by Nathan Davey
This treatment made both of us feel very bad indeed. It wasn’t that we felt offended by what they were doing, we just felt sorry for these people who could get so worked up over something so silly. It would seem that these people can get wound up about anything. It was a world I was previously unaware of. I had no idea that people could be so egotistical, that they were willing to hurt their fellow man in the way they do. It was sad. Of course we didn’t say so, because we didn’t really want to be thrown off the train.
We slept for most of the trip. At first we didn’t want to in case those childish actors were to draw stuff on our faces in markers while we slept. The journey was so long that there wasn’t anything to do but sleep, so we allowed our tiredness to get the better of us and we fell asleep.
Thankfully we slept for the entire journey, as we were awoken by the overly excited Joe who shook us violently to get up. We were at first a bit baffled and forgot where we were. Then the memory returned to us, of the stupid promise we made to help this crazy man so he could put on his offensive show.
“Come along you two!” he said, still shaking us even though we were obviously wide awake, “Time to go. We’re in bonny ol’ Scotland!”
“Are we?” I asked,
“That was quick” said Lizzie,
“That’s because you slept the whole way!” said Joe with a creepy laugh, “come on! Let’s get to our rooms! We’re staying at a boarding school just outside the main city, it’s been closed for the holidays so there are no pupils staying there. It’s meant to be very nice. The cooks said that they’re making some dinner for us, so come along, don’t want our grub to get cold”
Joe Pepper ran off with his hand luggage and his copy of Mein Kampf under his arm. He was singing some song we’ve never heard of very loudly in German. I sighed loudly at the horrible prospect of what was to come. I could hear an imaginary announcer talking loudly in my head:
“Ding-Ding! This is the end of line, welcome to Bedlam. We would like to remind everyone to make sure that all of your possessions are on you, EVEN your imaginary ones. Please ensure that your straitjacket straps are nice and tight. Before you leave, keep in mind that seeing things that aren’t there and thinking your Elvis is NOT a good sign. Have a nice day and mind the gap. Cheerio, bon voyage, tally-ho, whippidy-boom and good luck in the big world out there!”
We got off the train at Edinburgh Train Station. It was quite dark as it was fairly late at night. A cold wind blew through the Train Station and sent a shiver down my spine. While we were asleep we had missed all the beautiful landscapes coming into Scotland, so our first impressions of the place were purely based on the fact that is was cold. Once again the United Kingdom freezes us at the time of the year it’s meant to be hot. It was almost as if the weather was mocking us, bloody weather.
Joe was gathering the young actors around to do a head count. After counting everything he started to lead them all out the Station towards and the main entrance. It wasn’t too busy so there wasn’t much pushing and shoving. I and Lizzie hung around the back. We knew very well that our popularity among the theatre troupe was wavering before it even had a chance to develop.
We then suddenly remembered about the Moped, so we headed back as fast as we could towards the carriage which held bulked and larger luggage. Upon arriving there we saw the bike, showed our ticket to the worker in the blue peaked hat and took the bike away. We simply took off the brake and pushed it along. It didn’t take us long to catch up with the others.
When we came out of the doors and up a long slope towards a main road, Lizzie nudged my shoulder and pointed towards a boy in the group a head of us. He was a small, blonde haired and nervous looking boy who was trying to talk to a very pretty girl he was walking with. He looked no older then fourteen.
The girl was far more interested in a tall, hard looking bloke who was walking on the other side of her. Soon her interest in the small boy went as she walked on with the taller lad. The small boy looked a bit downhearted as we walked on through Edinburgh, on that cold night in summer.
The boy fell back in the group and was looking down at the ground sadly as he walked along. He was all alone now. The group up ahead were laughing, singing and fooling around. Meanwhile one of their own was left to walk all alone, as none to them paid any interest in him. I saw an opportunity to be helpful and kind. I turned to Lizzie who smiled at me, in a way which told me that she was thinking of the same idea.
We sped up ever so slightly until we were walking on either side of him. I stood to the right of the boy still pushing the Moped along. Lizzie linked arms with the nervous boy and gave him a kiss on the cheek. This startled him to begin with and he became all shy. Lizzie giggled when she saw the young lad’s cheeks go bright red under the harsh streetlights.
“Alright?” Lizzie asked sweetly, “You seem a bit larrysome”
“I’m fine” he replied the boy in a very pronounced way, “I’m just not very good at making friends”
“Join the club!” I said, “Me and Lizzie only have each other. Everyone else back home thought we were dicks. Don’t you worry mate. It’s all about quality, not quantity”
“But, I don’t have any friends” said the boy sadly,
“Nonsense!” said Lizzie, “You’ve got us now”
“During the production anyway” I added with a smile, “who was that girl you were talking to?”
“That was Amber” he said, “just a girl I like”
“Aww, young love” said Lizzie grinning, “how sweet”
“But she’s not interested in me” said the boy sadly, “She likes Anthony”
“Is Anthony the big lad who’s trying to grab her boobs?” I asked, watching the event unfold in front of me,
“Yah” replied the boy meekly, “that’s him”
“Don’t worry mate” I said, “I’ve come across a lot of guys like that. Girls go through a silly faze, in which they find brutes like that attractive. Most of them grow out of it and find someone a lot nicer, unfortunately a lot of the others don’t”
“He’s so much bigger then me” said the boy, “He’s way more popular as well!”
“But what does that prove?” asked Lizzie, “popularity in school just proves to everyone else that you’re not a very nice person. That’s a generalisation I know, but all of the popular boys that I’ve come across have all been sexist pigs. Not like Aaron here, he’s a nice guy like you”
“I’m not anyone special” said the boy,
“You are mate” I insisted, “everyone in special. Even that pleb in front of us is special in someway. Stop being so negative, it really doesn’t suit you. We’ll keep you company, don’t you worry”
“Thanks” replied the boy simply.
This was a lad of few words. I connected with him instantly. I knew how it felt to feel disconnected from the rest of the world. I knew how it felt to feel unwanted among your peers and those you like. It really is horrible when you really like someone, for them to not like you. I wanted to cheer this little fella up. From my own experiences I know how easy it is to fall into these kinds of pits of depression.
Meeting this young boy had brought a new meaning to this trip. A new and more meaningful mission had been brought to my attention. Joe Pepper’s messed up show no longer mattered to me, for that point on it was just a reason to keep within close contact to this troubled boy. Suddenly I didn’t feel so bad about coming to Edinburgh. I knew that I was going to be able to do some good after all. If this boy hadn’t come I think within the first performance of this deranged play, me and Lizzie would had gotten back on our bike and whizzed on down the road.
When we finally arrived at a main road, me and Lizzie climbed on the bike and invited the boy to come, with me in the sidecar. There were no seatbelts now, because we gave them to Purple Skull, so we improved and tied me into the seat using some mouldy old rope from the sidecar boot. That boot was full of so much rubbish, that I don’t think I ever found out what it al
l was.
On the morning we left, Joe had even us a print out from Google Maps with a map of Edinburgh and the surrounding area. On the map was a red line which showed how to get to the accommodation from the Train Station. The boarding school they were staying at was in a little town on the outskirts of Edinburgh, not too far away. Lizzie was driving this time, the boy gripped around Lizzie’s waist for dear life while I sat in the sidecar holding the printout.
As Lizzie revved up the engine, I suddenly realised that I hadn’t asked the boy the most obvious question of all.
“What’s your name?” I asked,
“David” he said, “David Nork!”
“Cool name” commented Lizzie, “Let’s roll!”
The yellow Moped went zooming down the street and towards the location of the school. As we past Joe and his group walking along, we noticed the girl from the train roll her eyes disapprovingly and telling her friend something. We went past shops, bars, clubs, restaurants and theatres. Scottish folk who were laughing their heads off at the funny looking yellow moped with the rusty sidecar. We saw lots of oddly dressed people who were handing out flyers, obviously trying to promote their show.
People who put on shows at the Edinburgh Fringe are very brave indeed. The competition between theatre troupes and acts in incredible. Many stand-up comedians come up against some of the worst hecklers that the world can offer. These people are putting themselves up for a serious gamble with their careers. They do it because they love what they do and want to make a living from it, so they put up with the torment. They’re so brave, I mean I couldn’t have done it.
I very soon regretted the decision of going in the sidecar. It shook and wobbled. I hadn’t felt so unsafe since I decided to give the roundabout at the local park a go. I gave Lizzie the directions when we came to forks and turnings in the road. I found myself holding onto the sides of the car, in an awful attempt to feel a bit safer. My entire body shook and vibrated, it was like being in an electric massage chair set onto full blast. There were some sharp turnings which made the sidecar rise off the ground ever so slightly. It was enough to scare the shit out of me though.
After a frightful half an hour speeding through the City, we came out into some countryside and fields. This passed briefly as we came into a small Town with many boarded up shop windows. This Town had been affected by the recession quite badly, as there were just rows of buildings all empty and vacant. The only shop that was still open was a supermarket where everything only cost a pound or less.
The Town was quiet. Only a few windows were still alight in this late hour. The only people who were still out and about were people just younger then me. They were in hoodies, sitting on a wall and smoking cigarettes. Many would scorn at this image and go on a rant about how much they hate “chavs”. To me it was just a sad sight. Those kids had nothing left in their Town. There was nothing else here for them but poverty and boredom. My heart went out to them.
I gave them a wave. The kids looked up and, with a weak smile, waved back. I knew so well how those boys felt. To be cast aside by society without any real reason, expect for the rubbish that they’ve read in the paper. We’ve turned full circle. We were once in a prosperous time where we accepted everyone as equals and tried our best to be good people. Now we have returned to a Dickenson Britain, one where the class system rules and the poor are left alone with no one to help them.
I really wanted to change that. I’ve said this many times before but when I see kids like that who’ve given up on their childhood, it makes the passion for my mission grow within my heart. One guy can only make a small difference on their own, so I hoped that in the future others will follow my example. We can bring this system down, make the upper classes come down from their silver thrones and help us down here in the real world. It’s only right. It’s only fair. It’s only humane.
We passed the boys with that sad thought still lingering in my mind. We then came up to an archway made of brick, which sat to the right hand side of the road. We turned in and drove into the school’s grounds. The gravel path was lined with trees and the grounds covered in lovely green grass. We came to a little roundabout type flower arrangement, stopped and waited there for the others to arrive.
I got out of the sidecar and almost worshiped the nice steady ground. All three of us sat in the grass and faced the archway we’d just come in from, so we could see the others when they arrive. David’s face was a lot brighter compared to how he looked before he left. Apparently he’d never been on a motorbike before and absolutely loved it. His hair was pulled back dramatically from the wind blowing through it as we were travelling. It took him a while to calm down as we sat there on the grassy grounds of the school.
The place looked more like a castle then a school. It had thick grey bricks, large windows, gothic architecture and even some towers. Even though quite a lot of the place looked run down, it still looked very nice and impressive. That was just my opinion about the exterior, I hadn’t seen the interior yet. It was getting colder so we decided to wait for the others in the foyer of the first building we saw.
The front of the foyer was entirely made of glass, so we had the same clear view of the archway as we did before. When we went inside we saw a large sign which said: “Boys Dormitories”. Inside were six couches. Three of the coaches were in a horseshoe formation facing the front. The other three were in a similar formation facing the back, which was another wall made of glass looking out onto a basketball court. The couches were in pretty bad condition with balls of fluff pouring out of rips in the material, springs poking out at all angles and some pretty nasty stains which looked irremovable.
I sat on one of the couches. It sunk down so much, that I nearly felt my bum touching the floor. The sudden dip into the couch made me jump and led to a lot of laugher from the three of us. Lizzie and David joined me and sank deep into the couch, just so much that we could see the archway outside. Soon the laughter died down and we sat quite comfortably.
We had a good look at our surroundings. From the building’s exterior we expected a very posh collection of rooms with marble and chandeliers and such. From the inside the building just looked like any other school you’d go to up and down the country, maybe just a tiny bit scruffier. Just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Even though it looked like quite a rough place, it still felt surprisingly cosy and homely. We all knew that it will be comfortable to say here.
“This doesn’t look too bad” said Lizzie, “Our school made us go some real dumps on our school trips. Those places were way worse then this. I could like it here.”
“The others are taking quite a while” I said, “Do you guys want to have a little look around?”
“Sure” answered David,
“Sounds good” answered Lizzie.
Directly opposite us was an open doorway leading into a corridor. Leading the way, the three of us went through the doorway, switched on the light and ventured inside. We found a little kitchen with a kettle, a fridge and some boxes of teabags. At the end of the room was a little staircase which led into an activities room.
The activities room was reasonably large and contained many bashed in items of entertainment. There was a piano with keys missing and the entire back ripped off. The piano had a wheel missing making it slant at an angle where it stood. At the back was a pool table with missing balls and no cue sticks. The smashed windows at the back of the room, with large circular holes in the centre of them, suggested where those balls might have gone. There was also a large television, the old kind with the long backs we had before flat screen, with a very basic free view box plugged into it. It worked perfectly fine though. There were some more ripped and torn couches, all facing the television.
Once again, even though the appearance suggested otherwise, the room still felt calm. It wasn’t threatening in anyway. We sat down in front of the television and watched some more late night comedy shows. All of us felt relaxed and content. You don�
��t need all the expensive stuff to feel at ease, all you really need are the bare essentials.
I don’t know how long we were sitting there for, laughing at the hilarious comedians on the screen. There was one joke, I think it was about women and make up, that was so funny that I fell off my couch and was rolling along the floor. Some of the things that the comedians said were funny! It had all three of us in stitches. I swear that there was one point where I was laughing so much, that I got a cramp in my sides and I couldn’t even breathe. It was then that Lizzie was laughing at me laughing. I love it when Lizzie laughs like that. It happens very rarely even now, but when it does it lifts my heart. After everything she’s been through; all of the bullying, putting up with perverts staring at her and her battles with depression, it was just nice to see her so happy like that.
It seemed like we’d been sitting there for ages, laughing away like a bunch of hyenas, when we heard voices coming from outside. Lizzie got up from her chair and went over to the window to see what it was. She turned to look at us with a disappointed expression on her face.
“It’s them” she said.
I think she must have been enjoying the time we were spending together. She knew that it would be ruined when those “Marvellous” people turned up. We all got up, turned off the television, walked out the door, down the corridor and into the foyer. Joe was already there and smiling from ear to ear with glee.
“Here we are!” he cried, “Isn’t it marvellous?”
“It’s a shit hole!” said one of the boys,
“It’s disgusting” said another,
“It’s gross” said the girl we encountered on the train,
“It’s grotesque” said a boy at the back,
“It isn’t that bad” I added, “Sure, it may not look all that great. But it’s cosy enough and back there there’s a pool table, a piano, a television and . . .”