He’d prayed every day of the school year. With the fervour born of fear and desperation, he plead his case to the Almighty. Please stop them bullying me, please let today be a good day.

Please let someone notice.

Perhaps it was just his cross to bear, for they say the Lord works in mysterious ways. However you rationalise it though, his prayer remained unanswered.

So there was a certain final irony that even after a full school year of silent exhortation, that his final words in the study hall were to that intractable unknowable All-father.

“Please Lord”, he whispered, “Forgive me. I wasn’t strong enough to carry that cross.”

His final bullet drowned the Amen.