Hard Questions

I was put into a difficult spot yesterday at work. I was working with a little girl, six years old, whose mother was killed by her boyfriend. The little girl and I were playing with barbies. The girl took the "daughter" character (her) to the "mean man" (murderer) in jail and I was to play the "mean man."

Then the child played:

Girl: I have a question for you.
Mean Man: What?
Girl: Look at me when I'm talking to you!
Mean Man: Ok, what is your question.
Girl: Why did you hurt my mother?
Why did you have to be mean?
Why couldn't you just be nice?

Hard questions for anyone. I could imagine how a murderer might answer such questions, (avoidance, blame, anger), probably none of which would be a comforting or healing response for a child who has lost her mother. Plus, no child of six can fully understand that we all have the potential to do terrible evils in this world... this man was probably not a monster, just a hardened sinner. Grievously sinful. Yet the crime was real, and the need for punishment and justice is also real. Why this little girl? Why her mother?