~
Jimmy
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders and kicked at the dirt with his right foot. He felt gravel creep into the crack where the sole had separated. The sand slid into the spaces between his toes. He kicked again. He tried to dislodge the grit but only succeeded in adding more tiny rocks. They clambered all the way to his heel. He did not wear socks. He stopped kicking and pressed his foot down hard on the bed of sharp stones that had collected in his shoe. He shifted his weight. The pain felt good. It was a perfect distraction.
He raised his eyes but not his head and looked out between the long bangs of clumped dark hair that hung like bine-stems over the ruddy red fruit of his cheeks. He kicked at the gravel with his other foot. The gravel sprayed out a short way from the edge of the expanding hole. The spitting gravel became an imperative. He needed to kick harder at the ground. He needed to make the hole deeper and larger. He wanted to be able to fit his whole foot into the hole. No – more than his foot – he wanted to make the hole so big he could climb into it – so deep he could build a fort inside of it. It had to be a secret fort. A fort in a place no one would ever find. He looked at down at the hole and saw his foot and leg begin to stretch and warp like he had just developed some sort of elastic superpower. Now he could worm his way down into the ground and slowly push dirt out of the small hole, making a grotto below. All it would take to keep it secret was a leaf covered branch laid carefully over the top. His new super power would allow him to warp his body so the hole could slowly swallow him. He would be able to disappear into his super–secret grotto. He could conceal and surreptitiously drop boards and nails and tools he had hidden in his pant leg, down the hole. He could build a perfect hiding place.
Jimmy kicked at the ground harder and harder. The gravel flew and sprayed into the air. He raised his foot again.
“STOP—kicking the ground!”
The sound was a concussion grenade. His foot stopped at the apex of the kick. His ears reverberated. The sound echoed in his head. He was frozen on one foot and felt as if he would lose his balance and fall over. He wobbled and caught and slowly put his foot down. He looked between his legs. The hole was not even deep enough to fit his foot. His super elastic powers had faded. He raised his head, shook his hair aside and looked at her. He opened his eyes wide, dropped his chin and held his mouth closed. It was his anti-surly look.
“Sorry,” he said and let his bottom jaw drop, forcing his mouth to form a perfect innocent “O”. He knew she would continue. He knew he would be repentant. At least he would look and sound repentant. That was the important part. The appearance of a thing was better than the reality of a thing. This appearance would not get him out of it or free of it but it would temper the tempers that were bound to flare.
He stood and waited until she explained her opinion on the matter—until she defined the obvious consequences – until he nodded in agreement to each of her statements – until she was finished. He made no attempt to go or even appear as if he wanted to go. He knew that would negate the façade he had just cultivated. He had to appear truly remorseful. That was how you dealt with people. That was how you survived.
“I’m glad you understand. You may go now.”
He turned and slowly walked away. When he knew there was no one watching he started to run. He ran like The Flash and soon outdistanced it all.
~
G. Michael Smith has a BA in Psychology, English and Creative Writing and a professional teaching degree from the University of British Columbia. He has a Masters of Arts degree from San Diego State University. He has written four science fiction novels in The Forevers series all featuring a young female protagonist; mid-grade novel titled Hijacked – A Beechwood Adventure; written and illustrated three children’s books titled The Accidental Adventures of Bernie the Banana Slug, Lily Liar and the Eleventy Headed Monster and Tiny Tina and the Terrible Trouble. His website is https://gmsmithbooks.ca.