From the time she could walk, she had an affinity for all things living. Wild animals would not run from her in fear. Instead, they would allow her to approach and even touch them. Birds, small animals, and even large creatures accepted her gentle touch and listened to her whisperings. I remember the one time we went camping with our friends. We heard of a bear that was in pain and hurting those it approached. They had called in the rangers and we were waiting for them to arrive. When the bear approached our site, Gwen went to the animal and calmed it down. She was only three at the time and yet she had the confidence that the howling creature would not harm her. She placated the bear until the rangers arrived; and she continued to do so while the men examined it. I am still amazed by the incident when I think of it.
I cannot believe Gwen would do what they have accused her of doing. She would never hurt a living creature. She believes that all animals have a soul and that injuring, and even killing one, would be as harmful to them as it is to a human soul. Experimentation, mutilation, profit. These are not words I would associate with her. She is the antithesis of what the media has labelled her. The police have it wrong. If anything, I believe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If anything, I am sure she was there to free the animals and in some way remove them from harm.
The police need to treat her gently and with respect. She is wary of those who postulate, who do not show their inner souls to the outside world. I wish they would allow me to see her. Why are they keeping her in solitude and treating her like an animal? I need to help her, to show her gentleness and calm down the fear I am sure she feels inside her soul. I fear for her survival in a place run by those who see only the dark side of humanity.
© Colline Kook-Chun, 2013
(This creative piece of writing is a result of this week’s Free Write Friday image prompt)
Colline's Blog 
Excellent piece Colline 🙂
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Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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Yes, excellent dear Colline, I am impressed. Thank you, have a nice weekend, love, nia
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Thank you for reading Nia. Hope you have a wonderful weekend too.
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I read this twice before commenting. This is a unique take on the image! A spiritual healer accused..hmm.. Such a compelling piece.
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Thank you so much. At times accusations are made hastily – and I would imagine this would be one of those times.
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When I saw the photo I thought about you and wondered what you were going to come up with. And there you did it again. Lovely meaningful story .
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Thank you Scrappy. I do enjoy using photos as prompts to writing 🙂
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🙂
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An imaginative interpretation Coline! And beautifully conceived 🙂
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Thank you Madhu.
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Great story — very powerful and highlights the disconnection we have with the natural world.
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Thank you Phylor. This disconnection was what I wanted to show.
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It is unfortunate that we keep ourselves separate from nature and all to often with a superior attitude when it comes to animals. I believe everything living and breathing has a spirit.
This is an amazing piece. Thank you.
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I believe the same as you Kellie. The photo you shared with us was so inspiring – the little girl must have a true affinity with animals.
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That’s a very strange thought provoking piece. It made me feel quite uncomfortable. We often misunderstand those who are more in tune with the natural world than we are.
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It is so easy to push aside that which we do not understand, isn’t it? Thank you for sharing your reaction to my piece.
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Hook, line and sinker. You really got me reeling in with the story. Nice done. As it progressed, it reminds me of The Green Mile. Very Beautiful piece, Colline.
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Hank you for the compliment. I enjoyed reading The Green Mile too. Very powerful story.
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Wow. Very interesting, Colline. Another poignant summary of an intense reading experience that could easily be extended in the form of a short story or novel. I noted that Suzanne stated that she felt uncomfortable reading the piece. Your writing has real bones to it and is stirring the emotions of the reader in just a couple of paragraphs,.
I, too read it a couple of times to capture all that you had written. This is really good, tight writing where you don’t want to miss any word in any sentence or you may miss some essential component to understanding the essence of the story. I also enjoyed how in just a few paragraphs, you turned the story in a couple of different and unexpected directions. This piqued my curiosity. And, I often find my mind wandering when I read if the writer’s writing is overly wordy and I’m not certain where it’s going. I’m a lazy reader! I want the author to take me on a journey.
You definitely do that, every time.
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Thank you for all your positive comments Darlene. It has become a habit of mine to write concisely. Sometimes I wonder if I am too concise.
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‘Too concise’? Meaning? Do you think you are leaving something out? Maybe that something is just what the reader will continue to read your writing to find out?
Just a thought. What do you think?
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I tend to get to the nitty gritty and not write all the fluff that many authors do. It works for me – but then I am not trying to pad what I have written.
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Great piece of creative writing Colline, I actually was starting to think that I must have missed some report in a news article somewhere.
Emu
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Thank you. That means I wrote it realistically 🙂
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I want to live forever young! Beautiful piece, thanks.
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Write the book Colline…I would be the first in line to buy it! I am intrigued.
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Thank you Geni 🙂
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Incredible story, incredible image. Is that Gwen in the picture? Where is she, and what animal(s) is she accused of abusing? What evidence do her accusers have against her?
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Yes, it is Gwen when she was a child. In order to answer your other questions, I would have to continue writing the story 🙂
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I hope that you do.
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😀 Well done, Colline 🙂 Your imagination always amazes me! I am sorry I have been so busy and could not read this sooner.
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Thank you Paula. And thank you for coming by when you had the chance 🙂
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