Kattayl
Posts : 47
Join date : 2020-08-10
Age : 69
Location : Los Angeles, Ca
 | | Subject: Re: Dog Days Wed Jun 28, 2023 12:25 am | |
| June 2023 Challenge Dog Days Note: This story follows my May 2023 challenge story Busted/Crowning Glory And is continued in my Roses are Red challenge at asjfanfic.forumotionThe summer day was hot and dusty and the livery at the Valparaiso Home for Wayward Boys was smelly and needed attention. But Hannibal Heyes was leaning on his pitchfork daydreaming. Suddenly, he felt Mr. Hoffman’s walking stick sting the back of his legs. “Get those stalls mucked out, Hannibal, or I’ll march you to the Dean’s office again!” he growled.“Yes, sir. Right away, Mr. Hoffman,” Han answered the lone stable hand that the Home employed. The work was done by the boys under his usually drunken supervision. Shoveling out the first stall, Han soon stopped. He hated the feeling of the sweat dripping from his neck and brow. One of Jed’s summer reading books from the Hopeful Academy talked about the long, hot, dog days of summer. This August day was certainly one of them. Both Han and his cousin, Jed, missed life at the Academy. Arriving before classes started on Monday morning, they had few chores except to attend classes, study, learn, and stay out of trouble until Friday afternoon when they went back to Valparaiso. Proud of the fact that he had been invited back for the next term, Han smiled as he remembered overhearing the dean tell his teacher that he was expected to be the star pupil of the graduating class. He also learned that he had two scholarship offers for the year after that from prestigious schools that would lead him straight to college. But, of course, he thought, no one had mentioned that to him, the poor orphan who had earned those scholarships.The Academy wanted Han to return. They needed him to show how philanthropic they were schooling poor orphans. And what those orphans could accomplish with a quality Hopeful Academy education. Already they had a proof printed for a school brochure that included the line, “Top schools recruit our scholarship orphans.” Despite all that, Han made it very clear to Dean Wm Williams at Valparaiso that he would refuse to go back to the Hopeful Academy without his cousin, Jed. Jedediah Curry, on the other hand, only excelled in math, especially trigonometry. The lines and angles fascinated him. In all his other subjects, he was average or below, not from lack of intelligence, but lack of interest. And when he wasn’t interested, he didn’t try. Dean Williams considered them both troublemakers and enjoyed the weekdays when they were away at school at the Hopeful Academy. His benefactors liked that boys from Valparaiso were learned enough to be scholarshipped to the private school. Why did it have to be Hannibal, though, the dean mused. He was always planning, scheming, and causing trouble. And now he’s been rewarded for being in trouble by getting to go to Hopeful Academy. No doubt about it, Hannibal was a natural leader; he’d demonstrated that from the day he arrived. Although younger and quieter, Jed showed the same leadership traits, but more common sense. Looking out his office window, Dean Williams saw Hannibal sneaking out of the stable, his work probably half done. Well, today maybe he’d let it slide, he thought as he saw Hannibal sit under a tree, open a book, and stare down the road, squinting into the hot sun. Today was different. Today was the day that would decide Hannibal’s fate for the next year. ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJTaking a deep breath, Jed wiped the sweat from his forehead with the white handkerchief Dean Williams had insisted he take with him this morning. He preferred the blue bandana the dean had taken away from him. He wore a dress white shirt that was too tight and a suit jacket that was too big. Both made the heat seem unbearable in the classroom in the Hopeful Academy. “Time’s up, Mr. Curry,” the stern test proctor, Mr. Lawson said. “If you can manage to tell time, your history examination will start in exactly ten minutes.”Trying hard to ignore the man’s attitude, Jed stood and stretched, realizing even the seat of his pants was wet from the sweat. Attempting to keep his back to the wall, he ran for the freedom of the outside courtyard. Seeing a bucket of water in the shade, he splashed it on his face. It felt good running down the front of his shirt. Then he used the tin cup nearby to take a long cool drink of the water. Quickly, he ran back inside, sure that he’d used less than his allocated ten minutes. “Well, Jedediah, I’m impressed you have returned early. I am, however, appalled at your wet appearance and that will be part of my report. “Your history questions are on the board, please sit down and begin. You have one hour starting now.”Jed read the first question on the board and started writing, glad he knew the answer. Summer had felt like a bad, never-ending nightmare to Jed. The deans of Valparaiso and the Hopeful Academy had gotten together to discuss their mutual problem. Both wanted, needed Hannibal to return to the Academy. And to do that, they needed Jed to catch up to his grade level. Liking the five days of freedom a week, Jed wanted to return. His real reason to go back was his cousin Han. Han loved learning everything. So, Jed had spent his summer at the Home studying every day under the watchful eyes of Dean Williams. In addition, he still had all of his chores each day. At night, he reviewed the day's lessons as Han explained what he didn’t understand. When Jed answered a question wrong, he had to put his hands flat on the desk and hold them there while the dean whacked them with a wooden ruler. Refusing to make a sound, Jed learned to control his anger, remembering he was doing this for Han…and the five days a week away from Dean Williams every week there’s school.“Time’s up, Mr. Curry. You can eat the lunch you brought in the courtyard while the dean grades the two tests you have taken. If you’ve obtained sufficient passing grades on these two, you will be allowed to take the last two. I don’t know why we are wasting time with you when orphans are a dime a dozen. And do try to return to the classroom dry this time.”After pouring a cup of water, Jed took the hard roll and dry jerky out of its paper wrapping and tried to eat. His nerves made him not even taste the meal. He had tried his best. His summer, lost to the dean’s tutoring, chores, and Han’s nighttime lessons had helped him through these first two tests…he hoped. Not one day of fishing or swimming all summer had made him find determination within himself he didn’t know he had. After taking off his jacket and pouring a cup of water, Jed took the hard roll, sat under a tree and thought of his cousin. Han had double chores today to cover for his absence and he hated to work in the stables, especially mucking out the stalls. But he hadn’t objected when Dean Williams had told him that he had to do both their chores. Without the dean knowing, Han had been helping Jed with his chores all summer. “Mr. Curry, the dean has requested you meet with him in his office. Come this way,” Mr. Lawson said, breaking into his thoughts about Han. The man had turned on his heels and walked quickly away, leaving Jed to put his jacket back on while running after him. He wondered if this dean would beat him the way Dean Williams did when he did poorly on a test? No matter what, he told himself he would show no emotion.Standing in front of the dean’s desk, hands clasped behind his back, Jed worked to calm his racing heart while he waited….and waited…and waited.Finally, the door behind the desk opened and the dean of the Hopeful Academy appeared. “Well, Mr. Curry, sorry to keep you waiting, but I needed to verify with your proctor that you hadn’t cheated on your tests,” the dean informed him without sitting down.Jed felt anger rise from his belly but stood still without answering. His years at the Home had taught himself control and patience when dealing with authority. “You did very well on the first two tests. In fact, your history paper was perfect. It seems that you learn better at Valparaiso than here. Still, we agreed that if you pass all four tests you and your cousin will be invited back for the next school year.”“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” Jed answered, not sure what to say. ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJMr. Hoffman had fallen asleep on the fresh bales of hay. Hurriedly, mucking out the last stalls, Han spread fresh straw on the floor and brought the horses inside from the corral. He gave them each fresh water and food and slipped out of the stable. He was counting on Jed doing well on his tests and he still had three more assigned books to read before school started. He sat down under a tree where he could see the road leading into Valparaiso. If Jed didn’t pass the first two tests, he should be back within the hour. While reading, his eyes strayed over his book to watch the road and hoped not to see the wagon.ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJKnowing that his hour must be almost over, Jed rushed through an answer to start on the last question on his literature test. He smiled. He had done the required reading and knew what the dog days of summer were. He quickly wrote his answer and set down his pencil.“Giving up, Mr. Curry?” the proctor asked.Jed held the quick sarcastic answer on his tongue. “No, sir, finished.”The man grabbed the paper, glancing at it quickly. “Wait outside. You have a ten-minute break.”This time Jed sat on the wall and carefully drank a cup of water, even though he was hotter than ever. Looking down the road, he wished he could run away from this and the Home. The only thing that kept him was Han. He had told him that when the time came to leave, they would know it…and go together. He brushed some dirt off his pants and went into the room for the last test. He was tired, not sleeping the night before, trying to study just a little bit more. Now he gathered his strength for one last test…geography.“Time’s up, Mr. Curry. Not as prepared as you thought you were.” Panic flooded Jed. He hadn’t got to the last three questions and all of the questions had been hard, some on places he had not studied this summer. Dejected, he waited in the courtyard again, coat off, sitting on the wall.ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ“Hannibal, I believe you have chores to do in the kitchen.” He looked up from his book to see Dean Williams staring down at him. “Yes, sir.” For one of the few times since he had been at Valparaiso, he saw the dean smile as he added, “Jed must have passed his first two tests, or he’d be back by now.”Han returned the smile. “Yes, sir!” he answered, hurrying toward the kitchen and the corn he knew needed to be shucked. He had decided that if Jed didn’t get invited back to Hopeful Academy that it was time for the two of them to run away from the Home and take care of themselves. ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJStanding up when he saw the dean approach, Jed grabbed his jacket and struggled to get into it quickly.“Mr. Curry, walk with me.”“Yes, sir?”“You did very well on your literature test. Did Hannibal help you study?”“Yes, sir, and Dean Williams…but mostly Han.”“Well, you must have understood your summer reading books well to answer all those questions as completely as you did. And your proctor told me you finished early.”“Yes, sir.” Jed’s heart was pounding in his chest so hard that he thought the dean could see it. He took a deep breath and slowed his pace to match the dean’s.“How did you feel about the geography test?”Dread filled Jed that he had failed his final test and his work, and Han’s dreams were for nothing. “It was very hard, sir. It wasn’t exactly what I studied,” he said truthfully, looking down expecting the bad news.“Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you out here away from ears that can overhear us.”“Sir?”“Mr. Lawson has been very vocal in our staff meetings about you not returning to our Academy. He almost had us convinced that you would try and cheat on your tests.” He stopped, turned, and looked Jed in the eyes. “Did you?”“No, sir, I wouldn’t do that.” The hurt innocence in the boy’s blue eyes convinced the dean of his veracity. “You surprised him by passing your first two tests and finishing your literature test early.”“Yes, sir.” Jed was waiting to hear how badly he had failed his geography test, not sure what the dean was trying to say.“He has been reprimanded.”“Sir?”“The geography test he gave you was for the class above you. He was determined to make you fail.”“Reprimanded?”“Jed why do you want to come to school here…really?”The question took Jed off guard, and he could not easily fabricate a lie like Han, so he told the truth. “Han says it's a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he quoted what his cousin had told him over and over. “How do you feel about it?”“Well, I’m not used to going to school with girls. It gets us away from the Home for five days every week and that’s a big thing. I wish every class was math and trigonometry. I could listen to that teacher all day. And Han likes it here, he’s doing really well and he’s happy. Me and Han, well there hasn’t been a lot of things to be happy about since our parents were killed.”The boy went up in the dean’s opinion when he admitted he was doing this for his cousin. His academic improvement showed how hard he must have studied over the summer. “Jed, even taking the wrong geography test, you still passed it. Just barely but you passed. I can only assume you would have done very well on the proper grade level test.”“I passed?!”“Yes, and you are invited back on one condition.”“That I keep my grades up?”“Well, yes, but also that you be honest and tell me if you have any other problems here, like your proctor.”It was Jed’s turn to study the dean. He wasn’t sure how much to say. He wished that Heyes was here to talk for them. “Well, some kids laugh at the hand-me-down uniforms we wear. But, sir, me and Han are very grateful for the uniforms no matter how many other boys wore them. And I know I grow real fast because Dean Williams says it's hard to find pants long enough for me.”Jed fell silent. “I’m sorry, sir. We don’t mind the teasin’, honest we don’t. We’re real proud to come to school here.” He hoped he hadn’t said anything that would make the dean uninvite him to come back.But the dean laughed. “Thank you for your honesty. If you do have any problems, please come and talk to me…and I hope you intend to stay out of trouble.”“Yes, sir. So, me and Han are invited back for sure?”“It’s Han and me. Proper grammar is important here. And yes, you are both invited back. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.”ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJThe rolling motion of the wagon rocked Jed to sleep. Even when they turned up the rough, rocky road to the Valparaiso School for Wayward Boys, he didn’t wake up. When the wagon stopped abruptly in front of the school, he jerked awake.“Jed?” Han said, catching his cousin’s sleepy eyes. Communicating silently, Han smiled as he knew they had been invited back…but he also learned something else had happened there, something that Jed would tell him later. “Congratulations, cousin! Looks like we’re going back to Hopeful!” | |
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