No Really, I'm OK.....

(My Nightmare)

By Michael O’Connell
November 28, 1994

Dedicated to: My mom who helped me when “IT” happened

One day when I was about 7 I went to a German Swim Club I no longer go to. I was standing in front of two girls in a picnic grove, and they started throwing rocks at me. I got real mad and my face turned fire engine red and confetti came out of my ears. I screamed, “STOP!!!” One of the girls (that I knew) faked a throw. I ducked and turned around and “BANG”. I hit my head square in the middle of my eyes. I had tears in my eyes and I went over to my mom and I told her what had happened. I got a tissue and put it on my head. The girls ran away, and my mom took me home. She got a few things and we went to the Dover general Hospital in New Jersey. I got 3 stitches in my head. When we got home I couldn’t wash my face in the bathtub. So my mom treated me like a little boy for the 6 weeks I had stitches. Then it all snapped. Everything was back to normal. I played sports again. I could go under water again. I never really talked to the girls after that, and they stayed far away from me now.
After the stitches episode I had a friend over; Brian McCormack. We played soccer, rode bikes, and had a snack. He went home and I had dinner, watched TV, and went to sleep. So the next day I went to school and I couldn’t concentrate on my school work. All I could do was think about my incident, but my teacher saw me daydreaming and she gave me tons of homework! So I was up til’ about 11pm doing my homework. I was late for school the next morning. But I wasn’t feeling too well either. I kept falling asleep so my teacher sent me to the nurse’s office to wait for my mom. When we got home I had a drink. So I had a nap. When I woke up I felt a little better. I ate some cookies and had a drink. Then I watched TV and I waited patiently for my brother and sisters to come home. When they did, I hid in a hiding place no one found before. When they came downstairs, “ROOOOOOAAAAARR!!” and you don’t want to know what happened to me after that.

About the Author

One day on July 1, 1985 I was born at the Memorial Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey. I had one brother and two sisters but my little sister wasn’t born until later in 1989.
I am a boy who is interested in sports and I play soccer, fistball (which is a German sport) baseball, and football (for fun) so I really like sports.
I moved from Morris Plains, New Jersey Roxbury New Jersey to Wheaton, Illinois. I also moved further away from my friends and cousins aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Michael O’Connell


In case you were unable to surmise, this post is a story written by my kid brother on the above referenced date. It's hilarious. We found it, complete with illustrations, when I was home for Christmas.

Talk about surprise endings!!!

A few things I feel I have to clarify: I was one of the two "girls". Mikey has repressed this fact. At the time, as my parents were fighting to keep Mike awake (he kept almost passing out), and blood poured out of his forehead, I was terrified. I thought I'd killed my little brother.