My name is Elliot Lemm, I attended American University for four years and three months

before I graduated, I was offered a full scholarship to graduate school at the University

of Iowa, a Tarnovsky scholarship in history, all expenses paid, plus six months of overseas

study. Two weeks before graduation, I went out drinking in D.C. to celebrate my impending

trip. A little after two in the morning, I decided to walk back to the apartment I shared

with some friends, instead of taking a cab. I got lost, cutting through an unfamiliar

side street, and it went down a long alley to retrace my steps. There was a woman standing

in the alley under a lamp light. She appeared normal, and I thought nothing over as I passed,

but she stopped me with a question. She asked me if I could show her how to hold her

breath under water. I asked her what she meant, and saw them that her expression was

dazed, unfocused, and despite her tasteful manner of dress, she seemed dirty, her blouse

was stained with a black substance. As I stood there for that one moment, she brought

her right hand out from behind her back. In it, she held a sword, a real metal sword.

Her eyes widened, and without another word, she swung it forcefully at my leg. I screamed

and tried to ward off the blow, but I couldn't. I crumpled to this cement and the sword embedded

just above my knee, and she simply walked away down the alley. My screams brought help to

me quickly, but not soon enough. The pain after my leg was treated, after my three days

in the hospital, was far worse than I thought it would be. My leg had to be totally immobilized,

and then I was in crutches for two months, and during this time I slowly developed the

dependence on the drug, Z-Sominal. I thought it was fine, but when I went off it, I couldn't

deal with it. It felt like my body was screaming for it. It made me lose interest in preparing

for school, and I had a lot of insomnia. It took months for the leg to heal. I decided

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