Natasha Fondren

I haven’t, but I knew a few kids who did. One of my best friends went to Catholic school, which was an endless source of envy for me. First, I wanted to wear the uniforms. Second, I wanted to go to private school. Third, I was dying, and I mean dying to go to boarding school. I begged and pleaded with my mother, even sent away for the brochures. I remember crying.

When that didn’t work, I tried for a scholarship to the Catholic high school in my old school district. I don’t remember how that ended up, but I think the deal was that I could go to the little Catholic high school down the street that was terrible, and that was a big “no” from me.

I’ve been reading a lot of my old childhood favorites lately, some disappointing (the Oz books), and some just as wonderful as always (Narnia & Harry Potter).

And somehow it brought me back to the devil. You see, someone in my friend’s class did see the devil. In fact, the devil appeared at this particular Catholic elementary school yearly.

No one said, “I don’t believe you.”

We all believed it. We all were certain that the devil was red with horns and a tail. We spent some time weighing what we would do if we did see the devil. And, I suspect, I was not the only one who was curious enough to wish the devil would show himself to me.

Most of all, I suspect I was not the only one who imagined myself the hero in an all-out battle with the dark one.

I remember that absolute belief that we, as little munchkins, could battle the devil and win, that we could be the heroes. But then, teaching all ages proved to me that children are stronger than adults, almost all the time.

What did you believe, as a child?