James Hackett

Last Episode: …Barely escaping with their lives, Keston and Kayla witness the unique and bizarre departure of the Posse.

The heat was taking its effect on the classroom; children were restless and talked aimlessly among themselves. Redman, in his usual spot at the back of the classroom, casually took his feet off the desk and stood. His hand craftily twisted his hair into dreaded knots. Trying to maintain their students neatly combed hair gave the teachers no end of trouble. “Sir I need to go to the toilet,” he said, approaching Mr Sunny. He was ignored. Mr. Sunny was new to the school but he had already heard countless tales in the staff-room about the delinquent child. He gave his answer without turning. “Sit down boy!” The boy walked closer, his hands pleading. “But sir ah…” He was not allowed time to finish. “But nothing! Sit down and cool it!”

Mr Sunny turned his glasses in his hand. He had to make his authority known. If that was not done, Redman would assume he could do what he wanted. “Class will be over just now. You will go then.” The voice was loud and firm. The class simmered down, and started to pay attention to the scene. Redman was not intimidated.  “Sir let me just go nuh.” The teacher swirled from the blackboard. He had enough of the boy already, and the heat did not make the matter any better -he wanted air conditioning and the old school couldn’t afford it.  “Young man-I said SIT!”  Mr Sunny put his hands on Redman’s shoulder, griping firmly. Redman stood back shoving away the teacher’s hand.
“I just want to go to the toilet, sir. Let meh go nuh, sir.” Redman’s nostrils flared-Sir actually put his hands on him. Nah! “I just want to go to the toilet yuh know, dread!”
His eyes glowed. Mr Sunny put his glasses back on… was he seeing things?
Tania made a secret signal to the twins. Redman’s face became darker as he made a sly glance toward Tania, then, as Mr Sunny
tried to grab the errant child again. “Move from me nah boy!” the teacher was flung back onto his desk. Tania and the twins immediately took chairs and flung them
out the window, broken glass falling in their wake. The proverbial line was crossed. Chaos followed rapidly -one student clouted another over money owed; another got a buss-head because the boy in front did not like him. In a matter of moments the
classroom was a melee -quarrels broke out for nonsensical reasons and fights for even less.
Redman watched his teacher who was unsuccessfully trying to quiet down the out-of-control class. Occasionally he would have to duck from a misguided chair here, a flung book there. He watched Redman, who was walking up to him, his hat proudly on his head.  “This is your fault!” said the teacher, still angry at the young man. Mr Sunny attempted to take the hat off the boy’s head. Redman pulled back and Mr. Sunny’ s hand passed into the shadow of Redman’s face. His hand went into it like a void deep, black and empty. He shuddered as green eyes glowed back at him, ugly and evil.  Mr Sunny ran for all he was worth, almost knocking over the students and teachers that were in the corridors wanting to see what
was causing so much commotion….
The entire class was expelled. School was finished early as similar incidents threatened to occur in other classrooms all across the school. Acts of violence were reported at schools nationwide. One report told of a girl who assaulted a male student with his pet iguana and the heart-wrenching beating that ended with one dead pet and one hospitalised boy. Due to the increase of violence they had to deal with at work, teachers took the decision to strike the next day. “The matter was getting ridiculous,” reported one teacher. Another irate teacher added: “Yesterday was the last straw –these children are out of control. Something has to be done, or the nation’s education -its future- will be at stake…”

In a prepared statement delivered to the press, the Minister of Education commented that he was not satisfied with the teachers “undisciplined” act. Children grabbed at the opportunity and took it upon themselves to stay at home-Easter vacation came early. Keston and Kayla knew all too well who was behind the confusion that had taken over the nation. They told one of their teachers about the incident that happened the Saturday evening. The woman just laughed. “It don’t have things like that again,” she said, as she smiled amusingly at them. “Who fulling allyuh head with jumbie stories? This thing is totally a social issue, okay. Allyuh don’t have to blame it on jumbies.” Confused by the reception, Keston and Kayla left her office.
“Who go listen to we now, boy? I sure is Redman and them causing this thing, yuh know.”
“That is a good question -who would listen to we in truth?” Keston said, deep in thought as he idly kicked a can down the corridor. “Why not somebody who understands what allyuh talking about-” Both Kayla and Keston whirled around, surprised by the newcomer -it was Rhonda, one of the most feared people in school. The fear that she presented however was not from bullying or being bad really. It was her attitude. The girl was quite tough, but her intellect was one that gave her fellow students a hard time to keep up with. She seldom talked but when she did it was to critcise -and most of the time the criticism came hard. She never had opposition to her views because none was able to meet and argue with her sensibly. She eyed the two, her glance intent.
“Shall we talk?”

Next… The Plan

Creator’s note:With this episode the editor had put in this thing with
a plan. I had no plans for a plan and so for the following week I had
to come up with the next story. But before you read on, allow me a
little more time. The story above was written around the same time that
there was a lot of noise about school violence. I took this opportunity
to bring my idea of the douens to life, giving then a sense of reality
and depth.