Justice

Teen Pens Moving Tribute to Bataclan Concert Victims

November 15th 2015

A 16-year-old named Tess is going viral for writing a Facebook post that imagined what it must have been like to die at the Bataclan concert attacks on Friday night. 

 

Tess, who runs the popular Facebook page "Fuck It," has received more than 174,000 likes on her post, which has prompted family members of Paris attack victims to reach out to her, according to BuzzFeed News.

RELATED: ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR PARIS ATTACKS 

 

The post is told from the perspective of a person who died at the concert and imagines their final thoughts at the Bataclan, where more than 80 people reportedly died

Here is the English translation of the powerful post, courtesy of BuzzFeed News:

"Mom, I have a lot to tell you. Tonight, I got into this huge room and I danced together. Danced. Danced. I danced until my feet hurt, I screamed until my throat hurt. I can not speak anymore. Do you remember How many times I asked you, with sweaty hands, if I could go to this concert? At the end you told me yes. So tonight, I let the music make me fly. I was elsewhere, mom, it was so amazing. We were all there, stuck together, screaming, sweating, smiling from ear to ear. An unknown happiness was engulfing our bodies and music was mesmerizing us. Then there was a ‘boom’. You know, this kind of ‘boom’ breaks the spell, which stops time. It was a noise out of the music, it sounded false. Everything shut down. Instruments stopped playing, cries became silent. I was breathless, disoriented, I was breathing hard. And the ‘boom’ sounded louder. I heard screams, like cries for help. It was so hot and yet it was so cold. The booms became increasingly fast, continuously… So we laid down. The ground seemed to tremble but it was we who trembled. And the guns did not stop singing. It was another concert, other notes and the only audible words were just dying groans, hideous complaints. Mom I liked the music, but not this one… And I think they understood this. I, however, did not have time to understand. They killed me, mom. They sung their bullets against me for the simple reason that I was there at the wrong place. The wrong night. They killed me and I’ll never hear the music. 128 other people will never hear the music. Mom, tonight I come to tell you that my notes are silent but the song continues. #PrayforParis I took out my pen tonight. I haven’t written for very long, it is far from beautiful, but it’s written from the heart."

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Tess' piece was well-received almost immediately, racking up 5,000 likes within the first hour of it going live. She has since been contacted by people all over the world, including a French teacher in Florida who expressed interest in having her class read the post.

“I emptied my head and did my best to imagine what it must have been like,” Tess told BuzzFeed News. “Of course, that is impossible! But I did what I could.”

 

The tragic series of attacks in Paris have prompted many to express sympathy and compassion on social media. #PorteOuverte, which translates to "open door," started trending on Friday so social media users could offer shelter, solidarity, and support to the people of Paris.

ALSO: How Parisians Are Reacting To Friday's Attacks

President Barack Obama spoke Friday about the attack: