cauldron; the wild and overgrown grounds; the heavy door to the study with the rusty armour; the deserted dormitories and worst of all, the black sickened animal. Oscar shuddered at the recollection of the menacing animal in particular, his heart beating faster and a panic rising in his throat, feeling once more the urge to run. He remembered now, and though the images were seen through the foggy lens of memory, the intensity of emotions that they triggered shocked him all the more.
Eyeing the bowl of slop with greater suspicion than usual Oscar reluctantly begun to eat his food, all the while trying to make sense of what he could now recall. He had to put it down to a bad dream, of course, nothing more. But he couldn’t throw off the feeling that it was something extraordinary, silly as it may seem. The sheer intensity of the experience made his usual dreams seem like pale imitations.
During his meagre lunch Oscar managed a whispered conversation with a couple of the younger children, reluctant though they were to engage. His heart sank as they hesitantly confirmed the rumour passing around. Edmund was a hero for having found Oscar in the pond and saving his life. Despite Oscar’s fiercely hissed protests to the contrary, he received only disdainful looks from the children. They seemed in no way keen to acknowledge his argument and instead chose to side with the more imposing force which Edmund represented. Young as they were, the children were reluctant to whisper in the presence of the matrons at the best of times but on this occasion there seemed to be an unnecessarily rigorous level of avoidance. Indeed, two of the boys in Oscar's presence had upped and left before even finishing their meal. Oscar watched with some concern as they hurried out of the canteen. It was certainly an odd reaction.
Turning to look around the slowly emptying hall, Oscar could see Piggy hurriedly slurping away the remainder of the grey sludge they had been served. Sitting just a few rows behind him and looking totally at ease was Edmund. Oscar stared hard at Edmund trying to convey all the malice he could with one look, but Edmund’s attention was focused elsewhere and he did not see. He was deep in conversation with a tall, dark haired boy who Oscar seemed to remember was called Flynn. As Edmund’s argument peaked, he leaned in further to whisper into Flynn’s ear. In response the boy gave a twisted smile, pushed away his bowl and strode out of the canteen in a less than subtle way, gangly arms swinging by his sides.
Oscar soon decided he too was done with trying to force his slop down and fed up of having been out of the loop so long. Still puzzling over the odd behaviour of the younger boys he pulled himself up from the bench and stalked out the room, once again fuming over the hero rumours Edmund had been spreading.
Heading towards the bathrooms on the way to his afternoon work session, Oscar rounded a corner only to stumble upon what was rapidly turning into an uncomfortable scene. The tall boy, Flynn, had two of the younger children cornered in the hallway; the same boys Oscar had pressed for information at lunch. But no sooner had the group noticed his arrival than the previously volatile conversation drew to a close. A glare from Flynn coupled with a few guilty glances from the boys indicated it wasn’t going to continue until Oscar’s departure. Resigned to now being out of the loop he merely raised his eyebrows and continued on his way.
The sudden switch of allegiance bothered Oscar, for why would the other children choose to side with the one person whose only contribution to their lives would be to intersperse it with beatings? Together Edmund and the matrons managed to maintain a state of constant anxiety amongst the children, he by doing exactly what he liked and they by turning a blind eye. Oscar supposed it was easier for them to let Edmund beat some semblance
Eyeing the bowl of slop with greater suspicion than usual Oscar reluctantly begun to eat his food, all the while trying to make sense of what he could now recall. He had to put it down to a bad dream, of course, nothing more. But he couldn’t throw off the feeling that it was something extraordinary, silly as it may seem. The sheer intensity of the experience made his usual dreams seem like pale imitations.
During his meagre lunch Oscar managed a whispered conversation with a couple of the younger children, reluctant though they were to engage. His heart sank as they hesitantly confirmed the rumour passing around. Edmund was a hero for having found Oscar in the pond and saving his life. Despite Oscar’s fiercely hissed protests to the contrary, he received only disdainful looks from the children. They seemed in no way keen to acknowledge his argument and instead chose to side with the more imposing force which Edmund represented. Young as they were, the children were reluctant to whisper in the presence of the matrons at the best of times but on this occasion there seemed to be an unnecessarily rigorous level of avoidance. Indeed, two of the boys in Oscar's presence had upped and left before even finishing their meal. Oscar watched with some concern as they hurried out of the canteen. It was certainly an odd reaction.
Turning to look around the slowly emptying hall, Oscar could see Piggy hurriedly slurping away the remainder of the grey sludge they had been served. Sitting just a few rows behind him and looking totally at ease was Edmund. Oscar stared hard at Edmund trying to convey all the malice he could with one look, but Edmund’s attention was focused elsewhere and he did not see. He was deep in conversation with a tall, dark haired boy who Oscar seemed to remember was called Flynn. As Edmund’s argument peaked, he leaned in further to whisper into Flynn’s ear. In response the boy gave a twisted smile, pushed away his bowl and strode out of the canteen in a less than subtle way, gangly arms swinging by his sides.
Oscar soon decided he too was done with trying to force his slop down and fed up of having been out of the loop so long. Still puzzling over the odd behaviour of the younger boys he pulled himself up from the bench and stalked out the room, once again fuming over the hero rumours Edmund had been spreading.
Heading towards the bathrooms on the way to his afternoon work session, Oscar rounded a corner only to stumble upon what was rapidly turning into an uncomfortable scene. The tall boy, Flynn, had two of the younger children cornered in the hallway; the same boys Oscar had pressed for information at lunch. But no sooner had the group noticed his arrival than the previously volatile conversation drew to a close. A glare from Flynn coupled with a few guilty glances from the boys indicated it wasn’t going to continue until Oscar’s departure. Resigned to now being out of the loop he merely raised his eyebrows and continued on his way.
The sudden switch of allegiance bothered Oscar, for why would the other children choose to side with the one person whose only contribution to their lives would be to intersperse it with beatings? Together Edmund and the matrons managed to maintain a state of constant anxiety amongst the children, he by doing exactly what he liked and they by turning a blind eye. Oscar supposed it was easier for them to let Edmund beat some semblance
Similar Books
