by Kit DeCanti
Jimmy stood there paralyzed with more fear than he had felt in a long time. The tears were threatening to return, but he forced them back.
He gave the room a real look over for the first time, and saw that there was a mural on the wall of Mt. Konocti and a model of a volcano on the bureau. Was it possible that the room had in fact been decorated with him in mind- as Mr. Melbourne had said? How could that be, when Mrs. Capra had just gotten sick last night? The fear he was feeling turned to dread. Dread of what was to come. What ever it was, Jimmy knew it wouldn’t be good.
Jimmy tried to remember the words of the song Mrs. Capra sang to him when he needed to calm down…. But could only think of “Sweet James….”
“James! Are you coming down?” Mr. Melbourne’s angry voice boomed up the stairs.
Numbly Jimmy walked down the hall to the bathroom to wash up.
“New Kid! New Kid!” the bully kept yelling and following Jimmy around the playground. Jimmy tried to ignore him but finally swung around and hollered, “Yeah! I’m the new kid! Wanna make something of it?” Taken a back for a moment the bully’s eyes widened, then he came at Jimmy swinging. The two boys rolled on the grass yelling names and punching each other until the yard duty teacher pulled them apart.
“Enough!” the playground teacher said as the boys got to their feet and pointing towards the office, “To Mr. Olson’s office now!” she ordered. The two boys shuffled across the playground and down the corridor. It wasn’t until they got to the Principle’s Office that Little Jimmy noticed the blood dripping from his nose onto his shirt.
Jimmy looked over at the bully and laughed when he saw a shiner starting to show itself. “I got ya good!” Jimmy said without thinking. He turned around to find the principle towering over him.
“What did you say, young man?” Mr. Olson demanded. “Are you proud of what you’ve done? Well, we’ll see how proud you are when you have to stay for detention the rest of the week! I’m sure your foster parents are going to be proud too, when they have to drive up the mountain to pick you up.” This last part took the grin off Jimmy’s face. He hadn’t thought about the possibility of that. And what little he knew of Mr. Melbourne, he was certain that this inconvenience would not go well for him.
For the second time that day Jimmy thought of running away.
Little Jimmy rode silently in the back seat of the chauffer driven suburban worrying about what was in store for him. He was at least happy that Mr. Melbourne didn’t come for him personally. And also that he didn’t seem to be expected to make conversation. The last thing he felt like doing was make small talk. Every once in awhile he would catch the driver grinning at him in the rearview mirror; which made him even more uncomfortable.
Finally he blurted out, “What are you looking at?”
“I haven’t decided yet, either a fool for making Mr. Melbourne so mad- or maybe you’re just plain stupid,” the man said with an evil grin. “Or… just maybe you think you’re a tough guy.” And that thought seemed hilarious to the man and he laughed loudly. “You think you can take on Mr. Melbourne?” And he laughed even louder.
Jimmy scooted out of view of the man and stared out of the window trying to hide his fear. The closer the suburban got to the Melbournes’ home the more dread filled the little boy.
But much to his relief he entered an empty house. No one was home. He went upstairs and waited, but the Melbournes did not return home. After a couple hours hunger drove Jimmy down stairs. He was met in the kitchen by the driver who said with a glint in his eyes, “I’ve been instructed to send you to bed with no dinner.” Jimmy stood there uncertain what to do. “Well… good night,” the man said matter-of-factly, pointing to the stairs.
The hungry little boy climbed the stairs slowly, but as he reached the top of the stairs he remembered a half eaten sandwich in his back pack, and picked up his pace.
As Jimmy ate his lunch leftovers he had a feeling of winning. He had a sense of pleasure of getting over on Mr. Melbourne and the chauffer, whom Jimmy had tagged Melbourne’s henchman.
Jimmy was just drifting off to sleep when lights flashed on his window causing him to jerk awake. He slipped out of bed and reached the window in time to see a dually pickup drive up and around to the back of the house. Jimmy realized even though this was his second night in the house, he had no idea of the home’s lay out- or even how many vehicles the Melbournes owned. He decided to start exploring the next day.
Jimmy heard voices drifting up the stairs and crept to his door and opened it a crack. He couldn’t make out the words but the voices sounded angry; and when heavy steps started up the stairs Jimmy ran to his bed and jumped in pulling the covers over his head as the door swung open.
“Don’t try to pretend to be asleep you twerp!” Mr. Melbourne’s’ angry voice shouted. “You’re not foolin’ anyone! Get up! So you think you’re a tough guy, huh? Get dressed and get down stairs…. if you’re not down in five minutes…. Well- just don’t make me climb these stairs again!”
Jimmy’s knees were knocking when he pulled his trousers on. He had no idea what was about to happen but he knew it wouldn’t be good. He stepped into his sneakers and tied them quickly and grabbed his sweatshirt and descended the stairs.
Mr. Melbourne’s back was to him as he said, “Come on!” and he headed for the back door. Jimmy reluctantly followed, having to pass by the sneering henchman to reach the door. Mr. Melbourne was already in the dually as Little Jimmy climbed in the back seat.
“You got so much energy we’ll put it to good use!” was all Mr. Melbourne said as he tossed a knit hat over the seat which landed on Jimmy’s lap. The other back door opened and The Henchman got in with an evil grin, “Put it on!” he ordered gruffly. A wide eyed and scared Jimmy slowly put the hat on his head and the henchman reached over and jerked it down over his eyes. Jimmy started to pull it up and a large hand grabbed his arm pulling it back down.
Jimmy stiffened as the vehicle started moving and his hands dug into the seat trying to hold on, because he had not buckled up. There was no more talking as the pickup bumped and swayed for about twenty or thirty minutes and then the vehicle slowed down and the side door opened and the henchman got out for a moment before he or someone else got back in beside Jimmy. The vehicle started moving again and by the bumps they were now on a dirt road and not a well traveled one either. Another twenty minutes of bumping and turning and climbing passed before the vehicle stopped and the door opened. The knit hat was jerked off his head. Mr. Melbourne’s face was inches in front of Jimmy growling “Get out!”
As Jimmy climbed out of the truck he saw that both Mr. Melbourne and the henchman were carrying rifles. “If you have any thoughts of running keep in mind that it’s hunting season.” The Henchman sneered. Mr. Melbourne had already started walking, shining a light up a path and Jimmy could do nothing but follow. It was dark and cold and Jimmy kept stumbling but Mr. Melbourne did not break his pace. If he slowed too much The Henchman hit him across the backside with the butt of his rifle, while letting out an evil laugh. Jimmy struggled to keep up not wanting to be left behind with that mad man.
Finally after hiking up the rough path for what seemed an hour through brush and rocks Mr. Melbourne stopped. He turned and shined the light squarely at Jimmy who cowered. Melbourne turned the flashlight and pointed the light up the path saying, “What’s a matter? I thought you liked Konocti!” Then Melbourne shouted. “Go on you sniveling baby! Get going!”
Jimmy reluctantly obeyed, but not fast enough to suit Melbourne. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in the direction of where he had pointed and shoved him, causing Jimmy to fall. He felt his knee scrape on a sharp rock and knew his pants had been torn. “Get up! Keep walking!” Melbourne yelled. Jimmy couldn’t stop the tears that were running down his face as he stumbled up the path. The flashlight caused his long black shadow to blind his steps as he tripped over rocks and stepped into ruts causing him to stumble and fall repeatedly. He knew the warmth he
felt running down his legs was blood. But what he saw ahead of him made the blood run cold. A cave.
“Konocti Cave,” Jimmy said out loud before he could stop himself.
Jimmy stared at his desk while pretending to read his geography book. Miss Gilbert walked by, slowing her steps as she passed Jimmy’s desk. When he glanced up nervously, his new teacher looked at his skinned knuckles and muttered something about the consequences of fighting and then moved on much to his relief.
Jimmy wished he could convince himself that last night was a nightmare but his bloody legs this morning, and torn jeans lying on the floor of the attic where he had been locked after returning from the cave, said otherwise.
If Little Jimmy had wanted to run away yesterday, today he was desperate to. But how? He was driven to and from school and as he was gulping down some lumpy oatmeal this morning, he saw that the back door was dead bolted and could only be opened with a key. He suspected the front door would be the same. And all the ground floor windows had bars on them.
Jimmy turned his head to look out the window and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a Lake County Sheriff’s car driving slowly by. Was it Ron? Was he here for him? But the cruiser didn’t pull into the school parking lot, it kept going. Jimmy wanted to run out to catch it but instead sunk lower into his seat.
“Ron doesn’t care about me. If he did he wouldn’t have dumped me over a little cold. If he had cared about me he would have taken me in when Mrs. Capra was admitted to the hospital. And none of last night would have happened. This is all Ron’s fault. I hate him!” the forlorn ten year old said.
The bell rang and the kids poured out through the door and Jimmy stood up with a vengeance. When a kid bumped him as he reached the door Jimmy swung around, “Watch it!” he yelled and shoved the child knocking him to the floor, and took off for the playground before Miss Gilbert could stop him. She caught up with him at the far fence just as he was about to climb over it. “Jimmy! You stop right this minute!” she cried as she grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him off the fence. He spun around and glared fiercely into her face.
“Leave me alone! Get your filthy hands off me you witch!” He yelled, “Get away from me!”
By that time the yard teacher had reached them and she had hold of his other arm. “Let’s go mister!” she said sternly “I guess you must want another meeting with Mr. Olsen,” and she marched him directly to the principle’s office for a second day in a row.
Jimmy caught a glimpse of Miss Gilbert as the yard teacher pulled him past her, and saw what he thought was a sympathetic expression on her face. He wished briefly that he had had a moment longer with her before the yard teacher showed up. “Maybe she can help me”, he thought desperately but by the time he had reached Mr. Olsen’s he knew he was just grasping at straws. “What could she do?” he thought as he sat in the outer office, staring at the floor awaiting the principle to summons him into his office. He knew his situation was futile. He was surprised to see Miss Gilbert leaving Mr. Olsen’s office as the tall principle walked towards him. She must have followed them from the playground. He wondered what it would mean for him. Did she tell him what he said to her when she pulled him off the fence? He felt bad for that. He wanted to apologize to her, but he just glared at her as she walked out the door.
Jimmy was confused as he walked back to his classroom. Mr. Olsen didn’t yell at him. He didn’t call Mr. Melbourne. He didn’t even add to his detention. He just talked to him about fitting in and let him go. He opened the classroom door and was met by a smile from Miss Gilbert, and several of the students. By the time Jimmy was sitting in his seat he was in a panic. “Something must have happened to Mrs. Capra!” he thought. “That’s why everyone is being so nice to me.” He laid his head on the desk trying to hide his tears. “Melbourne must have hurt her like he said he would last night. Or maybe she… her heart…” Jimmy couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence not even in his thoughts.
And so for the next few weeks Jimmy was driven to and from school by The Henchman and nightly trips to the Konocti Cave.
Then one day, on the way home from school, The Henchman stopped at the Lock Lomond Post Office. Before getting out he turned and gave Jimmy an ice cold look and warned him to not move. It wasn’t unusual for him to stop at the Post office, but this time he made a mistake. He retrieved a package from the back of the Suburban and forgot to set the alarm after he closed the hatch. As soon as the man was inside the post office Jimmy grabbed his backpack and took off. Jimmy figured the man would think he would immediately head for Mrs. Capra’s; and as much as he wanted to, he fought the urge and instead headed up one of the side roads behind the post office. He knew from riding with Ron one day in his patrol car that the road circled around to Highway One Seventy-Five, and Jimmy hoped to make it there and hitch a ride down the mountain by the time the man figured out he hadn’t headed down Lock Lomond Road.
The road was steeper than Jimmy had estimated and he was gasping for breath half way to the top. Just as he got to the top he heard a loud roar of an engine and tires screeching down below. His gut told him it was The Henchman.
Jimmy stopped abruptly, desperately searching for a hiding place. He knew he had only moments before the suburban would be bearing down on him. Without giving it a second thought he tossed his backpack into a large green debris can, and climbed in after it- pulling the lid closed tight. He held his breath straining to listen above the sound of his pounding heart. Before long he heard a vehicle drive slowly by. Did it stop? Jimmy was to scared to open the lid even a tiny bit to peek.
He was still holding his breath, afraid to move, even afraid to breathe. He couldn’t hear the vehicle’s engine anymore. Did it keep going? Or had The Henchman shut off the engine to search for him on foot? Jimmy couldn’t stand the apprehension. His skin started to get that old itchy feeling. He needed out of there. He needed to run.
Suddenly the lid was opened and Jimmy heard two screams. One was his; the other belonged to an elderly woman. Her scream was soon followed by cursing.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Jimmy said standing up.
“What do you think you’re doing scaring an old lady like that!?!” the woman yelled holding her chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack. Kids! No respect! You all are going to the dogs!”
That gave Jimmy an idea. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I was being chased by a… a dog. A big mean ugly dog. I didn’t know what to do so I jumped in here to hide.”
“Whaa…” the old lady said looking around, “I don’t see any dogs.” She eyed the scared little boy suspiciously. She could see that the boy was really scared. “Well… no harm I guess. I don’t blame you for being afraid of dogs. You can come inside and call your mom if you want.” Jimmy scampered out of the bin and followed her quickly into her house, nervously looking over his shoulder. As he stepped inside he heard a vehicle approaching and he closed the door and leaned against it.
The woman looked surprised and said, “What- do you think the dog is going to break into my house?” Laughing she ruffled up his red curly hair. “The phone is in there,” she said pointing. “Would you like some milk and cookies while you wait?” the woman didn’t wait for an answer. As much as he hated milk and cookies Jimmy was hungry and wouldn’t turn them down. He picked up the phone and dialed Mrs. Capra’s number but got the answering machine. He put the phone back in its cradle as the woman returned with a plate of home made peanut butter cookies and a tall glass of milk.
“Not home?” she asked, “See that’s the problem right there. Mothers are so busy with their own thing these days that kids don’t have any supervision. They are expected to raise themselves. When my kids were in school I was right there with them. That’s why they never got into trouble. Leave a kid on his own and he’ll find plenty of mischief to get into, I always say.”
“Yes ma’am,” Jimmy said because she seemed to expect a response.
“Well may as well eat up, I just baked those today. Gla
d they’re not going to waste.” The woman said as Jimmy saw the suburban drive by through the lace curtains. He dropped a cookie and dove to the floor pretending to look for it. Jimmy’s heart was pounding; he had not had time to think any of this through.
What if The Henchman found him here with this nice old woman. What would he do to her? What would he do to him? He had to get out. He listened and could not hear the vehicle. He raised his head up slowly to see the old woman at the window peering through the lace curtains.
“What is that guy doing driving back and forth? I’ve never seen that car before. He doesn’t live up here; I know every car on this road…. Maybe it was his dog that chased you and he’s looking for it. I should go out and give him a piece of my mind! Irresponsible pet owners are my pet peeve!” Turning and walking back towards Jimmy, she added, “Well he’s gone now. Hmm… I don’t like strangers driving around so slow. Makes me think they are up to no good. If he comes back I’ll call the sheriff department.”
“The sheriff department! Ron! I can call Ron,” thought Jimmy briefly before remembering that Ron had turned his back on him. “I can’t call him. He is too busy for me.” Jimmy thought glumly. “If he cared about me he would have come to see me by now. And if I called the cops they would treat me like a run away and send me back to Melbourne.” Jimmy thanked the woman and said he better get going, and got up and started walking gloomily to the door.
“Well, wait a minute- what about that dog? He may be out there. I better drive you home,” the old lady said. Jimmy started to protest but was cut off with, “I won’t take no for an answer!” as she picked up her purse and took a set of keys off the side table. “Now where should I take you?”
