Young Writers Society

This is the first chapter for a Novella I am working on, please critique.

One

Christopher was a normal boy with a normal life. His parents were always smiling, he loved his sister and his parents loved him and nothing could ever break the happy home. In one year he would finish school and begin a building apprenticeship. His life would be normal and great and he would be happy.

Today is just like any other. Christopher blinks into consciousness, slaps a hand on his alarm clock, rolls over for ten more minutes sleep before another alarm and the inevitable, curtain-opening, visit from mum.

‘Come on Christopher time to get up, your breakfast is on the table.’

‘five more minutes mum’

‘Not today Christopher come on’

Christopher lifts the blankets and is hit by the cold. He jumps out of his pyjama’s and into his crisp school uniform, which was neatly folded on his desk. Like a slug he treads to the table, pats his sister’s head and falls in the chair in front of his porridge. Today is a day like any other except today the teachers have parent interviews so today is only a half day of school.

Christopher’s dad is a butcher. He gets up before Christopher eats breakfast before Christopher then watches an hour of news before driving his roaring blue sedan to work.

‘Morning boy’ he calls from his recliner.

‘Morning dad.’

Christopher slurps most of his breakfast, packs an apple and a bag of chips in his backpack along with his books and throws it all over his shoulder before running out the door.

‘Oh wait Chris, Grace has something to ask you?’

Graces little plump face becomes red.

‘ I don’t want to mum’

‘Go on Gracie’

Her face is bright, her upturned nose points to the ground as she swallows before her shaky voice can start.

‘Umm, Can you maybe come walk me home today?’

Chris turns to face his mother tilts his head with a thin smile.

‘Why grace?’

His mother spots Graces gaze fall and answers for her.

‘She’s been having a bit of trouble with bullies’

Christopher veils his anger with a soft smile.

‘Alright Gracie I will meet you out front at three, see ya later’

He marches to school and he is last to class. His usual seat is taken so he is forced to sit at the back, away from the attention of his teacher. The short day races by and Christopher talks through the last period; he tosses his bag over his shoulder and departs through the school gates. Today the sun is all that is in the sky, it is the hottest day of spring and Christopher can’t wait to get to Millers Pool. He has promised his friends Grunter and Jimmy that he would meet them there at two.

He walks to the round a bout on Otongo road, turns left up Lilly then left again onto Jackson road then he is home. He drops his bag and pulls out his homework. He sets it on his desk as a reminder for later on. He makes a sandwich and gobbles it down with a glass of milk. He then drops his uniform on his floor and puts on his bathing shorts with a singlet. He hangs a towel over his neck and leaves for Millers Pool at 2:03.

Christopher jogs down Jackson road, turns up park crescent and then left down Miller ave. He passes through an alley, then, for five minutes, he follows the beaten track up and down through trees and shrub beside the Amble Creek. He hears talking and screams that gradually grows louder.

Chris slips with each step down the last steep muddy track to the side of Millers Pool.

‘Ah-ha guess who finally shows up…’ Grunter reviews his watch ‘…and only twenty minutes late.’

‘oh come on guys I had to eat!’

Grunter and Jimmy laugh. With them are three girls Christopher has seen at school but doesn’t know.

‘Oh Chirssy boy this is Claire, Dayna and Michelle’ Grunter chirps.

Christopher is friendly but shy. He squeaks:

‘um oh hi’

Embarrassed he tries to redeem his apparent fear:

‘oh aren’t you in my Math class?’

The blonde girl snaps up the chance to make a joke.

‘umm I don’t think so unless you were like held back or something?’

Everyone laughs but Christopher.

Christopher steps into the chilling water and swims. A game of 21 Truth or Dare commences and the two brunette girls are made to kiss on the lips. Next Grunter must throw his watch in from the side wait 10 seconds then dive in and find it, he throws it in near the girls and manages to cause them each to blush before surfacing with the watch. Eventually Christopher is dared:

‘Come on then jump of Widows Willow?’ Dayna, the blonde teases at Christopher knowing such a dare is unfair and could never be carried out.

Widows Willow is high and hangs out over the pool; a true test of courage and a sure fire way to impress. Christopher hasn’t yet tried it but what better time then now?

‘Alright alright’

The girls giggle and Grunter and Jimmy exchange impish looks, they know Christopher is terrified of heights and they see this ending the wrong way, a shaky climb to the top followed by a frozen cowardly descent.

Christopher begins to climb as the rest of the group cheer and laugh.

Don’t look down, don’t look down

He climbs higher and higher. He looks at the muscles in his legs trembling but he pushes on. Higher he goes gripping the branch tight, hanging from beneath it. He has made it to the top. He waits holding on hanging upside down from the extended branch of Widows Willow. He is yet to look down but must glance at the water now to make sure it is clear.

Down below is five specks in a tiny blue pool. Taunts and cheers only just make it all the way up to Christopher. He can hear his heart thud and his eyes remain fixed on the water. His grip is tight but it is not his own, rather an alien force that took control of his body when he dared to look down. His knees are locked to the branch.

Why did I have to show off like that? Why did I come down here at all?

Christopher doesn’t often take risks and when he does the risks are small like trying a new brand of cereal or taking a new subject at school but this, this was suicide. The cheering converts into encouragement.

‘Come on Chris what are you waiting for?’

‘If you do it I will give you a kiss?’

‘Come on man you can do this!’

Christopher squeezes his eyes closed for a few seconds and imagines how nice it would be at home in front of the T.V or hunched over a book. He stops thinking and loosens his grip, his hands slip and he grasps at the branch again but it is too late. He falls head first for a second, this is it he’s dead. His feet fall over his head and he spins around again before straightening his back. The water slaps at his entire body then grabs him and pulls him down. He falls deep, so deep he runs out of air, he panics and snatches at the surface.

Finally a head pops out desperately gasping. The group watches in silence for a second before a roar goes up. Grunter whistles and jimmy claps over his head and the girls all cheer.

I did it, Widows Willow, the hardest meanest jumping spot and I did it.

Christopher paddles to the shallows with a grin spread across his cheeks.

‘I didn’t think you had it in you!’ Grunter teases.

‘A double back flip Chris? A double back flip, this is legend mate!’ Jimmy exaggerates but Christopher feels his cheeks flush red as his ego grows.

‘I think I owe you this’ The blonde girl steps closer and licks her lips. Her fingers lock behind his lumber and his heart beats hard again.

Christopher wide eyed with panic tenses. She kisses his lips for a moment and he closes his eyes. He holds his hands out away from his sides and his shoulders are high and tense. The kiss ends and the girls cheer. Christopher’s face becomes hot and the boys tease.

After a few more moments of teasing and laughter Christopher asks Grunter for the time, Grunter stares at his watch and replys:

‘its just gone three’

Christopher realises who he has let down. Grace is waiting for him outside her school and he is swimming and laughing and kissing girls. Christopher abruptly climbs from the shallows towels himself briefly and declares:

‘I’ve got to go, shit! I was meant to get my sister from school.’

The others laugh and Christopher turns and runs. He dashes through the tress slipping and ducking and climbing. He is back on the road but he keeps running. His singlet soaks through and the towel swings around his neck but he keeps head down sprinting, Graces school is only 15 minutes walk from home so he figures it can be covered in five minutes running.

He crosses roads with ill caution and doesn’t slow down until his lungs burn and his feet ache and even then something inside of him pushes on. He remembers how rough the kids were to him and he couldn’t stand by and let his sister, the sister he loved so much be put through such torment. He hurts thinking about a child as perfect and kind as Grace being scared and depressed. He launches himself over a fence cutting through a property which backs onto the school. He loses his towel in flight but leaves it for now.

He hammers his feet hard into the ground as he gets closer, he’s on the school grounds. He crashes through a pair of teacher strolling towards the gate. He reaches the gate and a smarting pain spreads across his chest, his stomach drops and his breath becomes wet and weak.

People are crowded. Teachers and children, passers-by and police officers. An ambulance is backed up and police stand blocking the view of pedestrians. A limp body lies bloody and broken on a stretcher. Blonde curls are tied close to the head by a breathing device. The stretcher is pushed in the ambulance and the ambulance screeches into life racing up the street. Christopher’s entire body trembles. His hands are quaking violently. His eyes are wide and his stare is piercing.

He pushes through the crowd. A police officer is in his face but he screams demands.

‘Who is that? TELL ME!’

The officer acts per procedure and recites his lines.

‘There has been an accident sir, please step back’

‘WAS IT A GIRL?’

The officer vacant and unengaging herds the crowd back with the same monotonous lines.

His hands go up through his hair in anxiety.

It was Grace, I killed her. Oh god, please be okay Gracie, I will never hurt you or tease you, I will always help with your homework please god please…