In Boo Radley's Skin

Note: Yet another work from English class. I do not know if I should have tagged this work as a fanfiction... It is based upon Harper Lee's bildungsroman "To Kill A Mockingbird", so therefore none of the characters belong to me.

For those readers who do not know, "To Kill A Mockingbird " is considered a gem in American literature, so please do consider reading this explanation to avoid confusion. The novel tells the story of a fictional town, Maycomb, Alabama, emerging from the Great Depression era through the eyes of Scout Finch, a very young girl. She lives with her older brother, Jem, her widowed father, Atticus, and the family's black cook,  Calpurnia. Being a lawyer, Atticus is appointed to defend a black man who is charged with the rape of a white girl. As Atticus bravely combats racial and social inequalities in Maycomb, his children roam around, led by curiosity, growing into more mature young adults.Each summer, they are accompanied by Dill, a boy their age from the town of Meridian who comes to visit his aunt in Maycomb.The children soon become fascinated by a "malevolent phantom" -Boo Radley. Rumor says that Boo is a creature who haunts the town at night, being locked in the Radley residence by his overly religious father, after misbehaving and attacking him with a pair of scissors.However, as the plot progresses, the children discover that these assumptions are more than just inaccurate.Boo relives his childhood through the adventures of Scout, Jem and Dill, and decides to offer them presents in the knot -hole of a tree as a medium of communicating with them.

The task of the assignment was to imagine a scene from the novel through the eyes of one of the characters and write about it in the form of a short story. I took the perspective of Boo, as one day the children play by rolling in an old tyre. We were to keep  the words of Atticus Finch in mind when writing the assignment: " First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along better with all kinds of folks.You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Please enjoy.

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Watching the year progress into its seasons through the long, shuttered window, I could not help but share the gloomy atmosphere with Scout Finch, who once again passed my miserable residence which had been almost forgotten. The summer would arrive within a matter of days , the school hours would be cut short , and all the children could return to their anxious mothers and fathers to be greeted with pleasant questions of “How was your day ? “ and with more enthusiasm than ever before, reply politely . I began to ponder whether or not his would be the case for the little Finch siblings. From the gossip of our neighbours, I learned  that the coming summer would bring them their companion, Dill, returning to Maycomb from his mother in Meridian. The summer would bring Dill, but also a variation to Scout's and Jem's daily routine. One day, they may ramble in places within my vision, yet another day they may leave me full of anticipation to share another adventurous recreation with them. Scout's emotions have always been contagious, and it frightened me how they could easily transfer onto me.Painfully, I watched her disappearing again, and I figured that if I could not make her day fortunate in person, I could have at least deliver her  joy and cheer by leaving a donation of some chewing gum in silver tin foil inside the knot – hole of one of my oak trees. I awaited the day that followed.


I observed as Scout got closer to the house with her head down. She sprinted past the two oaks. I sank back in my chair, disappointed, but almost leaped out of it as I saw her draw nearer to the gift that had caught her attention. Curiosity, and other mixed feelings, revelation or panic perhaps, were written across her face. I found it somewhat amusing when she stretched her miniature hands to discover the chewing gum. Just as I have seen her before, she galloped towards her dwelling place, without a second thought. I have not taken notice of my brother, Nathan, as he stood before me, alarmed with my triumph. Like a child, I was told not to do it again, and like a child, I disobeyed.

The subsequent day, Scout and Jem paused in the same area. Scout pointed, and annoyed, Jem reached up and awkwardly pocketed what he had grasped. The two trotted away, more casually that before.

On one occasion, I was startled and drawn back from admiring the cracks in the walls and ceiling by shouts and familiar voices, customary to my hearing. Among the two Finch children, stood their companion from Meridian, slightly confused by what seemed as the topic of the previous discussion.
“Let's roll in the tyre! “ Scout proposed. Her face showed an evident hint of hope.Jem drew in a breath and sighed demonstrating his exhaustion.
“You know I'm too big.”
“You can push,” came Scout's confident reply. Jem nodded in defeat while Scout clapped her hands, and with as much strength that she made herself find, hauled a car tyre, ragged by its age, up to the Finch front yard.
“I'm first ! “ she declared, as Dill was about to fold himself into the it. The situation seemed dangerous from where I had been observing it. I had the desire to shout out to Scout that Jem was about to commit something mischievous. Unfortunately, I lacked time, ability, and most definitely courage. Fright enveloped me, as Jem gained on power, and with a swift thrust, he pushed the tyre.


The speed was incredible, and Scout turned pale. Jem and Dill, suddenly struck and alert by the realisation of their grotesque act, shrieked and dashed forward in hopes of outrunning the tyre. Both were at a stand- still when it began to bounce wildly in all directions, turn strange angles and corners while rolling on the road and flinging Scout across the front steps of my residence. She seemed even more petite at this moment, juvenile and vulnerable. I examined for any signs of bruises or open wounds but became relieved when I discovered she had remained in perfect condition despite the tremendous fall. I began to comprehend how close she had been, and it made we wonder that that was surely the shortest distance from which I have ever seen her. Scout lay on the cement for a dozen of seconds while shaking her head back and forth, and used her hands to remove the bangs of brown hair away from her eyes. I found such sight sweet and lovable, and for what seemed like the first time in an eternity, I  laughed. A most genuine laugh. It was entirely different from the smiles and chuckles my mother would receive from me, or the sniggers in between brotherly conversations that me and Nathan shared.

The young girl trying to make things clear on my front steps detected my laughter, which made me cover my mouth in understanding of what I had done. Realizing her surroundings, Scout fled, abandoning the tyre on the slightly uneven gravel. She reached her two friends, and the older one, enraged, trudged back to retrieve the forgotten tyre, while grumbling offenses of Scout being “So much like a girl,” over his shoulder.

Dill attempted to comfort Scout, just when Calpurnia emerged out of the kitchen. The children disappeared, with Jem transporting the tyre under his arm. All sounds of cheers and groans of disapproval faded. I was faced with thin air. It truly was amazing to be a child once again. I giggled, but said giggle progressed into an almost insane laughter, as I clutched my abdomen. Nathan gave me a puzzled look from over his newspaper, as he sat across from me, not fully aware nor able to understand his younger brother's sudden outburst of happiness.