by M S C Barnes
“a few things for you all to note: I expect drive. I expect determination. I expect ambition. I do not expect defeatism, I do not expect negativity and I certainly do NOT expect the wrong kit!” Instantly his eyes shot to Seb and the sniggering began. “Master Thomas, out of fifty-three boys you are the only one wearing a rugby shirt. Did you not at some point, in the changing room, pick up on the clue that all the other boys were wearing polo shirts?”
Seb looked at the floor. He had known this would come, but hadn’t imagined he would suffer a public dressing-down. And how come he knows my name already?
In the total silence Dan’s gloating voice rose out from the middle of the waiting throng, “Told you, Thomas!”
“I presume you have an explanation, Master Thomas?” The teacher glared at Seb.
“I put the wrong top in my bag this morning, sir. I am sorry.” He hung his head.
There was a pause, a collective silence as everyone waited for the response.
“You all,” Mr Carter lifted his eyes from Seb and scanned the faces of the boys in the foyer, “get to play one joker. Master Thomas, you have just played yours.” His eyes returned to Seb. “Don’t let it happen again. Clear?”
“Clear, sir.” Seb nodded. What do I do next week? He worried.
Mr Carter opened the door and stood holding it. “Everyone, it’s cross-country day. No negativity, no defeatism. We’re going to find a team of winners to get us that inter-school cup. Am I right?”
There was no response, just shuffling as the boys edged out into the cold.
Outside, Seb felt the bite of the wind and was actually glad he was wearing his rugby shirt. Dan hovered by the exit door, scuffing his feet in the gravel and gave Seb a shove as he passed by. Zach pushed him back, slamming him into the wall. Mr Carter looked over but didn’t intervene as Zach held Dan against the wall for a second, saying nothing. Then, releasing his hold, walked away.
They set off in groups of ten to complete a circuit of the enormous, windswept field. Seb, with Zach and Aiden, was jumping and waving his arms to keep warm.
“D’you know what, I’d rather run than freeze C’mon!” he said, running towards the line. His surprised friends followed and they began their run.
It wasn’t as bad as Seb had worried it would be. He stayed with Aiden for the whole distance. Zach, however, with Seb’s encouragement, whizzed around the field and was back before Aiden and Seb had got half way. He received a pat on the back from Mr Carter who made a note of his name and Zach waved thumbs up to Seb.
As Seb and Aiden turned onto the third leg Seb gazed into the woodland bordering the field. He could smell the undergrowth, could hear the trees rustling and the odd caw as crows swept from one tree branch to battle with the strong breeze and gain a perch on another. Then he saw a silver figure standing about ten feet back from the tree line. There was another figure with it, though this figure looked normal, human, wearing blue jeans and a blue, hooded top, the hood pulled over the head. Seb rounded the corner and glanced back. The silver figure had turned and was moving deeper into the woodland. The blue-hooded person had disappeared.
Relieved to enter the warm changing room, Aiden and Seb were greeted by an ecstatic Zach who had been selected for the cross-country team. Dan, giving them a wide birth, threw them a few dirty looks but changed quickly and left before Seb and the others.
Bats and Squirrels
After eating their lunch the boys returned to the bench under the oak and Seb told Aiden and Zach exactly what he had seen in the corridor that morning. Aiden was horrified, Zach sceptical. Snorting, he said he knew Seb’s birthmark had changed, had seen the treasure leaf, had seen the fireworks coming from Seb’s hand. He examined the fading burn marks on his own fingers.
“But invisible ogres in libraries? Disappearing doors? Seb you’re letting your imagination run riot!”
A screech broke into Zach’s musings and a little shape whipped at amazing speed from the woodland towards Seb. Zach was on his feet instantly, caught the thing and threw it a good fifty feet back into the woods, shocking himself in the process. Aiden whistled.
Seb stared at the tree that had swallowed up the little creature. “How’d you do that?” he said.
Zach shrugged. “What can I say? I’m awesome.” Then he frowned. “Those beasties won’t leave you alone!”
A crunching on the gravel made them turn and Nat and Scarlet looked sheepishly at them. They were accompanied by Alex and Abi who followed Zach’s gaze into the woods.
“What’s so interesting about the trees?” Alex playfully nudged Zach.
“We wondered where you had all been sneaking off to.” Abi sat on the bench. “The Beach isn’t exactly the best place to spend lunchtime.”
“Then don’t!” Zach said rudely.
“Zach!” Seb said, embarrassed at the blunt comment.
Zach shrugged and sat down. Alex perched her little frame beside him and then inched closer, her bushy hair flying about in all directions as the wind pulled it free of an inadequate hair band. Her tiny feet kicked the gravel under the bench and she smiled cheekily at Zach. “So what do you all get up to in these secret meetings?”
“Nothing much. Just chatting really,” Scarlet said lightly.
Alex leant in closer to Zach until her shoulder pressed against his upper arm. He wriggled to his left but had nowhere to go since Abi was on the other side. She, though, decided she’d had enough and stood.
“Come on, let’s go and get a softball and play some netball.”
Alex jumped up too. “Are you guys coming? I don’t like sitting here; I bet the teachers are looking out at us now.” She turned and scanned the staffroom wing. Nat and Scarlet decided they needed to go with the girls, fearing the fledgling friendship would fail if they didn’t. The four of them left the boys alone at the bench and wandered off in search of a softball.
Seb sat next to Zach and swivelled round to look at the library window. The colours of the oak tree were more muted this side. He felt tempted to walk over to the clear panes at the bottom and peer in, ogre-spotting, and was about to stand when a quick movement beside his right foot held him back. He looked down to see a grey squirrel inching out from under the cobwebby iron slats of the bench. Audaciously, the squirrel sat in the lea of Seb’s shadow. It snuffed the air, rubbed its nose with its tiny paws and in a swift movement jumped onto his lap.
“Woah!” Aiden was thrilled. Standing a couple of feet from Seb he took a step forward, tentatively reaching a hand towards the creature.
“You have turned into Dr Doolittle.” Zach prodded Seb.
As Aiden’s hand reached the hindquarters of the animal it jerked upright, sensing danger. With a quick jump it darted off towards the woodland, but not before leaving a wet patch on Seb’s trouser leg. The tang of fresh urine drifted up to Seb’s nose and his friends collapsed in fits of laughter.
“Oh, great – squirrel wee! Thanks Aiden!” The warmth of the wet patch was soon replaced by iciness as the wind cooled it. “Oh heck, I can’t leave this; I’m going to have to clean it up. Can you smell that? That is really, really strong!” Seb screwed up his nose and stood up.
“Yes we can smell that! I think the kids in the Year Ten playground can smell that!” Zach was struggling to control his laughter. “You are a dream to be with, mortal!”
Crunching across the shingle to head for the toilets nearest their classroom, Seb caught a movement in the woodland near the library. Standing in the trees was the figure he had seen during the run, blue hood still pulled down over the face. He glanced forward to see where he was going and when he looked back at the woods the figure had gone.
Seb spent ten minutes standing in his boxers and socks by the sinks, washing his trouser leg, putting as much liquid soap on the area as he could before scrubbing. He spent a further ten minutes trying to dry the patch under the hand dryers. The lunch bell went and they walked back to class, Aiden and Zach still laughing and tea
sing him.
The afternoon, with two new teachers Seb hadn’t so far met, passed without further incident. However, Seb was the recipient of frequent questioning glances from those nearest him as they sniffed and coughed, trying to pinpoint the source of the unpleasant odour they had detected and narrowing it down to his general area.
On the journey home Seb’s mother enquired about the smell, The Taz went on and on about it and Scarlet was blunt, “You stink Seb! You stink of wee. Did you really pee your pants this time?”
“A squirrel peed on me!” Seb mumbled, head hanging as Scarlet laughed.
“How on earth did you get close enough to a squirrel for it to pee on you?” his mum said, surprised.
“It sat on my lap and when Aiden went to— ”
“Sat on your lap?”
“Yes, Mum, it just jumped on my lap at lunchtime. We were under the old oak, on The Beach and it just came out from under the bench and jumped on my lap!”
Seb saw his mum’s eyes widen slightly in the rear-view mirror but she became distracted by The Taz who was holding a Batman toy out of the open window, trying to get its cape to flap in the wind.
“Adam, don’t do that, you’ll drop it! Bring your hand in!” She put his window up and the rest of the journey was spent with The Taz imploring her to open it again and promising not to put his toy out.
Moonlight
Seb’s dreams that night began with giant squirrels lumbering through corridors,