disabled boy bound to a wheelchair for all eternity
but finds solace in writing poems and sharing them with his toy reindeer, Ben.
A shy, but imaginative soul, Will resents himself
until he meets Tessa, his new tutor, who changes the way he looks at life.
But what happens when it all comes to an end?