I couldn’t say I was looking forward to that day. Harriet was the eldest and, being taller and stronger, she loved bullying the smaller children - like me... - in the orphanage. Even our caretakers seemed to be afraid of her for some reason because Harriet often escaped scot-free. Or maybe they didn’t have the courage to scold her because she was so pretty. When we heard about her being adopted, we sighed in relief. The bully would go. Finally. No more hair-pulling, toy stealing and food spitting.

After she left, the atmosphere got much lighter. The girls now played without having to look behind their shoulders to check if Harriet was around. But now she would come back and we couldn’t help but fear that day. What could possibly have happened? Was she also a bully at her adoptive family’s home? I couldn’t think of anything else.

The day finally arrived.

“Now, I want you all to be nice to Harriet, you hear me, girls?” Mrs Compton, our director, sternly said to us. And I wondered why we had to be nice to a bully.

When Harriet walked in, her head was bowed. Her eyes were red as when you’ve been crying all day. She was thinner too and had bruises on her naked arms. Curiosity was burning in my throat but I dared ask no questions. She did look very disturbed.

“We are all so sorry for our misjudgment and mistake, my dear.” Mrs Compton apologised to her, her face contorted in remorse, shame and pity. “Please go to your room, we left it nice for you. Please also know that we have reported the abuse to the police and your abuser is under arrest. We will do the best we can to make sure your court sessions will go smoothly.”

My chin dropped. “Has the bully been bullied?” I wondered. Had he or she also stolen her toys and spat in her soup? After Harriet retired to her bedroom, Mrs Compton told us some things about abuse. Things that my six year old mind couldn’t yet clearly grasp. Only a few years later did I understand what she meant by “No one, no even me, are allowed to touch certain parts of your body without your consent.”