Have you ever wanted to kill somebody? Not out of spite or revenge or anything like that, but just kill somebody to feel what it would be like?

I have. Some people say I'm insane. But then that leads to an expression- there is a fine line between genius and insanity. So does that make me a genius?

Personally, I consider myself a genius. But, then again, that could be because people always see what they want to see about themselves, a theory scientists, philosophers, and scholars call Mind over Matter. You might think I'm insane, but many geniuses border on that fine line. Vincent Van Gogh was-and is- considered to be one of the best and loved artists of all time. Then again, he was riddled with depression, and possibly social anxiety. He cut off his own ear. Edgar Allen Poe is considered now to be own of the greatest poets and authors of his time, and yet, if you read biographies of the poet, you will undoubtedly find at least a paragraph where the author compares Poe to his character in "The Tell Tale Heart". A genius? Or an insane man?

Socrates once said, "Our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness…" so is this thought of homicide a blessing or a curse?

I once stabbed my own father with a pair of scissors. Nothing to kill him, mind, I stabbed him in the leg. Does this make me a criminal?

My brother Nathan does not let me out of the house. Sometimes I manage to escape from the drab prison that is my home. I have not seen the light of the sun for thirty years. I look out the front window, and I see youth. Youth knocks at my door. Quite literally. These children are trying to communicate with me. I manage to get out more often, leaving them gifts, but my brother notices and seals the knothole where I leave these gifts. Do you pity me?

I saved those children tonight. They were the victims of a ruthless crime, and I saved them. But, I got my wish. The blood of the corrupt man that was going to murder them now stains my hands. Do you now think me a hero?

I am shy, and I willingly admit it. According to the law, I am a criminal. According to the children of Maycomb, I am a malevolent phantom. But tonight, according to Atticus, Jem, and Scout Finch, I am a hero.

My name is Arthur Radley. I am a criminal. I am a genius. I am insane. But, tonight, I am a hero.