Page 22 - Cornice_Grade 8

Ketchikan,Alaska

1st July 2022, Friday

Dear Peter,

Hi! I finally managed, after many days, to create an anger dance. I

thought I’d write this letter to ask you for forgiveness. I have learned a

lot by coming to this island and fighting the Spirit Bear so I want to

share some of my insights. I know you aren’t feeling well as I gave you

a severe injury, but I hope you’ll get better soon. I understand that it

seems like a cheap apology on the face of it, and maybe even a taunt
given the gravity of what I did to you, but I could not mean it more.

The day I got mauled by the bear, I felt fear but also realized that the

world was a beautiful place. I also realized how you might’ve felt to
have been beaten senseless and I felt the value of life. When I beat you

up, I was overwhelmed by a fit of anger and couldn’t control the

unrelenting surge of desire to hurt. Thus, I faced you and because you

dared to snitch on me for what I had done, I bashed your head on the

sidewalk. I had hoped you would fight back against my attacks so that I

would know that I wasn’t the only strong one around and that I could

also fight back for myself against my father’s abuse. When I was sent to

the circle of justice, I thought I would get a second chance but then

everyone talked about leaving me on an island. I was terrified but I

played it cool as I was still really angry at everyone and thought I'd be

able to escape when Edwin and Garvey left me on the island. I’d like to

share with you my fears so we can be equal and you can see that I'm

sincere in my apology. I was scared, scared of being alone and being

so far off that everyone would forget me. I was scared of being

insignificant. I tried to escape the island but the tides brought me back

and I saw the Spirit Bear.

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