Benworden

by Neal Davies

  That Friday afternoon after school I organised a meeting with Talbert and Harry at the Wile Away Cafe as I had done the previous week with Talbert and Isabel. I asked Talbert to bring the note from Harry’s great, great, great grandfather’s pocket that told the story of finding the gold and who had shot him.

  When the club had met the previous week Isabel had only informed us that Talbert had told her that her great, great, great grandfather had killed a man. We had no idea whatsoever of the connection between her family and Harry’s. I knew about Harry’s family history as this was the one embarrassing thing that Harry had revealed to the club, but not in my wildest dreams would I have connected this partnership.

  Talbert and Harry sat across the table opposite me and I could see both of them were very nervous. Harry had a sugar spoon in his hand and was twirling it over and under his fingers like a marching girl with a miniature baton. Talbert, on the other hand, was picking up and fidgeting with every item he could find on the table.

  “Ok boys. Here’s the deal,” I said, while trying to contain my own concerns. “Harry, you want to know where Talbert found the documents, right?”

  Without hesitation Harry replied, “Definitely.”

  I continued, “And Talbert, you want to keep certain party’s safe from harm, correct?”

  “Yes, that’s all I want,” he said.

  “Ok. I want to make sure the club continues to operate long after I have left Benworden...” But before I had time to finish my sentence Harry chipped in with, “We all want that but what has that got to do with my ancestor’s papers?”

  “I’m getting to that,” I told him. “Harry, what I’m about to tell you could have enormous repercussions on a lot of people and once these facts are revealed the future of a family and the Bull Ants Club is in your hands.”

  “I don’t understand,” Harry said in a concerned murmur.

  “You will once I explain,” I replied gently. I continued on and told Harry the story of what had really happened to his ancestor and how the mine was rightfully his if he wanted it. I explained what the repercussions of mining would do to the club and if this information were ever to be revealed the effect it would have on Isabel and her family.

  I then asked Talbert to give the note to Harry and as he read it tears ran down his cheeks. These were no longer tears of anger, disappointment or frustration but tears of relief for him and his family: he now knew that he could restore honour to them if he chose to.

  “Well, what do you want to do?” I asked.

  He turned to Talbert and said, “The first thing I want to do is thank you Talbert for releasing me and my family from the pain we’ve suffered. As for everything else, I’ll need time to think things through if that’s ok. But I want you to understand that I don’t want Isabel’s family to go through what mine have. It wasn’t their fault.”

  Then Harry turned his eyes towards me and said, “I want you to know, Dylan, my loyalty still lies with the club, but I’ll need some time to think.”

  Both Talbert and I agreed with Harry’s request and it was plain to see that Talbert was relieved when he heard Harry’s statement regarding Isabel and her family.

  The rest of Friday afternoon and Saturday flew by and come Sunday, Harry had requested a meeting with Talbert and me. At first I was feeling apprehensive but I had come to realise over my time at Benworden that some things were out of my control, and the best I could do was go with the flow.

  I was feeling a little displaced on arrival at the cafe as it was normally me who would call these meetings, and yet here I was sitting next to Talbert awaiting Harry’s decision on what was to be.

  Harry began, “Thanks for coming.”

  We both sat there stony-faced and nodded like two convicted criminals awaiting the jury’s verdict.

  Harry continued, “I don’t think I’ve experienced so many mood changes in my life as I did on Friday evening and all day yesterday. At first I was in shock and then I was angry at all the years my family had suffered, but then came relief.”

  We could both see that a new calmness had come over him, one we had never witnessed before. I guessed that Harry had been fighting a never-ending battle to make sure that no one could ever see him as anything less than perfect due to the long-lasting stigma he had endured from childhood. Now, though, with this new information, a dark cloud had not only been lifted from him, but from the family he held so precious.

  Harry smiled and continued, “I spent most of last night considering what to do without others being hurt and think I’ve come up with a solution that I hope all can benefit from. Firstly, my family must be informed of the events that took place when my ancestor was murdered.”

  I glanced across to Talbert and could see a disconcerted look on his face. I understood his concerns for Isabel and I was also worried about the repercussions for the club, but as he continued we both began to relax again.

  “I know my parents will never come to this country so the note my ancestor left will also remain in China with them. The other thing is, my parents are very wealthy and don’t need the gold from the mine, but I do have one request that I hope you can both agree to.”

  Without hesitation I replied, “Whatever you want. If it’s in my power I’ll do it.”

  Talbert followed up with, “Just name it, mate.”

  “I’d like to take a pouch full of gold from the shaft where he lay and send it back to my parents as proof that his letters were true and that he’d found gold. I would also like to entomb my great, great, great grandfather in the shaft after a small ceremony. I’ll explain to my parents that only his jacket and documents were found along with the sack of gold he had hidden in his coat, and that all these items were discovered a long way away from here.”

  We were absolutely stunned. Not only had Harry found a way of regaining honour for his family but also protecting Isabel’s family and the club as well. We were both overjoyed and I asked him how we could ever repay him?

  Harry smiled and said, “I made a pledge to the Bull Ants Club and I stand by that pledge.” Then he looked down at his hand on the table and said, “I will always wear this ring with pride. We’re more than a club or friends; we’re family. Now enough of this. If you want to repay me, it’s your shout for shakes.”

  “No problem at all,” I replied, reaching into my pocket for my wallet. We spent the rest of the afternoon joking and discussing all the amazing events that had taken place over the previous weeks.

  21

  MISS FICKLE TAKES A STAND

  Mr Gowdy couldn’t believe his eyes when the report came back negative to any cavities below the school grounds. I had given Mr Neals a map of where not to drill and he had passed it on to Paul who drilled only where it was safe to do so. The letter had sent Mr Gowdy spiralling out of control and had made him more determined than ever.

  He wrote a letter to the board requesting further funds to do even more drilling. Although the board was obligated to look at every submission that came before them the outcome of his request was inevitable. Mr Gowdy spoke to several members prior to the board meeting to try and rally support for his request but the members had already looked at the excessive amount of drilling that had been done and how the results kept coming back negative. This convinced them that this whole project was futile and they knew there would be an uproar from the parent and teacher committee if they were to blow the school budget knowing they had complied with all the council requirements to check for cavities on the property.

  The board met on a Thursday afternoon and their decision was unanimous. They believed that enough money had been spent on the project and now felt further funding would be better used elsewhere.

  The following Monday, Mr Gowdy received the minutes of the meeting from the board which stated their decision and recommendations regarding further funding, and none of it was going towards more drilling. He almost turned purple after reading it, and if we thought we had put up with some bad moods from him bef
ore then we were in for a shock – they were like a ripple on the sea before a tsunami thundered through taking everything in its path.

  Although she had worn the brunt of many of his terrible tempers before, Miss Fickle had never experienced this type of rage from him and had no idea what was possessing him or what he was obsessing over. She could clearly see though that he had lost all control and had forgotten the real purpose of his position at the school.

  Miss Fickle had worked with Mr Gowdy for the past ten years and although she didn’t like the way he treated the students, there were times she admired his strength when making tough decisions. She was also moved by his passion when confronting the board when new equipment was required for the students or teachers, and how he would achieve success when everyone else felt there was little chance of it. No one ever questioned his ability to put up a great debate and he would always research his facts and figures when doing so, but this time what he was fighting for made no sense to anyone except to him. Even we were a bit perplexed as to why he was so hell bent on exposing our club.

  Miss Fickle had watched as he tried to convince board members to spend money on something that was no longer worth pursuing. She had seen him speak to students like he had never spoken to them before and, worst of all, give detentions for next to no reason to those who wore the rings.

  On the Monday that he had received the letter he was walking past Harry in the corridor. Harry was trying to keep his head down – he could see that Mr Gowdy was in a foul temper.

  “Stop right there, son. Where did you get that ring?” he said, pointing down at Harry’s finger.

  Harry could see Mr Gowdy was in no mood to be messed with but we had a set story we would all stick to no matter what the consequences may be.

  “This ring, Sir? Oh, a few of my friends were wearing one and I really liked them so I asked where they got them and they...”

  Before he could finish Mr Gowdy bellowed, “LIAR!”

  “Excuse me, Sir?” Harry replied.

  Mr Gowdy pointed his finger straight at Harry’s face and said, “You heard me. You’re a liar. And you can have an hour’s detention after school for being one!”

  Harry stood there in shock as he watched Mr Gowdy storm off down the corridor.

  This sort of behaviour continued throughout the week and the whole school was on edge. Miss Fickle was getting concerned – she could see that Mr Gowdy had lost all control and this time she wasn’t prepared to sit idly by and allow it to happen. At the same time Geraldine and I could see that the week had taken its toll on all the members and we were all getting tired of being singled out and punished for the smallest of things.

  Geraldine came up with the idea of a small party to boost the spirits and to celebrate our two new inductees. So that Friday after school we were all to meet in the club rooms. Pizza and other goodies had been brought up through the tunnel and everyone had amassed in the games room.

  We were all having a great time when Harry raced out of the monitoring room.

  “Quick guys!” he cried out. “Come and have a look at this! Miss Fickle is having a go at old Gowdy!”

  Harry raced back in and we followed. He sat down at the control panel and began zooming in on Miss Fickle and Mr Gowdy in Mr Gowdy’s office, and he then proceeded to unplug his headset and turn the volume up so everyone in the room could hear what they were saying. “You mind your place; there are a lot of people who would jump at your job given the opportunity, Miss Fickle!” said Mr Gowdy while looking over his glasses at her.

  She had heard these same words over and over again and had said nothing in return but this time was different; she had had enough.

  “So you’ve been telling me for ten years now, you, you ungrateful man!” she replied.

  We all stood there stunned. We couldn’t believe what was happening and everyone began cheering as though we were all at a world heavy-weight title fight and our champ was beginning to get on top.

  Miss Fickle continued on as feelings that had been packed away for ten years now began to surface.

  “I have stood by you through thick and thin for a decade, but enough is enough. I don’t know why you are obsessed with this drilling or victimising certain students but you’re abusing your position and have lost sight of what it represents. You’re also losing the respect of your staff and that includes me, and if this is the way we’re heading at this school then I suggest that you hire one of those people who you say are looking for the opportunity to step into my position, because I can no longer work with or for you.”

  At this point she lowered her voice and said, “I’ve looked up to you and have hoped that one day you would acknowledge the work I do, or even indicate that you appreciate me by showing me a little respect, but I’ve been kidding myself for too long now. I wish you all the best for the future. You will receive my letter of resignation first thing Monday morning. Good evening Mr Gowdy!”

  Everyone cheered but the room was soon filled with silence again when Mr Gowdy’s brow buckled and compassion flowed from his eyes and he cried, “Wait!”

  At this stage I felt like I was in a cinema watching one of those old sentimental movies and getting caught up in the moment. I looked around at the other club members and could see they were also mesmerised by what was unfolding before them.

  Miss Fickle spun around and said, “What do you want now? Do you want to sack me so you can have the last say as usual? Well go ahead. Sack me!”

  Mr Gowdy bit his lip to stop it quivering and at that moment we were all witness to something that was way beyond anything anyone of us could imagine. He slumped down into his big brown leather chair and leaning forward placed his head into his hands., “No. I don’t want to sack you. You are perfectly right about everything you’ve said and I don’t deserve a wonderful secretary like you. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. Not just for today but for all the times I’ve disrespected you.”

  Greg couldn’t contain himself, “Who the heck is that guy?” he said out loud.

  Some members giggled and others hushed him as you would if you were in the middle of your favourite TV show and your mum came in telling you dinner was ready.

  Mr Gowdy continued. “You’ve been more patient than I could ever be, given the circumstances, and I can now see what a stupid old fool I’ve been.”

  Not one of us had ever seen this side of him before, and I couldn’t believe that after the horrible way he had treated us that we were all having feelings of sympathy and forgiveness towards him. Even Miss Fickle’s facial expression had changed from one of pure fury to the look of a forgiving mother whose child says sorry in such a way that no one can remain angry with him. Mr Gowdy had caught all of us totally off guard. His reaction to her anger was the last thing we would have expected.

  “You’re not stupid!” she replied. “An old fool perhaps.” She grinned at the same time as the girls in our monitor room let out a deep sigh. “But what has been going on with you lately?”.

  He explained how he had felt rejected when he was at boarding by those who wore the ring and how he had been compelled to expose the club that had rejected him.

  She said to him, “ Having known you all these years I find it really hard to understand why you’d continue to pursue something this vigorously for so long. Even if there was or still is a secret club, these aren’t the same students you went to school with. They have never been in major strife and they’ve always treated you with respect – unlike the way you’ve treated them.

  “If the past is the reason for how you’re acting today then you need to stop searching for this so-called secret club and start looking for answers within yourself.”

  “What do you mean?” he replied.

  “It’s simple,” she said. “It seems to me that this secret club was a small part of how you were really feeling back then. At one point or another in our lives we are all left out of something, yet most people move on and get involved in other things. But it seems that you c
ouldn’t. Why?”

  I could see that Miss Fickle had hit on something that even Mr Gowdy had long forgotten and his face was overcome with a mask of sadness. He looked down and began to tell his story. “When I first came to Benworden I met a girl called Edith Evans. She was the kindest, most caring person I had ever met. In fact, you remind me a lot of her. She was the only friend I had in year 7 and I didn’t care if no one else wanted to be my friend – as long as I had Edith, everything was great.

  “Then when we advanced to year 8 she started having less time for me and I noticed she was wearing one of those stupid rings. I asked her why she was avoiding me. She told me I was still her best friend but she just didn’t have the time that she used to have. I asked her where she had got the ring from and she wouldn’t tell me and we began to argue about it until eventually we stopped talking to one another.

  “I hated them for taking my only true friend from me and I swore I would search out and expose their secrets if it was the last thing I ever did. I always thought that there may be an old mine shaft running under or near the school where the club members would meet. I believed this because those who wore the ring seemed to disappear and reappear at will. I can now see I’ve been living in the past and a lot of good people have been hurt by my stupidity.”

  It was almost like old Gowdy had been struck by a lightning bolt from the blue. He understood that he was continuing to pursue his meaningless personal vendetta against ghosts of the past with those who surrounded him today.

  He continued, “I don’t think you should be the one to leave. I will hand in my resignation first thing Monday morning.”

  “Roo,” I called. “Get me the...”