Loneliness & Anxiety

Emma Crawford - A Tribute

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“It’s 11 pm. 31st December, 2022. The last entry to my diary. Because I don’t think I can do this anymore. I just hope I’m making the right decision.” And with that, the last entry went up in flames and the rope tightened.

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Hello there, I am Ava Holland, a private (and not very busy) investigator. This would be my account for a horrifying case I had to deal with a few weeks ago concerning a certain Emma Crawford (trigger warning).

It was an average Sunday when I woke up to a dozen missed calls from an associate of mine. Now, normally, contrary to what most of us have read in Agatha Christie’s books, my own life as an investigator is nowhere nearly as adventurous or thrilling as Hercule Poirot’s. So, this particular incident of so many missed calls, and that too on a Sunday morning really creeped me out. I decided to call him back. And to this day, I’m not sure if I regret that decision or not because what I heard shocked me to my core. A few miles away from where I lived, a 15 year old had committed suicide. And the most disturbing thing about this entire situation is, I knew her. Her name was Emma, and I used to live right next to her family until about a month ago when I moved. And even more disturbing was, she was literally the most optimistic individual you could ever come across with a smile on her face ALL the time. I put down my cellphone, still in shock, because out of everything I expected out of that phone call, this would never have crossed my mind. Her family was still in denial about the fact that it was a suicide, which is where I come in. They want me to confirm whether or not it was actually a suicide or maybe something more sinister. I sat at my desk, mulling over the details of the case and decided I had to take the case. It was the least I could do for Emma and her family.

 As my car crawled into my old neighbourhood, it struck me, how very different it seemed. I don’t know if it was because of the tragic news that weighed heavily on my mind, or if everyone had really been affected that much, but there was a very ominous aura around the area. I parked my car, and walked up to the front door to ring the bell I had grown so familiar with. This case felt too personal for me, and I just couldn’t shake the sinister feeling off. Mrs. Crawford greeted me looking dumbfounded and Mr. Crawford had a very sorrowful and confused look in his eyes. I felt so very terrible and appalled at how something like this could ever happen to a family I had grown so close to. They were desperate for answers, hoping against hope that their daughter's death wasn't self-inflicted. I sat down with them, trying to make out if anything had seemed wrong with Emma but even they hadn’t sensed anything off with her. As I delved deeper into the investigation, I discovered a series of cryptic messages and disturbing drawings in Emma's tablet. While I was investigating, I came across this partially burnt piece of paper. I could identify words like “decision” and “11 pm” and “diary”, which led me to believe she must have kept a record of her life. If only, I could find it. But while on her laptop, I noticed a very disturbing app she had been frequenting. It showed contact with certain people who had clearly been manipulating, which she probably had not understood. Finally, the manipulations became very sinister and they even started threatening to murder her family if she didn’t suicide. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I read the messages. If only, she had confided in someone, such an unfortunate tragedy could have been prevented. I sent my reports to the police and trusted them to find whoever did this to Emma. I steeled myself and gave Emma’s parents the answers they deserved. I told them that the least we can do is find the bullies-turned-murderers and present the case in court. Hopefully, they would receive their due punishment for doing this to Emma.

  This particular case has been one of the most scarring in my entire 8 years in this career. I sincerely hope anyone facing depression or bullying of any form, does not put up a facade and go about their life without telling anyone anything, because that really does more damage than you would think.

Ava Holland, signing off.

Rishita Mukherjee

10C