THE LACK OF LOVE by Brian Chen Xinyun (age 16)
Coordinator for Maple Leaf International Academy: Mirjana Petrovic-Filipovic
School: Maple Leaf International Academy, Shenzhen, China

Today is Friday, just like any other Friday. Tom and his elder sister Sarah left school for a home for their weekend.

 When they were young, their family was poor. Their mom left this home and married a rich man. After this happened, their father drank every day and began to beat Tom and Sarah for no reason. Almost every week, you could see new scars on their body and face. Fortunately, there was a kind neighbor and shop owner. They took care of Tom and Sarah and sent them to school. Tom and Sarah really appreciated their help, so they studied hard and ranked first in their class.

 Today, when they got home, a smell of alcohol rose to their nostrils. “Tom, go to your room quickly and be quiet,” said Sarah. After seeing Tom walk into the room, Sarah went upstairs and walked to her room, sat in front of the table, and started writing her homework. When Sarah is doing her homework, she felt waves of uneasiness. As expected, their father shouted in the living room and began to search for Tom and Sarah. “Idiot, come out!” he called.

 After a while, he came to the door of Sarah’s room. “Come out! I know you are here.” In the room, Sarah was too scared to make a sound. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the back door burst open. The father rushed over to Sarah and grasped her hair. Sarah began to struggle. She found an opportunity to bite her father’s hand. “Ah!” with a scream, her father loosened her hands, and Sarah ran out of the room. She ran to Tom’s room and took Tom out of the house.



 When they were walking on the street, Sarah called the police; she couldn’t stand this life anymore. A few minutes later, the police came. After understanding the situation, the police decided to go to the appellate court. A few days later, the result of the judgment came out. Their father was deprived of the power to raise them. In the end, they were adopted by a neighbor, and finally, they felt the love of family.