I did something really out the blue this morning. I was walking my dog along the beach and I saw this boy in the distance hanging around by himself. I thought he looked about 12 (I'm going blind) and it looked as though he was holding a pair of scissors in his hand in that way you would if you were....

I thought "hmm... boy... alone... scissors... oh dear." He was wearing his school uniform and I figured he was probably mitching off. With everything that happened with my brother I felt my heart pang out to him and I knew that I had to do something. So I was suddenly possessed with this feeling that I had to save the guy, that I couldn't just leave and not do anything or say anything to this kid. So when I got to the top of the hill I went up to the boy.
"Hey, excuse me." The boy turned around and I realised that he looked about 16, not 12. He blinked at me in that way people do when they're being approached by a maniac with a dog. "Are you ok? I was just worried..." I said kinda lamely.
"I'm ok," he said, looking like he was miles away from being ok.
"Do you want someone to talk to?" I asked, walking along with him. He shrugged and because I didn't want to take that as a no (being optimistic and all), I took it as a yes. I found out his name, what school he went to etc. He didn't seem up for talking and I offered to go away but he said he didn't mind, and I wasn't sure if that was a polite way of telling me to get lost or if he actually secretly wanted me to stay. I talked for about five minutes about a bunch of random things that didn't matter and I hoped that he got the impression that I cared. I didn't ask him about the scissors because I didn't want to accuse him of doing anything to make him feel uncomfortable.

Anyway I walked him to the bus stop and said bye and he said bye and that was it, I walked off home.

It's just... if my brother had had somebody go up to him and tell him that they cared it could have been so different. I'm a bit overly sensitive in those kind of areas...

I hope he doesn't kill himself.

And although it would make me feel like a prat, I hope he goes back to school and has a happy happy laugh with his friends about the crazy girl who walked him to the bus stop and that he turns out to be ok.

Maya xx