Post by Walker Gregg on Jul 14, 2012 22:46:08 GMT -5
❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂
Toby was supposed to be taking a nap. Papa was - sprawled across the bed with one arm draped over his face and soft snores escaping in a slow rhythm, but Toby couldn’t calm down. He’d slept late, but all his little body knew was that it wanted to be moving. He finally wiggled cautiously off the bed, easing his bare feet down to the cold floor. Papa shifted, mumbling something unintelligible before settling back the way he’d been, and it wasn’t until he’d gone quiet that Toby scuttled out of the room.
The main room – Papa called it a living room, but sometimes he said it like it was a joke Toby didn’t get – was quiet, and Toby crept across to the other bedroom door. That was Rufs’ room, but it was just as quiet as the rest of the dorm and Toby thought that must mean the boy with the funny hair was out somewhere. That made him stick out a lip in a pout – he’d been hoping he and Rufs could color, and now he didn’t know what to do. Put out, he turned to stare in frustration around the living room.
And saw the door into the hall propped open a crack.
Toby was tottering out the door before he’d actually made a plan to do so. He wouldn’t have ever done this anywhere else, because Papa always warned him it was dangerous and bad things could happen if he wandered off. But this school was different. Papa said it was safe, and he let Toby go places with just Rufus or that teacher with the curly hair. He’d never let Toby do that before. So he never really thought that it might upset Papa if he ran outside for just a little while. That’s all he was going to do, honest – go outside so he could play without waking Papa, and then go back in when he was done.
It worked mostly how he planned. At first. He made it downstairs alright, and only had to pass six or seven other people before he was in the grass. None of them seemed to notice him more than a glance, and his luck continued when (after a minute or two of searching) he found a lone tree around the corner of the main building that gave him a good play spot – lots of branches that made good toy guns and swords. He spent a long time playing there. The shadow from the tree had moved to point the other way when Toby finally realized he should go inside and let Papa know where he was. …If he could just remember which building it was.
He ran back the way he’d come, and then skid to a halt when he saw the two dorm building. Why did they look so much alike? He thought that one was the one where they lived, but…but what if he was wrong? Panic was starting to set in, Toby’s throat closing as he danced indecisively on the spot. Papa said never to talk to strangers – especially men (which Toby didn’t understand, but knew better than to argue with Papa about that sort of thing) – but Toby was sure one of them could help him get back to his room.
He finally squared his tiny shoulders and marched toward one of the buildings. It took him a second to wrestle the door open, and once he was inside, he froze once more. The hall was full of girls. Rather than turn around and go to the next building, Toby backed into a corner, curled in on himself, and burst into tears.
❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂The main room – Papa called it a living room, but sometimes he said it like it was a joke Toby didn’t get – was quiet, and Toby crept across to the other bedroom door. That was Rufs’ room, but it was just as quiet as the rest of the dorm and Toby thought that must mean the boy with the funny hair was out somewhere. That made him stick out a lip in a pout – he’d been hoping he and Rufs could color, and now he didn’t know what to do. Put out, he turned to stare in frustration around the living room.
And saw the door into the hall propped open a crack.
Toby was tottering out the door before he’d actually made a plan to do so. He wouldn’t have ever done this anywhere else, because Papa always warned him it was dangerous and bad things could happen if he wandered off. But this school was different. Papa said it was safe, and he let Toby go places with just Rufus or that teacher with the curly hair. He’d never let Toby do that before. So he never really thought that it might upset Papa if he ran outside for just a little while. That’s all he was going to do, honest – go outside so he could play without waking Papa, and then go back in when he was done.
It worked mostly how he planned. At first. He made it downstairs alright, and only had to pass six or seven other people before he was in the grass. None of them seemed to notice him more than a glance, and his luck continued when (after a minute or two of searching) he found a lone tree around the corner of the main building that gave him a good play spot – lots of branches that made good toy guns and swords. He spent a long time playing there. The shadow from the tree had moved to point the other way when Toby finally realized he should go inside and let Papa know where he was. …If he could just remember which building it was.
He ran back the way he’d come, and then skid to a halt when he saw the two dorm building. Why did they look so much alike? He thought that one was the one where they lived, but…but what if he was wrong? Panic was starting to set in, Toby’s throat closing as he danced indecisively on the spot. Papa said never to talk to strangers – especially men (which Toby didn’t understand, but knew better than to argue with Papa about that sort of thing) – but Toby was sure one of them could help him get back to his room.
He finally squared his tiny shoulders and marched toward one of the buildings. It took him a second to wrestle the door open, and once he was inside, he froze once more. The hall was full of girls. Rather than turn around and go to the next building, Toby backed into a corner, curled in on himself, and burst into tears.
and one man in his time plays many parts
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