Liyana Jamili 2009 369 433 CT223 En Ismail Kassan : Theories and Practices in Writing Final Short Story

Assignment 2APRIL 2010

Blues Best Friend

Come on, Sloth, hurry up, or well be late for school again! said Blue to her pet slug. They were late again, because Blue, the little girl who lived at the farthest corner of the most prestigious lane in the neighbourhood, got too preoccupied with her pet that she forgot all about school. Sloth just kept on ambling up the pavement, further frustrating an already irate Blue. She was not afraid of being punished for being late to school again, she was used to being punished for what she felt was peculiar things, like wearing the wrong colour for her late grandmothers funeral, or singing to herself during school assemblies or during lunchtime. No, she was getting anxious about reaching school as soon as possible because she was excited about learning something new every day. Her curiosity was for anything, and everything. Unfortunately, this unrelenting curiosity for the world always landed her in trouble. Like today, she was late to school again. But Sloth was named Sloth for good reason, it was because he was truly like his namesake, and Blue, forever faithful to her pet, would always kept time with it, and walked a slow, exaggerated walk, just so that her pet could keep up with her. She crossed the road without so much as a glance to the left or even the right of the road, simply crossing, and fortunately, there no cars on the road. The passerbys that notice this odd little girl walking strange walk gawked at her, and didnt know how to react to her when she passed them, and couldnt help noticing that she was singing a strange song, as if she was mumbling a song to herself, in a strange language that nobody understood.

When she finally reached the school gate, she smiled and waved to the Ben, the security guard, who never returned her smiles or waves. In fact, he does not even acknowledge her at
1

Liyana Jamili 2009 369 433 CT223 En Ismail Kassan : Theories and Practices in Writing Final Short Story Assignment 2APRIL 2010

all, and this is something she always wondered about, but she would pounce on that question in her head later, when she finished school for the day. As she entered the hallway, Miss Cathy, the school headmistress, noticed her ambling up the hallway, looking for her class. Blue was a frightfully forgetful little girl, but all of this ceased to upset or even cause any kind of reaction from her parents. Miss Cathy took sight of Blue, wandering through the halls, and seized the opportunity to attack her. Just where exactly do you think youre going, Miss Blue? Miss Cathy berated Blue. Blue just turned to Miss Cathy, smiled, and opened the door to her newly discovered classroom. The headmistress, was furious with herself, letting this child get to her this much. She didnt understand it. What is it with this child, that gets into her thoughts, and drives her mad with questions. Blue rarely spoke out of turn, and she was a peculiar student, but a clever student, so Miss Cathy had no bone to pick with her. Blue, entered the room, dazed, and it seemed like she floated towards her seat at the back of the classroom. Miss Fiona, her class teacher, reprimanded her for being late yet again. Blue, must you be late every single day? Miss Fiona had grown tired of her bright yet constantly bored and listless student not taking her lessons seriously. Miss Fiona was from the military, for a great number of years that took up most of her youth, and now a lonely spinster with the typical pet cat, focused all her energy into teaching young children. She liked uniformity, and discipline in her students, and Blue was the prime example of what Miss Fiona disliked children. If she had it her way, she would cane these annoying little snots into shape, because she believed that striking terror into children was the only to raise them.She of course, had no child to her name, for no man, to her disbelief, had ever courted her and wanted to raise a family

Liyana Jamili 2009 369 433 CT223 En Ismail Kassan : Theories and Practices in Writing Final Short Story Assignment 2APRIL 2010

with her. This only striked her as a mild annoyance, for she truly believed that a man will soon fall to her charms and good looks in the near future. Throughout the monologue Miss Fiona had in her head, Blue sat primly at her table, took out her notebook, and started drawing, whilst mumbling a song to herself. She was drawing for Sloths benefit, and singing a song whilst she drew helped Sloth remember her stories better. The little children who sat all around her, heard her soft mumbling, to which they were accustomed to, and sniggered and exchanged nasty looks at each other. They didnt see Sloth, and they couldnt see it, because Sloth was only visible to Blue. Sloth wasnt a figment of her imagination, it was real, but nobody seemed to believe her of its existence, so she had since stopped explaining its invinsibility. The biggest boy in class, Jimmy, son of Mayor Ayden, the towns longest serving mayor and scoundrel, noticed Blue drawing and singing to herself, and asked Miss Fiona, if they could start their art lessons early today. Jimmy learned diplomacy, and other tricks from his father. He was definitely his fathers son. Miss Fiona, who adored Jimmy, and coincidentally, his father as well, was quick to agree that the art lessons could indeed begin, so all the children clamouring inside their desks for their art things. Miss Fiona decided they were to learn how to make Chinese lanterns, and proceeded to teach them how to fold paper to make a pretty lantern. But remember children, dont cut the paper yourselves. Come up here, and I will cut your paper for you when you are done folding. Now line up infront of me,please said Miss Fiona, and gently lead Jimmy at the start of the line.

Liyana Jamili 2009 369 433 CT223 En Ismail Kassan : Theories and Practices in Writing Final Short Story Assignment 2APRIL 2010

Jimmy was given a blue paper, and Miss Fiona took great care in cutting the paper for him. Thank you so much, Miss Fiona! Youre my most favourite teacher in this school, announced little Jimmy. Blue sauntered up to Miss Fionas desk, and waited patiently for her turn. When it was finally her turn, Miss Fiona announce recess, and reminded everyone to put all their things back in their desks. Blue, disappointed, slumped back to her table, and took her lunchbag with her. At the cafeteria, Blue sat alone, but she had two plates in front of her. The teachers that passed her, noticed this and started whispering to each other. I heard her family is actually a couple of hippies, who lived in a commune, you know, back in the Woodstock Era?I bet she was one of those babies, inhaled too much of that green, I think said the first teacher, who taught Blue Mathematics. Blue was excellent at Mathematics, but the teacher didnt like her because she felt that children shouldnt be able to finish an exam within 10 minutes, because she felt that children werent that bright to begin with. Blue was feeding Sloth, which was what her father called, the Wednesday Special Surprise, but Sloth wouldnt eat it. Blue, started telling it elaborate stories, making it seem that eating her fathers lunch would be a wonderful adventure, and Sloth slowly finished its food. Blue even promised Sloth that if they finished their food early, they could go to the school playground for awhile, before recess was over. That encouraged Sloth to finish both their foods faster. After lunch, Blue and Sloth were taking a walk through the gardens, on their way to the playground. In the gardens, the shrubs were quite thick and high, not exactly the best or safest kind of gardens for a school for children, but Blue liked it there, because nobody could find her there.

Liyana Jamili 2009 369 433 CT223 En Ismail Kassan : Theories and Practices in Writing Final Short Story Assignment 2APRIL 2010

She was wrong though.Jimmy knew her whereabouts, and he wanted to do something he had been scheming about for quite awhile. In his hands were the art class scissors that Miss Fiona had specifically told them not to handle without her supervision. He found her, humming to herself, snuck up behind her, and pulled her up by her long hair, coincidentally tied up in a ponytail that day. She screamed, and flailed her arms about, begging Jimmy to put her down. She began to cry, but Jimmy started laughing, in the evil laugh that he hears his father use on his tiny mother, before their bedroom door closes every night, the evil laugh that is always accompanied by his mothers cries and begging. He hated Blue, and he didnt understand why. He just knew he hated her, and he wanted to make her cry. He noticed that Blue liked to play with her hair, and that was when he decided that he would take that comfort away from her. He wanted to cut off her long hair, and he wanted her to cry and beg for mercy from him. In his excitement to torture Blue, He didnt notice the big, black, smooth shaped rock, and he tripped, instantly letting go of Blue. As he tripped, he let out a scream of terror, for Miss Fionas art class scissors had pierced through his stomach.