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The Story of the "I Think I Can" Kid (Sinisa Juncan - Baton Rouge, LA)


Once upon a time there was a kid named Jimmy, and he was just an average kid. When he was seven, his mom took him to the carnival and insisted he go on the roller coaster with her. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes and whispered, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," but he couldn't because he was afraid of heights, and his mom understood, and she let him be. 

When he was nine, he fell in love with a girl named Alice, and he asked her for a kiss, and she allowed it. He closed his eyes, pursed his lips and whispered, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," but he couldn't because he was too nervous, and Alice understood and smiled because she thought it was cute. She kissed him on the cheek and let him be. 

When he was ten he had to recite a speech in front of the whole class. He prepared his notes, approached the podium and took a deeÑ€ breath, whispering, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," but he was frozen with fear and could not muster more than a whimper. His teacher understood and allowed him to return to his seat. 

When he was thirteen he found he could not get out of bed, for there was no point. He sighed, thought about the hole in his chest where his heart once was, and tried to get out of bed. "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," he whispered, but he couldn't, and he faked a sickness, and his mom understood and couldn't send him to school when he was sick, so he stayed in bed all day and felt the void grow. 

When he was fifteen, he tossed and turned every night, and he felt the colors of the world around him bleed to grey and the void continued to grow. And when he felt the joy leave him, he tried to conjure up a happy memory. "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," he said as he reminisced, but couldn't, for in the past fifteen years all he could remember is the void, and he understood why, and he knew what he had to do. 

When he was sixteen, he was home alone, and he snuck into his parents' room, and he found his dad's gun and he loaded it with one bullet and he put it to his head. "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," he said, and he could, and he pulled the trigger and everything faded to black, and no one understood why or how he could do it, and in their hearts, where he had been, there was just a void.

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