School Challenge by Loz
May. 14th, 2006 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ds_flashfictionTitle: He Was Held Back A Bit
Author: Loz (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lozenger8)
Rating: G
Word Count: Nearing 1200 words.
Notes: Thank you toaingeal8c for beta-reading this for me. This is set in grade four of Benton's education and it is that which we call gen.
Delmar lumbered with the rucksack on his back. He was struggling towards the crowded path. The wind howled around him, ruffled his coat and his hat, but he liked it, he always had. There was something to be said for an invisible creature which had a mind of its own. Yeah, this was better than being in class.
The other students, the younger ones, they all screwed their faces up at the mention of ‘lunch break’. He’d hear them ask if they couldn’t play with the building blocks just a little longer. They’d even ask to read, though Delmar knew they never wanted to at any other time. But no, the teacher said they must be out, and out they were. Delmar was always the first to the door, his rucksack ready. He’d been asked why he didn’t just leave it by child and adult alike, but he chose not to answer pointless questions.
He made sure not to push the smaller ones as they jostled and jerked this way and that. A gaze cast across the yard showed him that only one fourth grader was avoiding waiting in line for Mrs Parker’s soup, and that was the kind but quiet Benton, huddled on a tree stump, reading a heavy-looking blue book. Delmar looked forward and then back again. Yeah, the soup could wait, even if it was the exotic and exciting Mulligatawny. He wandered over to the other boy.
“Benton?”
“Oh, hello Delmar.” Benton looked up at him expectantly.
“What’s that you got there?”
“It’s a manual on hunting.”
“A manual?” Delmar took his hat off and sat next to Benton, pushing the other boy to the right so that he was barely perched on the stump.
“A textbook, a book you go to for information.”
“Yeah, I know what a manual is, but why are you reading one about hunting? You can’t learn how to hunt by reading about it, you gotta get out there and try it yourself.”
“Ah. My Grandmother won’t let me.”
“Don’t blame her. Nasty business is hunting. Should only do it if you really have to. See, me, I like gathering. There’s all kinds of things you can find, and you don’t need a gun to do it.”
“Oh? What sorts of objects do you find?”
“Well, you know, any old things. Er, for food you can get bits of bread people don’t want. Don’t realise that even if it’s a day or two old you can toast it and it’ll be plenty good. There’re natural things you can eat if you’re hungry enough, though you gotta know which ones won’t make ya keel over and vomit on your best shoes. Learned that one the hard way.”
“Well, I don’t really want to hunt for food.”
Delmar could tell that the other boy was embarrassed. He’d started doing that thing that annoyed the teacher where he turned a shade of pink and scratched just above his eye. The fierce wind continued to batter them both.
“What else would ya hunt for? No other reason known to man.”
“Fur?”
“Yeah, there’s that, yeah. You planning on making yourself a big fuzzy coat there, Benton? You got one on right now.”
“No, no, I wasn’t. I was simply saying…”
“Gathering’s the way. There’s bits of rubber and wood you could use to make a toboggan. You got your thrown down metals and your emptied containers. Here, look, I’ll show you.”
Delmar started shifting his right shoulder, wriggling his arm out of the strap. Once his arm was free he could sling the rucksack down to the ground. He worked on the buckles and opened the flap. He didn’t do this often, but he felt it was a special case. He wanted Benton to understand his wisdom, when so many of the others assumed he had none.
“Yeah, have a look here.” He brought out an object which looked like a music box, the lid coming off the hinges.
“Found this by that there Daniel Patterson’s shed. I asked if I could have it and he said it was just junk. Junk, I tell you. This isn’t junk. Could use it for lots of things. Thinking of fixing it up and giving it to my aunt for her birthday, think she’d like it?”
Benton nodded slowly. Delmar dove into the bag once more and extracted several crinkled pieces of paper.
“And you never need to worry ‘bout needing to write something down because there’s always bits of stuff floating around which’ll do the job right.”
Delmar showed off his wares with pride. There was the collection of bottle caps, the sleeve of a light blue shirt, the frames to a pair of reading glasses, the lenses to a different pair, several cardboard rectangles, a muddied macrame pot holder, various plastic odds and ends which he felt were extra special, the equivalent of a foot long of bark and a cracked dinner plate. He’d never shown anyone the entire contents of his bag before, and seeing Benton’s expressions as he gazed at his possessions pleased him greatly. The nine year old stared, his mouth slightly open. He leaned forward occasionally, rocking back into place instead of touching an object.
“See? Hunting hasn’t got a peg on gathering. These here are mine, now. Once upon a time they used to be someone else’s, or just there. Now they’re special things, stuff with meaning.”
“I see what you mean, Delmar.” There was a pause. “I still think I want to go hunting one day, though.”
“Yeah, at your age, I think I probably did too.” As he packed up his precious items, Delmar looked towards the line which had thinned out, and the various other kids standing or sitting with a cup of steaming broth in their hands. “I’m hungry. Think I’ll go over to Mrs Parker now. You gonna get yourself some of that?”
“No, thank you, Delmar. I think I’ll… I think I’ll go see if I can find something of interest to start my collection.” Delmar stood up and turned around to Benton, who was starting to stand himself.
“Most of the time I think there are too many people around, causing a fuss, but then I think about all the things I wouldn’t have if they weren’t there. Maybe you should try that too. Hope you figure out what you’re hunting for.”
Delmar grinned as the small dark haired boy looked at him in surprise. He trundled back towards the path, much less crowded now. There were students dotted everywhere in the yard, obviously eagerly awaiting the bell that signalled a return to the indoors.
The wind continued to bustle around him. The first sip of soup was perfect, warm and comforting against a harsh autumn day. There was gruel tomorrow, and cocoa the next day, and then the weekend where he could go for some real exploring. As he trundled back towards the classroom for the next lesson, he thought he might ask Benton if he wanted to come along.
Author: Loz (
lozenger8)Rating: G
Word Count: Nearing 1200 words.
Notes: Thank you to
aingeal8c for beta-reading this for me. This is set in grade four of Benton's education and it is that which we call gen.Delmar lumbered with the rucksack on his back. He was struggling towards the crowded path. The wind howled around him, ruffled his coat and his hat, but he liked it, he always had. There was something to be said for an invisible creature which had a mind of its own. Yeah, this was better than being in class.
The other students, the younger ones, they all screwed their faces up at the mention of ‘lunch break’. He’d hear them ask if they couldn’t play with the building blocks just a little longer. They’d even ask to read, though Delmar knew they never wanted to at any other time. But no, the teacher said they must be out, and out they were. Delmar was always the first to the door, his rucksack ready. He’d been asked why he didn’t just leave it by child and adult alike, but he chose not to answer pointless questions.
He made sure not to push the smaller ones as they jostled and jerked this way and that. A gaze cast across the yard showed him that only one fourth grader was avoiding waiting in line for Mrs Parker’s soup, and that was the kind but quiet Benton, huddled on a tree stump, reading a heavy-looking blue book. Delmar looked forward and then back again. Yeah, the soup could wait, even if it was the exotic and exciting Mulligatawny. He wandered over to the other boy.
“Benton?”
“Oh, hello Delmar.” Benton looked up at him expectantly.
“What’s that you got there?”
“It’s a manual on hunting.”
“A manual?” Delmar took his hat off and sat next to Benton, pushing the other boy to the right so that he was barely perched on the stump.
“A textbook, a book you go to for information.”
“Yeah, I know what a manual is, but why are you reading one about hunting? You can’t learn how to hunt by reading about it, you gotta get out there and try it yourself.”
“Ah. My Grandmother won’t let me.”
“Don’t blame her. Nasty business is hunting. Should only do it if you really have to. See, me, I like gathering. There’s all kinds of things you can find, and you don’t need a gun to do it.”
“Oh? What sorts of objects do you find?”
“Well, you know, any old things. Er, for food you can get bits of bread people don’t want. Don’t realise that even if it’s a day or two old you can toast it and it’ll be plenty good. There’re natural things you can eat if you’re hungry enough, though you gotta know which ones won’t make ya keel over and vomit on your best shoes. Learned that one the hard way.”
“Well, I don’t really want to hunt for food.”
Delmar could tell that the other boy was embarrassed. He’d started doing that thing that annoyed the teacher where he turned a shade of pink and scratched just above his eye. The fierce wind continued to batter them both.
“What else would ya hunt for? No other reason known to man.”
“Fur?”
“Yeah, there’s that, yeah. You planning on making yourself a big fuzzy coat there, Benton? You got one on right now.”
“No, no, I wasn’t. I was simply saying…”
“Gathering’s the way. There’s bits of rubber and wood you could use to make a toboggan. You got your thrown down metals and your emptied containers. Here, look, I’ll show you.”
Delmar started shifting his right shoulder, wriggling his arm out of the strap. Once his arm was free he could sling the rucksack down to the ground. He worked on the buckles and opened the flap. He didn’t do this often, but he felt it was a special case. He wanted Benton to understand his wisdom, when so many of the others assumed he had none.
“Yeah, have a look here.” He brought out an object which looked like a music box, the lid coming off the hinges.
“Found this by that there Daniel Patterson’s shed. I asked if I could have it and he said it was just junk. Junk, I tell you. This isn’t junk. Could use it for lots of things. Thinking of fixing it up and giving it to my aunt for her birthday, think she’d like it?”
Benton nodded slowly. Delmar dove into the bag once more and extracted several crinkled pieces of paper.
“And you never need to worry ‘bout needing to write something down because there’s always bits of stuff floating around which’ll do the job right.”
Delmar showed off his wares with pride. There was the collection of bottle caps, the sleeve of a light blue shirt, the frames to a pair of reading glasses, the lenses to a different pair, several cardboard rectangles, a muddied macrame pot holder, various plastic odds and ends which he felt were extra special, the equivalent of a foot long of bark and a cracked dinner plate. He’d never shown anyone the entire contents of his bag before, and seeing Benton’s expressions as he gazed at his possessions pleased him greatly. The nine year old stared, his mouth slightly open. He leaned forward occasionally, rocking back into place instead of touching an object.
“See? Hunting hasn’t got a peg on gathering. These here are mine, now. Once upon a time they used to be someone else’s, or just there. Now they’re special things, stuff with meaning.”
“I see what you mean, Delmar.” There was a pause. “I still think I want to go hunting one day, though.”
“Yeah, at your age, I think I probably did too.” As he packed up his precious items, Delmar looked towards the line which had thinned out, and the various other kids standing or sitting with a cup of steaming broth in their hands. “I’m hungry. Think I’ll go over to Mrs Parker now. You gonna get yourself some of that?”
“No, thank you, Delmar. I think I’ll… I think I’ll go see if I can find something of interest to start my collection.” Delmar stood up and turned around to Benton, who was starting to stand himself.
“Most of the time I think there are too many people around, causing a fuss, but then I think about all the things I wouldn’t have if they weren’t there. Maybe you should try that too. Hope you figure out what you’re hunting for.”
Delmar grinned as the small dark haired boy looked at him in surprise. He trundled back towards the path, much less crowded now. There were students dotted everywhere in the yard, obviously eagerly awaiting the bell that signalled a return to the indoors.
The wind continued to bustle around him. The first sip of soup was perfect, warm and comforting against a harsh autumn day. There was gruel tomorrow, and cocoa the next day, and then the weekend where he could go for some real exploring. As he trundled back towards the classroom for the next lesson, he thought he might ask Benton if he wanted to come along.
