Penny was tortured each day, while the revelers laughed. Adults did not trust children to be cruel, and so they blindfolded them to remove any chance a child would say no, I don’t want to hurt the donkey.
When Penny brayed as the pins pierced her flesh, the adults told the children that she was laughing. When Penny flinched and jumped back, the adults told the children that it tickled her flesh.
The children trusted their parents and the cruelty continued. Just once, Penny wished a child would tear off the blindfold and say no, I don’t want to play.
Tao Talk 
What kind of sick society is this? One does wonder about the origins of the popular party game…
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Exactly. It is an incremental conditioning to cruelty, starting very young.
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Such cruelty, both to children and animals, is unimaginable. A sorrowful story indeed.
My story – ‘A stab in the dark’
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Yes it is, Keith, but it seems we condition kids at an early age that animals are objects for our use, not thinking, feeling beings.
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Dear Jade,
It’s incomprehensible to think of using a real donkey for the game. Cruel to say the least. Well imagined.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you, Rochelle. It’s heartbreaking as well.
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This is indeed thought provoking.
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Thank you, Sadje.
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You are welcome. 😊
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Well, that made me shudder. Hopefully the police will get wind of this cruel “game”.
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Look at 4H and you’ll see a “game” like no other.
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Someday soon there’ll be a child who will realize what’s happening. There’s always one. Word will get to the police and they’ll descend on this group. A dark but good story, Jade. There’s far too much cruelty in the world. —- Suzanne
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Thank you for your comments and hope.
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Yes, our stories are indeed similar this week. Yours has a little different emphasis–the cruelty that children learn from their adults. Astonishing, when you think of it.
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We learn early, way too early, not to really think about what we are told to do. It’s hard to shake the habit. (K)
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Well-said, Kerfe.
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Ooh thats an awful tale, really horrible. Brilliantly devilish!
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Thanks Shrawley :)
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Interesting story. It takes a lot sometimes for children to buck the trend of what they’ve been taught. Hopefully they will soon in this case, for Penny’s sake.
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Thank you for your thoughts, David.
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A dark story. I imagine that’s how children come to despise the Other and to carry their prejudices with them for the rest of their lives.
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I believe you’re right. Not recognizing we are all part of this big oneness…
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What awful parents!
Well done, though.
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Thanks, Dale.
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Oh, dear, what a tear-jerking story. How cruel and inhumane… and yet, how often do we do just that in a proverbial sense…. think about it… just think about it…
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I’m glad you connected with the story.
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Wow, I think that’s the bleakest story on Friday Fictioneers this week. Children learning cruelty from adults, not just accidently but by deliberate teaching involving deception.
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It’s called indoctrination. Think about 4H and how cruel that is!
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You have painted a nice picture of how us humans can inflict pain on an animal. Children learn from parents. If parents are merciless, then they pass on the trait to their children. Sad story.
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Thank you for your comments, Abhijit, it is a sad story.
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A great message here, well illustrated. Cruelty and abuse are seldom innate, they are taught, we should always teach better ways.
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Thank you, Michael, yes, we should.
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Oh the cruelty we learn… may it come to an end…
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Yes, Bjorn. I connect this also with the poem you wrote yesterday, about your grandfathers. I pray it comes to pass…
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True the lesson is that we should take time to learn the whole picture rather than rapidly filling in the blanks with what we are driven to see. Maybe one day Penny’s wishe will come true.
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Yes
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