At this point, all the boys in the classroom burst into hysterical laughter at Mr. Porter’s feeble efforts. Benjamin looked around the room while the class pointed at the flustered teacher and a sudden relief came over him, which turned into excitement. He couldn’t help but smile, for this was nothing short of a victory. Tommy and his pals couldn’t have foreseen such an unexpected outcome in Benjamin’s favor. They had hoped the rat would have terrified Benjamin or at least make a fool out of him. Instead, their planted rodent had turned Benjamin from the vulnerable weakling into a comical classroom hero.
Tommy Joel was the only boy in the class who refused to laugh. The bully glared at Benjamin, oozing hatred and jealousy.
Mr. Porter tried to shift the pile of papers he had scattered onto the floor using his foot to reveal the rat, but it bolted too fast for him to spot and headed for the door. The laughter and cheering for the rodent was suddenly broken by a loud and unexpected stamping sound. The class gasped.
Standing at the doorway was Mr. Jennings, and under his foot was what remained of the rat. At that moment Benjamin felt nothing but sorrow for the poor creature. Mr. Jennings shot his accusing eyes at him. Popularity contests didn’t matter to Benjamin now. All he could do was stand still and take whatever punishment was coming to him.
“Go to the caretaker and get something to scoop that mess up!” Mr. Jennings shouted, pointing at the dead rat. “Five lashes for that boy when he comes back,” he added, turning to Mr. Porter.
As Benjamin walked out of the room he noticed a small boy with white curly hair sitting in the middle of the class. The peculiar boy gave a pleasing smile and nodded his head at him respectfully. With one simple nod back, Benjamin had made his first friend at Gatesville Borstal Home for Boys.
Benjamin did not see the strange looking boy again until later that night. Stepping into the cold corridor beyond his living quarters, he caught a glimpse of the white haired boy near a window at the very end of the walkway. The moon glowing off his hair silhouetted him like a ghost.
The boy held something dead in his hands before raising it high above him to the moonlight. Benjamin noticed the lifeless tail of the motionless creature hang down between the strange boy’s fingers. Moments later the furry creature stirred, awakening from its death before the boy let loose the rat in his hands. It was the same rat Mr. Jennings had killed, for the distinguished markings on the creature were identical.
The rat bolted up the long corridor toward Benjamin, sticking to the skirting at the bottom of the sidewall until it reached his feet and crawled over them.
It felt too real to be a dream. Benjamin gazed back toward the corridor to address the strange boy, but he was gone.
Staring back at the rat, Benjamin giggled nervously in amazement at the living miracle. “You’re not going to bite me again are you?” he asked, slowly stepping back into his bedroom doorway, hoping the rat would not follow before successfully shutting the rodent out.
Time seemed to go by slowly after that incident. He had spent only a month at Gatesville, but it felt a lot longer. Unfortunately his new glory didn’t last either. Eventually Benjamin became just another face in the hallways while he searched every day for the mysterious boy with the white hair, checking different classrooms and Gatesville’s rota.
He longed for the day of his sixteenth birthday when he would be legally free from the guardianship of Mr. Jennings and Gatesville altogether. But Benjamin wasn’t willing to wait five years for that day to come. He couldn’t. With a zealous desire for freedom growing inside of him, Benjamin planned his escape.
2
Food Fighting
Benjamin sat alone in the dinner hall one day. The walls were painted the most morbid colors imaginable. The top half of every wall around the canteen was a light shade of gray, the bottom half a cracked layer of dark green. The dire colors suited the mood of every soul in the borstal.
Benjamin looked just as miserable, staring at the dark brown stew that filled half his bowl. Thoughts of his old orphanage, Woodson County, ran through his mind. He never thought that he would miss his old home so much, especially the kind minister who regularly visited him.
Suddenly, a splat of the dark brown stew exploded onto his front collar, severing his train of thought. Benjamin glanced up to see none other than Tommy Joel and his two sidekicks, Jimmy Donald and George Johnston, laughing at him from a table opposite his. At first Benjamin thought Tommy was responsible but soon realized that George was the culprit holding the dirty spoon in his hand.
Soon, the entire cafeteria was laughing. A room full of faces jeered at him and whispered to each other. Tommy simply shook his head and gave Benjamin a look of disappointment before gesturing to him to fight back.
Glaring back at his stew, Benjamin sensed something unfamiliar stir in him. His temper soared. He felt hot and flustered. His spoon rattled for a brief moment and at first glance, he thought it had just been the trick of his eyes. Slowly his unused spoon rose off the dinner table at a snail’s pace, too slow as for anyone to notice. Benjamin trembled with fear and excitement but he didn’t dare break his concentration, willing the spoon to scoop deep into the center of the bowl and fling a large lump of stew back at George. When the older boy noticed the dark brown mush coming at him he ducked fast, leaving Jimmy Donald to take the splat. The spoon bounced heavily off Jimmy’s forehead and flung back across the two tables, landing directly back into Benjamin’s bowl like magic. An uproar of laughter from the table next to the bullies boomed out of the dinner hall doors.
Jimmy, embarrassed that Tommy was laughing at him and surprised that the new boy had retaliated in such a bold move, rapidly hit back at Benjamin, throwing his entire bowl at him. Just then, Mr. Jennings strolled directly into the line of fire. Every set of eyes in the dinner hall widened as a half bowl of brown meat and mashed vegetables showered Mr. Jennings’s ragged suit.
“You filthy brat!” yelled Mr. Jennings.
It was too late for Jimmy Donald to begin blaming others, for he was the only one out of his chair in the dinner hall and the only boy who was missing his bowl.
Jimmy pointed at Benjamin. “It was him, Sir, he made me do it.”
“Poppycock!” yelled Mr. Jennings, eyeballing George and Tommy. “You two will go without food today too. You’re thick as thieves, the lot of you.”
Two older prefects took each bowl of stew away from Tommy and George as part of their punishment as Mr. Jennings led Jimmy Donald out of the dinner hall by his ear.
Once the rest of the boys in the dinner hall continued eating, Tommy and George walked over to another table to steal a bowl of stew from two smaller boys who were too intimidated to ask for their lunch back.
After they had finished the bowls of stew, George whispered something into Tommy’s ear before he showed him a cigarette. Both rebels immediately got up from the table and scrambled toward the exit doors of the dinner hall. Benjamin tried desperately to recreate what he had done with his spoon earlier when Tommy kicked his chair as he passed him. The sudden jolt broke Benjamin’s focus.
A few minutes later, Mr. Porter arrived at the dinner hall and requested that everybody go outside for sports activities, Benjamin’s most hated subject. Following in line from the dinner hall into the wide open space of the outside playground, Benjamin could feel his tormentors watching him from a distance, waiting for the right time to get him on his own again.
3
Inside the Library
It was a warm day for the end of autumn. Everyone was outside in the playground, including Mr. Jennings who walked around the grounds keeping a close watch for any signs of misbehavior.
Mr. Porter sat in the shade eating a piece of his strawberry jam covered crumpet when Benjamin snuck past to make his way to the library beyond the back doors of Gatesville.
Benjamin had been to the library hall earlier that morning and smuggled his belongings amongst a shelf of dusty books. He planned to escap
e Gatesville that evening and was prepared to bide his time in the library until night time when he could make a subtle departure through the library window.
Benjamin entered the library with a smile on his face, for his excitement at the thought of escaping couldn’t be contained. There were cobwebs hanging everywhere, from the front doors, to the tables, to the shelves at the back of the room. The smell of mildew was enough to make him feel smothered. Still, Benjamin felt more at peace in this gloomy part of the building than anywhere else. The lofty library had the highest ceiling of any other room in Gatesville and had the tallest windows to light hundreds of old books on display. While reclaiming his hidden belongings from a shelf at the front row, Benjamin stumbled across a few suitable titles. He lifted out The Complete works of William Shakespeare from one shelf and a second book called The Time Machine from another. He then sat at one of the dusty tables to decide which he should read first.
Soon after he started reading The Time Machine, he felt extra warmth fill the room as if someone had entered the library. Putting it down to his imagination, he ignored his initial feeling and continued his reading.
Just then a loud sneeze came from the far corner of the room. Peering from behind the hardback book, he saw that it was the boy who caught his eye before in Mr. Porter’s class, staring right at him. Benjamin set the book down and stared back at his odd-looking peer. The boy’s hair was a blur of piercing white curls and his skin was very pale. His face was pointy and looked older than the other boys.
“You must be new,” muttered Benjamin finally. “I’m quite new to this place, too.
I’m Benjamin Brannon, what’s your name?”
“H. G. Welles,” the boy replied.
“That’s your name?”
“Whom you’re reading. It’s a great book,” the boy added, pointing at the copy of The Time Machine. “You can call me Peter.”
Benjamin placed the books back on the shelves and kept a watchful eye on the strange boy. “Why are you in here?”
“I saw you go in here, so I followed you,” Peter replied, unaware that his honest answer made Benjamin a little cautious of him.
“I don’t like to play outside,” Benjamin said, smiling bashfully at his own portly frame, “as you can probably tell.”
“Me neither,” Peter said confidently.
“Why do you have white hair?”
Peter studied Benjamin’s height and began to laugh. “Why are you so small?”
Benjamin was stuck for an answer and became distracted when he heard numerous footsteps approaching the library.
“Who is that?” asked Benjamin.
“Principal Jennings,” Peter whispered.
Fear struck Benjamin’s heart, causing his face to turn almost as white as Peter’s hair. Dashing from the front shelf to the back of the library, Benjamin motioned to grab the boy’s attention.
“Quick, hurry up.”
Peter took his time, coolly walking to the back of the long room. “What are you so afraid of?” he asked placidly.
Benjamin sunk into the darkest corner in order to easily hide amongst the shadows.
“Do you know how much trouble we could get into if we’re caught in here?” Benjamin mumbled nervously as he peeked between the books on the rear shelf.
“That didn’t stop you from sneaking in,” Peter said before Mr. Jennings walked into the library with two older boys.
“I would like you to clear out any dust or dirt you find,” ordered Mr. Jennings, rudely keeping his back to the pair of prefects. “For once, I would like to have a clean and orderly library to walk into. Understood?”
The two older boys rolled their eyes at each other. “Yes, Sir,” sighed one boy. The same moment, Benjamin accidentally lost his balance whilst crouching and fell against the back wall of books. A book fell to the ground with a loud thud, alerting the three orderlies. Benjamin cowered further into the shade of the bookcase when Mr. Jennings and the two boys peered directly at the back of the room where Benjamin and Peter were hiding.
“Who’s there?” rasped Mr. Jennings. “Get out here now!”
Benjamin was frozen to the spot. Peter knelt down beside him.
“Sometimes it’s better to face your enemy than to avoid confrontation,” Peter whispered assuredly.
“Be my guest,” Benjamin insisted.
Mr. Jennings strode up the aisle with his two trusty prefects at either side of him. “I only ask once. Now your life is going to be nothing short of hellish when I get through with you.”
Benjamin shut his eyes, wishing he would disappear, when Peter grabbed ahold of his shoulder. “Don’t be afraid of him, Benjamin. Face them,” he urged.
“I…can’t,” Benjamin sobbed.
Peter shook his head in disappointment and let go of him. “I’ll face them, then,” he sighed, shrugging like it was no big deal. Peter got up and confidently stepped into the aisle, leaving his friend to hide.
Mr. Jennings and his two companions stopped dead in their tracks once they saw Peter step into view.
“Well…well. I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” Mr. Jennings snickered.
“I was studying, Sir,” said Peter.
“Silence!” Mr. Jennings shouted. “Who do you think you are back talking me like that? You will speak only when spoken to.”
Peter remained silent whilst smiling in a sardonic manner, which baffled the prefects.
“Wipe that smirk off your face! How dare you come in here without permission, especially when the library is closed?” Mr. Jennings rambled on until they were face to face. “I don’t think I like the look of you, boy, which is going to make my choice of punishment rather delightful,” he sneered.
“For your disobedient behavior, you’ll get twenty lashes and extra duties for a week. And you will learn to respect my rules, or I will make your life not worth living.”
Mr. Jennings gave Peter another evil grin before he grabbed him by the ear and marched him toward the library doors. Mr. Jennings stopped once he had reached the doorway. His eyes were filled with suspicion. “Was there anyone else in here with you?”
Peter glanced at the end of the library where Benjamin hid behind a shelf of books, watching anxiously through a gap. Benjamin’s eyes remained fixed on Mr. Jennings while his fear turned into hatred for the man.
Mr. Jennings stared in anticipation, patiently awaiting Peter’s response. “Well?”
Benjamin was sweating even more, anticipating Peter’s answer. Hesitantly, Peter looked to the ground and lied, “No.”
“You’re lying!” he snapped, tugging Peter’s ear even harder while he marched him back down the aisle toward Benjamin, followed by his two trusting prefects.
Something stirred in Benjamin. Anger began to rid him of fear and this sudden feeling of power drove him to stand up to Mr. Jennings for the first time. The creepy old principal was only a few feet away from him when Benjamin got a dangerous idea.
Mr. Jennings and Peter reached the last row of shelves where they peeked around the corner to the back row. The principal fell silent. He could see nothing but shelves and books. Benjamin was gone.
Mr. Jennings yanked Peter’s ear again and handed him over to the two older boys. “Make that a month’s worth of duties for you.”
The prefects escorted Peter toward the library doors when a creaking sound caught the attention of the old man’s ears. A few seconds of silence followed the second creak. After a third creak came a loud smashing sound of several books piling onto the wooden floor. Another bang of shelves and flutter of books followed another.
Peter was the first to notice the sudden mess on the floor. Row upon row of tall shelves came hurtling toward them like towering dominos spewing out heavy hardback books. Peter broke free, knocking the two boys to the ground to reach the library’s exit.
Within a few seconds, the last standing shelf tilted directly above Mr. Jennings and his prefects.
Peter stood in complete awe at the aftermath of destruction Benjamin had created. At the other side of the library Benjamin stood in shock. His spontaneous idea had worked.
“I didn’t hurt him. I-I didn’t mean to,” Benjamin stammered.
Peter smiled and walked over to greet his new friend. “A villain like Jennings never stays down for long,” Peter laughed.
“Get these books off me now!” screamed Mr. Jennings.
“See. I wouldn’t worry about him.”
Benjamin observed the mess of books and furniture around them. Luckily, he spotted the golden emblem on his birth blanket shining between two scattered books on the floor before carefully salvaging it.
“Wow. Did I do all this?” Benjamin asked timidly, stumbling back through the heap.
Peter quickly led the way toward the ground staircase beyond the library doors and ran up it with ease, taking three steps at a time. For a pale boy, Peter was noticeably agile and energetic. Meanwhile, Benjamin’s short and stocky legs struggled to keep up, his feet tripping on certain crooked steps.
Below, a large group of boys had approached the library to investigate the sudden racket.
“There’s little time left,” warned Peter.
“Time left for what? There’s nowhere we can hide now,” Benjamin whispered.
Peter hurriedly lifted Benjamin up after he had sat down to rest. “We won’t have to hide,” Peter smiled. “We’re leaving this place.”
The Three Thorns Page 2