Witherwood Reform School (20 page)
Read Witherwood Reform School Online
Authors: Obert Skye
It was not a pleasant feeling.
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People are easily startled. It's a fact that's simple to prove. Walk up behind someone with a pin and a balloon, and you'll see for yourself. Or if you're feeling really adventurous, procure two thin flat boards and when someone is sleeping, slap the boards together as hard as you can. It's a fun way to make friends.
Ralph Eggers was more startled by what he had just seen than if someone had slapped two boards together right next to his ear. He left the square building no wiser than when he had entered.
“So,” Sam said to Ralph as he came out with Orrin, “did you see anything familiar?”
“No,” Ralph answered, confused. “Just a couple of kids.”
“What'd they say?” Sam asked.
“We couldn't hear them,” Ralph replied. “They seemed out of control.”
“The two-way mirror is soundproof when we need it to be,” Orrin said. “I didn't want you to hear some of the vulgar things they were saying. Those two kids are a couple of our tougher cases. We love them all, but some are just a bit more challenging than others. I wanted you to see what we're working with here. I'm pretty certain you would have remembered being around that. Is there anything else we can do for you?”
Ralph shook his head. “It looks like this is a dead end.”
Ralph, Sam, and Orrin walked through the gardens in silence. At the front of the school, Sam got into the driver's seat of his taxi while Ralph thanked Orrin.
“I wish we could have helped,” Orrin said.
“So do I. Before I go, do you mind if I ask you one last question?”
“Please,” Orrin said, looking up at Ralph. “Anything.”
“You don't happen to know anyone by the name of Martha here?”
“There's no one here named that,” Orrin answered.
Ralph shrugged, looked at Witherwood one last time, then got into the taxi, and Sam drove away.
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Tobias and Charlotte shuffled down the hall with Ms. Gulp behind them. After their father had disappeared, they had spent the next two hours in the square room listening to Marvin and forgetting everything. Their brains were so mucked up now that they couldn't even remember seeing their dad.
“We've put a new lock on your door,” Ms. Gulp said, creaking as they walked through Weary Hall. “Our security needed an update. Things should stay where they are now.”
“What about when we need to use the bathroom?” Charlotte asked kindly.
“I still find your questions insufferable,” Ms. Gulp said, bothered. “There will be someone checking on you every couple of hours to make sure you're still in your beds. Ask them to take you.”
“That's nice,” Tobias said. “Thank you so much.”
“It looks like Marvin really got to you,” Ms. Gulp said, smiling. “I don't know why he doesn't just forget about you two. But I suppose he's always in need of new things to ⦠well⦔
“What?” Charlotte asked.
Ms. Gulp stopped walking and turned to face them. With a cruel smile, she said, “What I meant was that I suppose there's value in everyone.”
“I'm glad we can help,” Charlotte said.
When they reached the seventh door on the left, Ms. Gulp took out a black key and unlocked the new lock. She pushed Tobias and Charlotte inside their room.
“You might want to rest up,” Ms. Gulp growled. “Come morning, you'll be working harder than ever.”
“Okay,” Tobias and Charlotte said in a pleasant way. “We will.”
“And remember, do as you're told and not a thing more.”
Ms. Gulp slammed the door and locked it. Tobias and Charlotte stood there blinking slowly and trying to figure out how they should feel.
“It seems like we should be talking about something important,” Tobias said to his sister.
“Really?” Charlotte said, walking to her cot. “What do you think we should be talking about?”
“I can't remember,” Tobias told her.
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Now, I know what you're probably thinking: “I can't remember” wasn't really the best line of dialogue to end the book on. But the future for Tobias and Charlotte wasn't going to be easy. They were trapped in Witherwood, and it appeared that even their father had abandoned them. It certainly seemed like a moment when it would have been nice to see hope come pouring down on them in buckets. Instead, however, hope came in a thimble.
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At the head of both their cots were two large pillows with duck-print pillowcases. Somehow, Fiddle had made it back and delivered them something hopeful. They didn't know this, or even remember Fiddle, but they knew what pillows were and they were happy to see them.
Tobias almost cried. Charlotte started to whimper with joy as she sat down on her cot, leaned back, and let her head sink into the pillow. Tobias took a second to slip off his shoes and then did exactly the same.
In the moments before he drifted into a foggy sleep, Tobias noticed the floor beneath one of the empty cots. The way the light rested on the dusty surface was most unusual. Something about it made Tobias hopeful.
He closed his eyes and let sleep smother him.
These were small thingsâa map written in the dust, pillows to rest their heads onâbut it's amazing how far a tiny thimble of hope and ten hours of sleep can go toward making things right.
TO BE CONTINUED â¦
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Some people will shut this book and talk about how children are best kept locked up in mysterious schools high on a mesa that grew from a meteor that fell in the middle of a desert. Some will shut it and talk about how parents should be careful when they punish their kidsâthey'll say Ralph should have just sent them to their room or made them clean up the house instead of what he did. And some readers will simply shut the book and remember to check what's in the gravy before they eat it next time.
What Tobias and Charlotte have learned is that their ordeal is just beginning. Sure, people don't always ask to be taught, and some of us are reluctant to learn anything at all, but what lies ahead for Tobias and Charlotte is going to wise them up, whether they like it or not. Yes, I'm afraid that great changes are still in store. And even though life is pinching them hard, you can take comfort in the fact that it's not you. Of course, if Tobias and Charlotte don't find a way to bring down Witherwood, it very well could be you someday.
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Obert Skye
is an award-winning author. He has been to Witherwood and seen the grounds firsthand. He has slipped through the gate and studied the animals. He has tasted the pudding and spent time in the courtyard. One of those first four sentences is true. One of the last four isn't. Obert is the author of the Creature from My Closet series:
Wonkenstein
,
Potterwookiee
,
Pinocula
, and
Katfish
. He has also written the Leven Thumps series and the Pillage trilogy. He is an exceptional juggler. He has been bitten by three different snakes on three different days.
Visit Obert at
worldofobertskye.com
or
@obertskye
. Sign up for email updates
here
.
    
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C
ONTENTS
Chapter 2: How Not to Punish Your Children
Chapter 3: Slick Roads and Hidden Rivers
Chapter 5: One-Man Welcome Party
Chapter 6: There's Something in the Trees
Chapter 7: The Mourning Morning
Chapter 8: The Gardens of Witherwood
Chapter 10: Starting from Scratches
Chapter 11: Waking Up Is Hard to Do
Chapter 12: A First Look at Floor Two
Chapter 13: Erasing One's Mind
Chapter 14: A Little More Learned
Chapter 15: A Taxi Driver Named Sam
Chapter 16: Student Morale Day
Chapter 17: Libraries Are Not Storage Lockers
Chapter 18: A Small Mention of Something Important
Chapter 19: Window of Opportunity
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Text copyright © 2015 by Obert Skye
Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Keith Thompson
Henry Holt and Company, LLC
Publishers since 1866
Christy Ottaviano Books
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