David woke in a strange place. The room was unfamiliar.
He didn’t want to get out of bed.
He had no idea what was out there.
He is scared of the unknown.
He must stay unknown.
He hesitated on the landing. And listened. He could hear the big house breathe. He made his way down stairs slowly. Hesitant. The living room was cold, dark and silent. The dining room was the same. An empty table and four empty chairs.
He switched on the TV and it took him to a safe familiar place.
Arlene brushed up against Shaun. He turned over in his sleep. Arlene spooned into him. They both slept. Until the alarm went off. Arlene nudged Shaun. It was his turn. He pretended he was still asleep. It became her turn. Again.
She stopped with her ear cocked outside David’s room. All quiet. She found him in the living room in front of the TV. The volume was so low he had to sit with his nose almost touching the screen in order to hear it. She asked him if he was Ok. He said he was fine.
He looked as if he was about to cry.
Arlene and Shaun had a very busy day ahead of them. They moved to the new house two weeks ago and they still hadn’t unpacked everything. The third bedroom. The spare room. Was full of sealed boxes. They had put this day aside in order to sort it all out. After breakfast they made a start. Leaving David alone with the Teletubbies.
The house backed down onto the beach. You could go out the back gate. Downhill for a hundred yards and you were at the North sea. It wasn’t much of a beach. Mostly rocks. But it was still a beach. David loved it down there. Almost every day since their arrival Shaun had taken David for a walk along the waterfront. David asked if he could have a dog. Shaun wasn’t sure, he didn’t like dogs. He said he would think about it.
The parents were absorbed in unpacking. David was bored. He wanted to go out. He asked his dad if he’d take him to the beach. He was too busy. He asked if he could go on his own. After some deliberation it was agreed he could. However he would have to stick to some strict rules.
Wrap up warm.
Don’t go too far.
No strangers.
Be back in an hour.
There was a strong wind blowing. Coming in cold off the sea. David had on a pair of dark blue boots, brown cords and his favourite coat. A blue parka. The fur around the hood was balding and patchy. It had four brown buttons, it should have had six. Two were missing. Stolen at school. His mother had tried several times to throw it out but he would not let her.
He walked along with his head bowed against the weather. His eyes scanned the ground for treasures gifted from the sea. He found nothing. He picked up a branch that was wedged between two large rocks and was using it as a walking stick. His boots were no good in among the rocks. He kept slipping and sliding over the damp stones. The branch helped. His cheeks were glowing red and his eyes were full of water. As he walked on he came across a gull. It was injured and lay twitching in a shallow pool of sea water. It kept lifting its head up and throwing it back, its beak chopping at the air. It made several attempts to get up, yet was unable. David moved closer. Fascinated. The gull made eye contact. It the began to scream and flap its one good wing. Tension made David quiver.
He did not know what to do.
He wanted to help.
He looked around for the biggest rock he could lift. Lifted it.
And dropped it on the head of the distressed bird.
Arlene and Shaun had made good progress. By tea time they had whittled it down to half a dozen boxes. They took a break and went down stairs to find David in the kitchen with a tree branch and a small saw. He was cutting into the wood with determination. His parents glanced at each other. Arlene asked him what he was doing. He said he was making a catapult. A sling shot. She asked why and was told it was for cans and stuff. She shrugged her shoulders at Shaun and left the kitchen. Shaun offered to help. David refused. Shaun went back up stairs and rummaged through the remaining boxes. He returned to the kitchen a short time later with a roll of heavy duty tape, a bag of elastic bands and a small square of leather cut from an old wallet. He placed them down beside his son without a word. David gave him a smile.
David was very quiet over the evening meal. When asked how his walk along the beach was he just shrugged. He was lost in deep thought. He finished his meal and returned to his sling shot.
David went to bed with his man made catapult under his pillows.
He couldn’t wait for morning.
It was raining. Raining heavy. Raining like it never could in the city. The house was under attack from the weather. David sat with his face pressed against the kitchen window. Trying to see down on to the beach and looking at the sky. His mother was busy in the dining room. Slumped over a pile of paperwork. Pen in hand, biting on her bottom lip with a furrowed brow. His father was at work.
Earlier that morning his mother had brought up the subject of school. David did not want to know. She said he would have to go back to school in the next couple of weeks. David did not want to go. Not in the next couple of weeks. Not ever. She told him she had a meeting with the headmaster and she had registered David. He felt betrayed.
Later that afternoon the relentless rain had relented. As soon as the rain stopped David got dressed for the outdoors. He entered the dining room and asked his mother if he could go out back. His mother looked at him. She still had a bit of work to do and said yes. The fresh air would do him good. She made him promise to be careful and be back in an hour. David glanced at his watch and hurried out of the house.
He closed the gate behind him and made his way down to the beach. He had his catapult wedged into his pocket. In another pocket he had a freezer bag full of scraps of food taken from the bin. He had a plan. Once on the beach he searched for suitable sized stones, small rocks, for his sling. He collected half a dozen and put them into an empty pocket. He moved along the beach.
He found the perfect spot. A clear part of the beach with few rocks and a bit of sand and one large rock, big enough for him to hide behind.
He scattered the contents of the freezer bag on the ground before him. He then went behind the rock and waited. And waited.
The sky began to clear a little and the wind died down. Then the gulls began to appear. High overhead at first. Then slowly getting lower and lower. They eventually spotted his bait and came into land.
He watched them in silence. Letting them pick away at the scraps of food.
He took the sling out of his pocket in slow motion, put a stone in it and took aim. Then let go. And missed. The stone flew past, unnoticed by the greedy gulls.
David quickly reloaded. Took aim. And caught one of the gulls with a granite uppercut.
The bird stiffened in disbelief then keeled over and lay twitching. The other birds took flight. Screeching in terror and pain.
He moved form his hiding place and walked towards to wounded gull.
He stood over it.
It thrashed about in the sand snapping at him with its cracked beak. He took a step back. Then moved in. He lifted his knee up to his chest and brought his boot crashing down on the bird’s head.
Mother had cleared the dining table and readied it for tea. Father was home from work. The family were together. They dined in silence.
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