Again, I could hear the hinges creak gradually on the door at the other end of the corridor. I could see someone lurking in the distant shadow, walking awkwardly away from me.
“Excuse me!”, I yelled as I began jogging steadily towards this unknown figure.
“Excuse me please”, I bellowed again, increasing my pace with every stride. I see him kneeling, it appears he is reaching for something he had dropped, his keys. He turned his face and glanced towards me as I drew nearer.
“I’m late, I’m late” he mumbled under his breath. He progressively stood up and briskly walked out of the door at the end of the corridor, into darkness. I stayed put, deciding not to follow as the old man was in a rush. The playground I reminded to myself.
Looking at my watch, I realised it was morning break. I speedily went to the playground. Strangely enough, there was nobody on the playground! Where was the Sarah trio, who never missed an opportunity to practise their latest cheerleading routine? The hopscotch girl, where was the hopscotch girl, I questioned as I was staring at the marked hopscotch grid. She was always playing hopscotch against other pupils and amazingly, she never looses. Not yet anyway.
I turned the first corner of the main building, expecting to see the lads playing football on the field. However, as I scanned the surface of the immense playing field, I could only notice an empty, silent green sea. The blades of each individual grass seemed to be blowing first north, then south with the conquering gusty atmosphere. Where is everyone, I wondered as I was just hit by an extremely frosty breeze? I could feel the hairs on my skin rise. My body experienced a slight shudder. The emptiness and coldness of the field prompted me to jog around the second corner. The longer I seemed to stay on the playground, the more the conditions appeared to deteriorate. Still no sign of no one. I came to an abrupt halt, stared up intently into the dark winter sky and hoped by the time I finishing circling the block, I will find the rest of my fellow schoolmates. I continued with a hasty jog around the third corner. My hopes had been dashed, for as I turned the third corner, not one pupil did I see running across the playground. Although, something did loom in the distance. Was this my imagination hoping, wanting to believe someone or some people were there. I stopped and slowly rubbed my eyes. I was as still as a stationary train, observing and listening earnestly for the slightest movement or noise ahead of me. About a hundred yards or so in front of me, I could just about make out two bulky men. As I observed closer, I could see what I am assuming to be some sort of small tree being held upright by one man, whilst the other appeared to be digging. That is odd I thought for a few seconds, why were these men planting a tree now. I stood watching the two figures at work and noticed the pair hammering something into the ground, beside the tree. I did not really understand what was going on, so I began to consider whether I should trek up the playground and ask them. However, I concluded it is best to let the occupied men continue working, besides, I was not eager to walk halfway across the playground in these cold, wintry conditions. Feeling like an iceberg as seconds were passing, I decided to go back indoors.
I found my way back into the main building. Bang! I heard a door slam hard. My immediate reaction was turn and look at the door I just entered through. Satisfied no one was there I turned back around and examined the ground floor. Looking straight ahead, I was sure the sound came from around the first corner to my right, I headed that way. I passed the office. If the school was empty, why would the office computer be turned on, I wondered glaring at the monitor. This raised my hopes once more that maybe I will find everyone somewhere in school. I climbed three narrow steps just before I turned into the corner. I walked a couple of meters to the door I am assuming I heard slam.
Looking through the glass panel on the door, I caught a glimpse of movement. Now exceptionally anxious to find out where everyone was, I figured that maybe this person could help me. I pulled open the door and walked in. The loud bang of the door shutting behind me startled me. However, the girl who was several feet in front of me just stood still with her back to me. I am assuming it is a girl because she had long, dark hair trailing to her waist.
“Hello”, I called out at her. She turned around. I knew she was pupil at this school because she was wearing our school uniform; Black trousers, a white shirt and a navy blue sweatshirt with our school crest embedded on to it. The tie she was wearing was red, that was our old school tie but a few people do still wear them. She was of average height, I reckon about a few inches shorter then me. I could not quite make out her face as she stood in the shadows of the corridor leading to the main hall. I noticed she was wearing glasses only because the little amount of light entering this tunnel, though the long but narrow widows, was reflecting of them.
“Yes”, she replied. I let out a sigh of relief. I was glad that finally I could talk to someone. Her voice was calm which made me fell slightly relaxed. She had a rather posh accent.
“You would not know were everyone is by any chance, only I have been searching for ages and yet I have hardly seen or spoken to anyone”, I questioned as I had a quick glance at my watch.
“You appear to be scared of something, is everything okay”, she asked looking concerned. She moved a few paces forward, out of the shadowy corner she once stood at. The complexion of her skin was fairly pale, a bit like mine though she did not have spots scattered around her face like me.
“I am fine”, I lied trying to put on a brave face. I was embarrassed that she might laugh at me. “If you know where everyone is please can you tell me”, I requested rather impatiently.
“Calm down, what is the rush”, she spoke softly. She continued, “there all in the hall, you might not want to go in there”.
“Thank you”, I answered, relieved that she had told me where everyone was. I scurried past her and headed for the hall.
“You might not want to go in there”, she repeated. I heard her voice echo as I turned the corner. I did not take much notice on what she had told me apart from the fact that everyone was in the hall.
It had not occurred to me, once, throughout my state of confusion that maybe there was a school assembly taking place. I started to slow to a walking pace as I came closer to the entrance of the hall. Never had I been so enthusiastic of going to an assembly. I found myself at the back door of one of several entrances leading into the hall. I could hear someone talking from within the hall. I let open the door and descended slowly and quietly down the several steps in the hall. I guess no one had noticed me enter as no one looked back towards the back entrance. I felt a huge surge of relief and comfort, as I looked around at the many people in the hall. My heart had stopped beating as fast as it once did when I was bewildered and returned to a normal pace. Pulling out a black chair, I sat isolated at the back of the hall.
The hall did not seem significantly vast as it usually did. I decided the reason for this must be the packed hall. We rarely had assemblies of this calibre, this made me contemplate that maybe it was one of our annual celebration assemblies. However, this can not be possible I thought to myself, we never have celebration assemblies through the middle of winter. I was fixed into finding out what this gathering concerned. I sat patiently, avid to listen to the words being spoken. Something immediately grabbed my attention. The voice, the voice of the speaker was very familiar to me. Mark, it was the voice of my best friend Mark. I could not help but wonder why Mark would be speaking in an assembly. His voice did not sound the same, he stumbled and stuttered on a few words. It was then that I heard my name being mentioned. My heart seemed to be racing once more. I could hear it pounding away inside me. I rose of my seat. I surveyed the hall. There were tears in almost every ones eyes. I stared straight ahead at the opposite end of the hall. I could clearly see Mark with tears falling down his cheek. After a sentence or so, he would roll his hand across his face wiping away the tears he was trying to hold back. I was listening intently to the words being spoken out. Listening to Mark talk about me made me nervous, why was he talking about me?
“…he is… was… a great friend and will always be in my heart.” Mark cried before he stepped down, and blew his runny nose. Someone stood up and slowly walked over to Mark and hugged him tight. I wiped the tears building in my eyes. It dawned on me that something was not quiet right. It was then I realised my mum was here, she was gripping onto Mark. What had happened? Why was Mark talking about me in the past tense? Why is my mum in school? Many questions embraced and circulated in my already baffled mind. My eyes started to well and were beginning to sting, the more I listened, the more the tears build. My eyes began losing focus. I strided halfway along the aisle and let out a cry of pain. Nobody paid any attention. Not knowing where I was going, I turned and ran out of the hall.
I stopped at the corridor leading to the hall. The girl I had spoken to earlier was there.
“Told you, you would not like going in there”, she said arrogantly. “I have been in your shoes before, a few years back, I know how you are feeling”, she finished.
“What is happening, tell me now”, I yelled angrily as I grabbed her hand.
“ Go to the pla…”, not waiting to hear her reply, not wanting to hear the truth, I fled past her.
I ran out of the building onto the deserted playground towards the newly planted mini-tree. I noticed a plaque beside the tree. I felt a state of numbness of what I saw before me. The plaque read:
In Loving Memory of,
Joseph Maguire Jr.
He Fell Here
