Barefoot and Lost (7 page)

     
‘
Do you have any money
;
you will need it so you can get far away
?’

     
‘
Only yours
, that’s all.’

      ‘
You keep it
,
I won’t need it
,
and
,
if you never gave it back
,
I wouldn’t have it anyway
,
so I won’t miss it
.’

      
‘
Thanks
Phil
,
you’re a great kid no
,
not a kid a great bloke
,
I wish I could stick around to be your friend
.’

     
‘
Bye Lion
.’

     
‘
Bye
Phil
,
not a word ok
ay? B
ye
and take care.’

    
I have not slept well; this bed is not as comfortable as mine at June’s, I couldn’t be sure, but I think I heard Lion sneaking out.

    
This
morning Lion has gone
,
he has pushed his pillow under the blanket to make it look like he is still there.

    ‘
Lion come
on get up.’ I shout, making out I think he is
here.
Jack
pulls
back
Lion’s
blanket
, ‘
Shit he’s gone, where has he gone
,
has he run away, why would he
do that?’

     ‘
I don’t know J
ack
.’

     ‘
Brian
, Toby, do you know where he is’
Brian
with his deep voice replies

    ‘He is probably having a shit’

     ‘And put his pillow under his blanket to make it look as though he is here, I don’t think so’

     ‘Sorry
Jack
I didn’t know that’

     ‘What sha
ll we do?’ Jack goes to say something, but Brian interrupts

     ‘Toby,
and
the rest of you we say nothing, we try to cover for him and give him the best possible start. Whatever reason he has for scarpering, and knowin
g Lion it will be a good one
let u
s give him a chance’ We all agree.

    
Chapel and breakfast pass no one has spoken
about Lion, nobody seems to have
missed
him yet.

     ‘
Phillip
, I want
you and
Lio
nel
to the Reverends office now.
W
here is he
,
I pray to God he hasn’t
been so foolish as to run away?’

     
‘
I don’t know Mam
; I haven’t seen him at all this morning.’

    
The Revere
nd is shaking with fury
towering over me
, he says
‘
Snell
,
you only came here yesterday and already
you have caused trouble’

    
‘But Reverend’

     ‘Be quiet,
yesterday I said the next time I saw you would be to praise you and here you a
re telling lies under some mis
guided loyalty to a thug who is obviously guilty
,
his run
ning away proves that. I will hear
no more of this
,
your next visit will be to Mr. Flynn to apologize, now that is the end of it; be off with you
.
Mr. Flynn is on duty tonight I want you in my office after supper you can apologize to him here
I wish to be a witness. W
ait outside Snell
,
I wish to speak with
Mrs.
Miller
.’

    
I hate this place
,
I don’t want to even talk to Flynn and certainly not apologize
,
what can I do
? N
o one will believe me
.
I have not closed the doo
r properly leaving it
open about two inches
,
standing close I can hear what they are saying
,
‘
Alice
,
have the police been notified about Bates
disappearance?’

   
‘
Yes Reverend they have
,
there is someone on the way here
.’

   
‘
Will you deal with it I only want to be involved if it is absolutely necessary
?
F
ind an excuse to keep that boy Snell away from the police
,
I don’t want him attempting to decimate the character of a good man like Flynn out of some ill found
ed
loyalty to that thug Bates
.’
   

     ‘
No Reverend
,
I think you’re right
. There is a
coach leaving at eleven
,
going to Tonbridge with the young ones on a sightseeing trip
.
I’ll put him on that
and
I’ll tell him it is a treat to ease him into the system
. H
e is a lot older than the other kids but I‘ll tell him he is there to help Marjorie and Anne
, the Canning
girl will be there with her sister, so he won’t feel out of place. In fact it will be a perfect balance, one older boy, and one girl to assist.’

     ‘
Whatever you think
do
no
t bore me with the details,
I
’ll
leave it up to you
.’

     ‘
Very well
thank you
Reverend
.’
I can hear Mam get out of the chair and make her way to the door
,
quickly
turn
ing I
walk away trying to look innocent by making out I’m looking at a photograph
of a river scene
hanging on the wall.

     ‘
Phillip
I’m sure you have got off on the wrong foot since you came here, it is more than likely the f
ault of
Lionel
that you have become involved’

     ‘
Mam it wasn’t
Lionel
it wa
s
------”

     ‘
Be quiet
,
I want to hear no more of it
,
n
ot another word do you hear me?’

     ‘
Yes Mam
.’

     ‘
Because I believe you are a responsible boy and not a trouble maker I have a job for you
,
today you are to assist in chaperoning the eight
,
and nine year olds on a coach trip to Tonbridge
.’

      ‘What do you mean sho
per
oning?’

      ‘Chaperone means to assist, h
elp
,
look after them
,
make sure they don’
t get lost or in trouble
,
all you have to do is what Marjorie or Anne tell you to do
.’

      ‘Do I have to?’

      ‘
I’m afraid you have no choice but I’m surprised with your reluctance
,
this is a treat
,
all of the other boys would jump at the chance to get away
for a few hours. H
urry up
the coach leaves in twenty minu
t
es
,
go to your dorm and
put
on your best clothes and shoes.’

    
It is such a long way to the front of the house. Being unable to use the front stairs it seems to be taking forever. I have found a short cut through a garden that is laid out like one I saw at
Hampton Court
. Ducking through a hedge I come up behind a green and cream coach that is waiting, the children are already on board, the driver, an old man wearing a navy blue uniform, and a white peaked cap, is talking to two women.

     One of the  women is
very fat she is wearing a floral dress that reaches to her ankles on her head is a very large straw hat with flowers arou
nd the brim. I don’
t know why she is wearing it perhaps she is expect
ing sunshine, but at the moment
the sky is overcast. The other lady is as thin as the other one is fat, depending which way you look at them, standing side by side with the thin one on the fat ones right side they look like a number10. The thin one is wearing a similar dress as her partner. She
’s not wearing a hat maybe she’
s going to share with fat lady? As I approach the gravel crunches under my feet, the three of them stop talking and give me a look that says we don’t want you with us. I hope I’m looking at them in the same way because I certainly don’t want to be here, I would sooner be with my room mates. ‘Are you
Phillip
Snell
?’

     ‘Yes, miss I was told to come and help you.’

     ‘Well so far you have been most unhelpful, you are late, and we have been delayed five minutes because of you.’

     ‘Sorry I didn’t know.’

     ‘Don’t stand there chatting get on the bus, go to the back and sit there, I will speak to you as we go along.’  

    
There are twenty kids, counting them I can see there are thirteen boys and seven girls, I didn’t know there were so many young ones at Saint Stephens. They are making a lot of noise but as fat and thin get on the bus they become silent without being told to. With a crunch of the gears and a lurch we make our way through the double gates onto the road.  

     In the coach, unlike when I arrived by a taxi, I can see over the hedges into the green meadows either side of the road. I have only seen countryside like this from the
train but this is different it’
s like walking down a street only we are going faster. I can see children playing in their front gardens, a postman on a bicycle, ours always walked. Chickens on the side of the road flying as we go by, I didn’t know chickens could fly. We have just passed one of those funny houses
with the roof that goes around
,  Pop told me
about
them
when we went to London to see Michael in hospital, I can’t believe that was just over a week ago
.
On trees in an orchard I can see what I think are apples, I have not seen apples growing before. I would like to pick one. I wonder if those people from
London
were allowed to eat the hops whilst they were picking them, can you eat hops, I don’t know.

     Fat lady is coming up the aisle; her hips on both sides are rubbing against the seats as she struggles towards me. Out of breath she sags down on the back seat with her legs stretched out down the aisle half turning her head and body towards me. ‘
Phillip
by the way my name is
Marjorie
; your duties today will be very limited as we do not really need assistance. I cannot think for the life of me why you have been sent, Mam was not very explicit. Is it a treat, if so pray tell me what you have done to deserve it?’

     ‘I don’t think it is a treat, Mam said it was but I think it is just to get me out of the way in case I talk to the police.’

     ‘Oh yes, and why would you want to do that?’ I have a feeling Fat lady knows more than she is letting on and is pumping me. I’m not going to talk to her about Flynn and Lion; I want to speak with Jack, Brian, and Toby about it before I say anything to anybody else.

     ‘Oh nothing just something, about
Lionel
, that is all.’

     ‘Who is
Lionel
?’
She must know who
Lionel
is, she is definitely pumping me.

     ‘The boy, that ran away last night. I don’t know why Mam thinks I would talk to the police, what would I have to say? I don’t know anything about
Lionel
I only came to
Saint
Stephens
yesterday so I don’t really know him.’

     ‘Why do you think he ran away?’

     ‘I told you I don’t really know him, perhaps he got fed up or doesn’t like it at Saint Stephens, I don’t know why; I can’t understand why he would go I’ve only been here one day but I think it is really nice, and all the staff are very nice too.’
I don’t l
ike telling lies Gran said it i
s
okay
to tell a white lie so as not to hurt some ones feelings
,
I think that was a white lie
,
I hope it stops her asking me anymore questions.

     ‘Well that’
s settled then, glad you like St Stephens, you’re right everyone is very nice and dedicated to giving poor unfortunate children like yourself the best possible care. We endeavour to make it as close to a family home as we possibly can, treating each child as an individual, giving them the love and affection they deserve; goodness me, we have been talking so much the time has flown, we are at our destination already. When we leave the coach we will form up in a crocodile two by two. I will lead; Anne will bring up the rear and keep the stragglers from getting lost. Your job will be to walk alongside and prevent them straying into the road, do you think you can do that?’