Teachers observed a 9-year-old child hiding something in a hole and digging in the earth every day. Everyone was horrified when they learned where he was buried 
For some days, the teachers had been observing the strange conduct of one of the students, Max, who was nine years old. Every day after class, he would go to the back of the schoolyard, where very few people ever went.
At that spot, Max would drop to his knees and begin digging with his bare hands, ignoring the dirt under his fingernails or the scratches on his skin. He would carefully place something in the hole, cover it with soil, and smooth it over as if nothing had been done, after digging for about ten minutes. And then he would leave.
At first, the teachers thought he was just enjoying himself. Children can be strange, especially at that age. But Max performed it with eerie accuracy every day, at the same time, in the same location, and with the same movements. It wasn’t a game.
Eventually, an elementary school teacher lost it. After the bell, she slipped behind the woods and stealthily followed Max. As usual, Max went to the back of the yard, knelt down, dug out a little quantity of soil, and then took a plastic bag out of his backpack and put it in the hole. After adjusting it, he buried it once more.
The teacher was unable to control herself. As she stepped outside, she called him:
— Max You’re here, but why?
The boy flinched. At first, he gave her a terrified look, as if he had been caught in the middle of committing a crime, and he remained silent. Then he whispered.
The teacher was horrified by what she heard.
I’m in hiding.
What’s being hidden?
There was a moment of silence, and then he pointed to the ground:
— Textbooks I bring them here and bury them every day. in order to keep my father from finding them.
The teacher knelt beside him. He averted his gaze from her eyes.
You want your father to find them, don’t you?
He gets mean when he drinks. At one point, he destroyed everything, including the books and notes. Instead of studying, dad suggested that I cook and sweep the floors. But I’d like to find out. I love going to school. And if he rips it up again, I won’t be able to.
The teacher was gasping for air. The skinny lad with the scratches on his hands told her this as though it were a common tale, like he was saying that it had rained the previous day.
She could not think of anything to say. She simply hugged Max and promised that he would never have to face loneliness again.
