Airship Over Atherton

by Christopher Cummings

  Stephen shook his head. “That mongrel Scranton!” he growled. “We should pay the bastard back.”

  Willy shook his head. “No. Don’t worry about it,” he said. He had had enough trouble and revenge would not solve anything.

  Dr Williams agreed. “Back to school. We will let the authorities deal with the thing in the proper way,” he said firmly.

  Ten minutes later Willy was sitting with his mother and father outside the principal’s office. Stick and Marjorie sat nearby. The four army cadets joined them. Stephen sat next to Marjorie, the sight giving Willy a twinge of regret. He looked away.

  Mr Croswell, the principal, came out of the office with the Deputy, Mr Fitzgerald and Mr Feldt.

  “I have sent for Miss Porter, the Art Teacher, and also for Mr Conkey. I gather that he saw what happened but could not push through the crowd in time.”

  “That’s right sir,” Graham said. “He was with us at the cadet display.”

  Mr Fitzgerald turned to Willy and said. “I’m terribly sorry about all this. It was certainly a marvellous model.”

  “Did you see it sir?” Willy asked.

  “Yes. I was standing on the dais about to announce the Highland Dancers when you first brought it out. It was most impressive the way it flew out off the veranda,” Mr Fitzgerald replied.

  Mr Croswell agreed. “Yes indeed. It looked like the real thing to me. A wonderful model!”

  “It did fly well,” Willy’s father added.

  “Too well,” Stephen put in. This raised smiles and even Willy managed a weak grin.

  The Art Teacher and Mr Conkey arrived and they were all ushered into the office. Willy had to tell his story. This was corroborated by the others. Mr Croswell listened, then shook his head and said: “The problem is that Scranton is no longer a student at this school; and I am informed he has left the grounds. I fear you will have to take civil action through the courts if you want restitution, if you think it worth it. How much did the model cost to make?”

  Willy did the sums in his head:- balsa, paint, electric motors, batteries, wire. He told the principal the total. Mr Croswell shook his head and replied: “Hmm. Not a great deal. What I mean, most regretfully, is that you will have to take civil action yourselves.”

  “And criminal action!” Willy’s mother snapped. “He assaulted my son.”

  “Hmm. yes. Possibly. That is for you to decide. However it is not directly a school matter,” Mr Croswell replied. He turned to the Art Teacher. “I understand the model was entered in the competition. Is there some way we can now assess it? Perhaps by a panel of judges who have actually seen it close up, such as Mr Feldt. They could then also judge all the other entries.”

  The Art teacher, who was the judge for the competition, agreed that this was a possibility. “It would be as fair as we could make it.”

  Mr Croswell nodded and looked at his watch. “Alright. That is what we will do. Can you organize that please Miss Porter? Thank you. Now, I’m sorry, but I must go and start the Folk Dancing competition.”

  They filed out of the office. The army cadets headed off with Mr Conkey. To add to Willy’s depression he saw Marjorie go with them, walking beside Stephen. Willy went with Stick and Mr Feldt back to the science display. He had never felt so wretched and defeated in his whole life.

  For the next two hours Willy sat in the back of the science lab brooding. He barely noticed what went on. Mr Feldt or Stick spoke to him occasionally but mostly just left him to himself. At 5:30pm Stick turned to him.

  “Tea time Willy. Come downstairs and buy some.”

  “Not hungry.”

  “Then just walk with me anyway. Come on,” Stick insisted.

  Willy sighed and got up. He did not really care so he walked automatically. Outside it was quite cool and the crowd had built up to a thousand or more. The two boys made their way to a hamburger stall. Stick ordered a hamburger and they stood talking while it was cooked. Someone touched Willy on the arm. He looked. It was Barbara. “Hello Willy. I’m sorry about your model. It was really marvellous,” she said.

  Willy was tongue-tied. “T..Thanks,” was all he could manage. Karen joined Barbara and tugged at her sleeve. Barbara gave a shrug. “See you later,” she said cheerily and they both walked off. Willy realized he wanted badly to talk to her but she was gone. ‘At least she saw the model and liked it,’ he consoled himself. But so what? She had a boyfriend.

  Mr MacLaren, a Maths Teacher who was acting as cook, passed Stick a hamburger. He looked at Willy. “What about you Willy?”

  Willy went to shake his head but the aroma of frying onions and mince assailed his nostrils. Suddenly he felt very hungry.

  “Yes please sir, one hamburger thanks.”

  “Coming up. Sorry about your zeppelin Willy. I saw it fly past and could not believe my eyes. It was most impressive,” Mr Maclaren commented.

  “Thanks sir.”

  Willy felt a touch on his arm. He turned and saw that it was one of the Year 10 boys, Andrew Collins. Andrew was with Tina, the busty, solid girl from his own class.

  Andrew smiled and said, “That was a great model Willy,” he said. “The best I have ever seen.”

  “Thanks,” Willy replied. He then turned and met Tina’s eyes. They looked full of sympathy but he was so upset that he became worried lest he burst into tears. Not wanting the shame of crying in public he struggled to hold them back but he could feel his eyes watering.

  Tina also smiled and added, “It was really good.”

  “Thanks,” Willy muttered, nodding. But it he knew he had to get away. With a grunt to Stick he turned and walked off, clutching his hamburger tightly. Only after he had reached a quite spot at the side of the crowd did he stop. Stick joined him and chatted away about Andrew and Tina and how both were navy cadets. That allowed Willy to get his emotions under control again. To pretend everything was normal he unwrapped the hamburger. Even though he felt so upset he did not want to eat he forced himself to take a bite.

  The two boys stood and ate their hamburgers as the sun went down behind the mountains. Lights were turned on. The fete developed into a cheerful babble of voices, music, laughter and odd noises. Willy stood amidst it all feeling very lonely, and numb.

  Stick point and said, “Let’s have a look around.”

  Willy didn’t feel like it but he tailed along. In spite of himself he became interested in things, and so many people spoke nicely to him about his zeppelin that he felt much better. For a while he sat and watched performances on the dais in the quadrangle:- the school orchestra, dramatic presentations, Folk Dancing, and so on. At 8pm he went up to help clean up and pack away in the science lab.

  “You going to the dance later?” Stick asked while they worked.

  “I was going to but I don’t feel like it now,” Willy replied.

  “Aw! Come on! You’ve got your good clothes here haven’t you?”

  “Yeah. In the back room.”

  “Then come. I don’t want to go on my own,” Stick said.

  So, against his feelings, Willy went to the dance. 9:30pm found him and Stick just inside the door of the Assembly Hall. The place was in semi-darkness, lit only by a few dim side lights and by the flashing of stroboscopic laser beams in multi colours. The hall was crowded with people, all gyrating to the deafening din of a rock band.

  Willy wasn’t a good dancer and nor was Stick so they stayed on the edges watching. Noddy joined them. They moved to where a drink stall had been set up and bought soft drinks. Stephen appeared from among the dancers, leading Marjorie by the hand. He was now in civvies and both were perspiring and laughing. Marjorie ignored Willy and took the soft drink Stephen bought her, then turned her back to watch the dancers.

  Graham went by, twirling some blonde girl from his own class. Roger joined them with Shona beside him. Pete Bronsky danced by with Tanya, a Year 11 girl. Willy felt his gloom deepen. It seemed everyone had a girl except him. His eyes searched the crowd for Barbara but there was no
sign of her. That surprised him as he was sure she would be there.

  A boisterous group entered the hall. Willy eyed them idly then gasped. One of them was Nigel Cressly- and he had his arm around the waist of a blonde girl from Year 11, Sallyanne.

  ‘Where is Barbara?’ Willy wondered. ‘What has happened?’

  Sick at heart, confused and jealous Willy watched Cressly and the blonde swirl out into the dancing. They were laughing and holding hands. Cressly arrogantly pushed other dancers away to make room. The younger students were careful to keep well clear after that so Willy had a clear view.

  The music stopped. The lights glowed up above a twilight. Brooks, the Year 12 who was acting as MC bounced onto the stage and boomed into the microphone: “Enough of that aimless jiggling people! Real dancing now. Select your partners for a foxtrot.”

  “Good idea,” Cressly called loudly. He swung Sallyanne in and put his arms around her. She giggled and snuggled in close.

  Willy shook his head in disbelief. He heard his name and turned. It was Marjorie.

  “Do you want a dance Willy?”

  Willy blinked and looked around. Stephen had vanished.

  “Where’s Stephen?” he asked.

  “Gone to the toilet. Come on. I don’t want to miss a dance,” Marjorie replied, reaching for his hand.

  Willy drew back. “No thanks. I’m not in the mood. Dance with Noddy,” he replied.

  Marjorie looked hurt. “Oh well! If that’s how you feel!” She turned her back on him. Willy bit his lip. He did not know what to do- or what he wanted. The music began so he just stood and watched.

  Stick nudged him. “Skin and hair will fly now. Look who’s come in.”

  Willy looked towards the door. Twinkling light lit up ginger hair- Barbara. Behind her was Karen. Barbara wore a shimmering emerald green dress which clung to her body. She wore green and gold earrings and a necklace, both of which sparkled in the reflected light. Her hair and eyes shone.

  “She’s beautiful!” Willy said aloud, quite unaware he had done so. Then his mind flooded with ideas. She was not with a boy; and Cressly was with another girl. Was this a possibility? Should he ask her for a dance? ‘Yes, I should,’ he told himself; but he hesitated, fearing another rebuff. He wiped sweaty palms on his trousers and steeled himself, then stepped forward.

  But he was too late. Barbara was laughing and chatting to Karen. Suddenly she stopped. Her mouth gaped open. Then it snapped shut and a look of fury crossed her face. She grabbed Karen’s arm and pointed.

  Willy’s gaze followed the pointing finger and saw that Cressly and the blonde had come into view. They were dancing cheek to cheek. Barbara stormed out onto the dance floor, pushing other dancing couples out of the way. She came to a halt facing Cressly with her hands on her hips.

  Willy saw a guilty look cross Cressly’s face. He stopped dancing and let go of the blonde, although she kept her arms around him. Cressly tried to make some explanation. Willy couldn’t hear what he said because of the hubbub and music but he noted that people nearby had stopped dancing to watch. A ripple of curiosity spread outward across the room.

  The whole room stopped and stared when Barbara suddenly shouted, “Lying bastard!” at the top of her voice. The music faltered and the talk stopped. The blonde let go of Cressly as Barbara proceeded to tongue lash him, shaking her finger in his face and pointing from time to time at the blonde. Barbara’s face looked as red as her hair in the dim light. Willy heard her say something about ‘cheating’, and ‘two-timing turd!’ Then she spun on her heel and stormed towards the door. Willy clearly saw tears on her distressed face. Karen followed her and both girls left the hall.

  Willy was stunned. A surge of malicious glee welled up:- Cressly had been caught out! This transmuted into concern for Barbara. Poor girl! He wondered whether he should go after her. ‘If she has broken up with Cressly then there might be hope for me,’ he thought. But when to make his move? Was this the right time? Or was it the worst possible moment? Uncertain he hesitated.

  The incident had sent the crowd into huddles of excited gossip. The MC called on the band to strike up once more and the dancing resumed. Willy remained standing on the sidelines, his mind in a ferment. Stick left him to talk to some girl in Year 9.

  Willy was now in a turmoil of indecision. He felt he had to follow Barbara but did not have any idea what he would say. Still undecided on what to do he made his way to the door and went out. There was a scattering of people just outside but a glance showed Barbara was not with them. Nor was Karen. Where had they gone? Willy walked slowly up through the school yard. There were still plenty of people around and the lights were still on but the fete was over and they were all engaged in packing up and cleaning up. Still no sign of Barbara.

  ‘Perhaps she has gone down to the oval to be in the darkness,’ Willy considered. That made sense. If she was crying and upset she would not go out into the bright lights. Willy retraced his steps, went past the Assembly Hall and out into the dark.

  He walked slowly, nervous and worried. Over in a corner a couple were kissing and cuddling and that made him jealous. Another couple came into view, walking slowly in the same direction so he detoured. On the edge of the oval he stopped and sat down to think out what to do next.

  ‘She wouldn’t go down to the far end of the oval on her own in the dark, not even with Karen,’ he decided. ‘So where has she gone?’ He decided she might have left the school grounds to go home but wasn’t sure how she had travelled to the fete, whether with her own parents or with Karen.

  At the gloomy thought that she had left Willy sank into deep depression. What an awful day! What an awful month! Surely things must improve? If Barbara had broken up with Cressly surely he had a chance?

  Soft laughter interrupted his thoughts. Murmuring voices attracted his attention. He peered around in the darkness and saw two figures lying at the base of a nearby tree. They were just visible in the gloom. Willy felt embarrassed. They must have been there when he arrived. He didn’t want them to think he was a ‘Peeping Tom’ or pervert so he stood up to leave.

  A girl giggled- a familiar giggle. Then Marjorie’s voice came clearly to Willy. “Ooh Stephen! That’s nice. Do it again!”

  Willy’s blood seemed to freeze. Then he flushed hot. He could not see what they were doing but he could guess. Hot memories and even hotter jealousy surged in him. What a fool he had been! No he hadn’t! His body and emotions told him he of his own urgent need. His mind battled with images of Barbara. ‘Forget Marjorie. You now have a chance with Barbara. Marjorie is just a teasing little tart anyway!’

  Willy stood up and walked quickly away. To his surprise tears filled his eyes and he almost ran into a basketball goalpost. Where was Barbara? He had to find her!

  For half and hour Willy searched the school, looking into dark corners and into all the rooms that were still open. There was no sign of her. ‘Perhaps she has gone back to the dance?’ he wondered. He knew he was clutching at straws but he was now desperately upset and deeply depressed. He walked back to the Assembly Hall.

  As he approached the door he got another painful shock. Into the pool of light at the entrance appeared Stephen and Marjorie holding hands. They saw Willy and Marjorie gave a sickly sort of smile. ‘Was that guilt on her face?’ Willy wondered. ‘Have they done it?’ Knowing Stephen’s reputation he felt sure they had. The thought made him feel like he wanted to throw up.

  Marjorie let go of Stephen’s hand. Willy noted with dismay that she had grass in her hair and on the back of her dress. Burning emotions that he only dimly recognized as envy and hate engulfed Willy. Not wanting either to see that he had observed them, lest they smirk or gloat, he spun on his heel walked away, just in time to hide the tears that flooded out. Burning with jealousy and humiliation he went back into the darkness.

  Later that night Willy lay in his bed a very confused and desperately unhappy boy. For hours he went over everything that had happened that day and pondered: How
could he win Barbara’s affection?

  CHAPTER 17

  PREPARATIONS & PRESSURE

  Willy’s father woke him at 6:30 on Sunday morning. “Come on Willy. Out of bed! There’s a lot of work to be done.”

  Willy grumbled and rubbed his eyes but got up. He dressed and went to the kitchen. His mother was there. She gave him a worried smile and asked: “Sleep well?”

  “Yes mum,” Willy mumbled.

  “Drink this Milo, then go and help your father. Breakfast will be in an hour.”

  Willy did as he was told. He went downstairs and was put to work. First he had to clean out the budgerigar’s cage. Then he picked up all the odd items lying around the lawn. After breakfast he was given a broom and swept under the house. Next he tidied and cleaned the workshop and checked all the tools. His father helped him by cleaning and sharpening the saws and chisels. Lunch was sandwiches.

  During the afternoon Willy mowed the lawn and washed the dog. He resented doing all the chores, especially since Lloyd had gone off to a football match, but his father overruled his grumbling and worked beside him. Willy realized his parents were very worried about him and were trying to keep him busy so he didn’t have time to brood.

  Afternoon tea time came around. Willy joined his parents on the back patio. His mother produced fresh pumpkin scones which Willy ate with butter and honey. After a few minutes of eating, drinking and small talk his father put down his cup.

  “Now Willy, let’s have a talk.”

  “Yes dad.” Willy shifted uncomfortably in his seat and examined his conscience. He felt guilty but could not think of any recent crime- not since Marjorie two weeks earlier. ‘Surely they don’t know about that?’ he fretted.

  “We are worried about you,” his father explained. “Since Uncle Ted’s murder you seem to have become a different person. You don’t laugh or joke anymore, and you mope around and brood all the time.”

  “Yes dad. Have the police any idea who murdered Uncle Ted or why?”

  “No they haven’t. Never mind that. We are talking about you. You must not be so morbid.”