JackG@killerschool Page 5

stopped their game, have become visibly tense.

  “Says who?” asks Jack, who has neither lost his skinniness, nor his gutsy attitude since that day that he went down the Kloof Nek Road.

  The other boy’s expression turns to something snake-like.

  “Says Wesley Southbound, you little weasel. Let’s get things straight: In THIS place I ask the questions – YOU do the listening. You carry out my orders. Understand? So which will it be; blood or water?”

  “You were given to Him with water…” is what Jack’s father had said. He looks the other boy square in the eyes.

  “Water,” he says. “Now get out of my way!” He pushes the taller boy aside, using his skateboard. The other boy tries to hide his surprise.

  “I knew it! I know who you are! You can only be Jack Gullible! She is afraid of you and you are stupid enough to choose water? You could have ruled this whole place! But it is too late NOW. That little privilege will now come to ME! And you will be just like any of the other trash around here. Take a look at ME. I, Wesley Southbound will be the Extractor of Blood!”

  Jack shrugs.

  “Just be careful not to wallow in your own blood.”

  Did Jack imagine it, or did the other boys seem relieved when he said that he chose water? What silly business is this anyway?

  “So Wesley, you can mind your own business now. You’ve heard him. We’ re now three against one!” The boy who has the name Amoran written on the suitcase under his bed has joined the conversation.

  “Three MICE don’t count for anything,” Wesley retorts, but his expression shows irritation and displeasure; he is worried.

  “It’s the boy Yersinia and Salmonella was whispering about,” Amoran whispers to the other boy, who is called Lefty. “Jack G.”

  They are interrupted by Molluscum once more. Jack is summoned to Yersinia’s office.

  “Yet again,” he sighs.

  This time, Yersinia looks quite different; with hair in disarray; with teeth that have unsightly stains on them.

  Video clip, from the hidden camera in Yersinia’s office

  “Your father,” Yersinia hisses through her yellow, knitted teeth, shaking her unkempt, tousled hair in all directions, “your poor sod of a father – is a spy! A rotten saboteur for that Alien Breather of Stars! But he is done for. You can count on that. You will NEVER see him again!” The rash on her skin turns to a red purple and her eyes look like two glow- in-the-dark pom-pom balls.

  “My father,” retorts Jack indignantly, “is a smart- phone technician. He designs them, assembles them, repairs them in a way nobody else can and he was chosen by his company, to go on this business trip. He even helps people privately with repairs!

  “Interesting,” sings Yersinia. “Can he also organise cheap airtime, you little rubbish?” But her eyes – they show something between worry and fear. If she knew Jack’s thoughts at this moment, she might have more hope for herself:

  “This is not the first time someone calls me rubbish.”

  Amahl

  This is our friend’s new school. What will this mad woman do to him? Oh dear, that is my responsibility, definitely my responsibility. And Jack, well he is a very nice boy. It is just…..Let’s put it this way. He does make my work very …exciting. To be honest, breaking the million-light-years-per-second speed barrier is simply awesome. And I am the one who gets the most opportunities in my host. I thank Jack for that. His skateboarding also helps a lot, of course.

  And who I might be, you ask? Why I am Jack’s guardian angel, or rather guardian ARTIST, of course. You see the job of a guardian angel is to do his job in a very subtle, inconspicuous way. I’d be mortified if Jack ever makes a remark like, “I am sure I have a guardian angel,” or “I know my guardian angel is not asleep.” I’ll be the laughing stock of my host. Jack should never suspect any of this guarding business. So, you see, I am an artist. My art speaks for itself, as if I, the artist, don’t exist at all. (Oh, and I also put in all those little notes in italics for you – not all of them are googlable, as you will notice. We angels do not normally google – I did that for you, hope you like them.)

  The best fun was the time when I tripped over that meteorite – they always get in the way, these meteorites. That was when Jack was dared to mount that camel at the morning market while the handler was having some lunch…In any event, the meteorite got caught in the seam of my robe … nearly dragged the whole lot along. Such luck it burnt out over Botswana and Limpopo … should keep these scientist types busy for a while … such a relief I did not get stuck with one of those – splitting hair over all that kindergarten stuff.

  Jack is fun. I just hope he does not grow up too fast. That’s when they become responsible, you know. The what? Oh the Table Mountain episode! When Jack got that hiding from his dad? Yes, I can explain that and I will, but first I have that bone to pick with demon 05. He’s been pretty scarce since that episode. I wonder why…

  Well, fortunately I am also in a groovy band, playing acoustic guitar. Soon we’re going to rock the Milky Way, and who knows what next!

  Let’s see what Jack’s doing at his new school. I hope this will be the cause of many opportunities for me.

  Video clip, from the hidden camera in the school hall

  “Hullo, hullo, airtime PLEASE!” Yersinia’s face turns redder and redder until all of her hair goes up in flames and spitting snakes slither all over her head, right through the flames.

  “Why is airtime so important to her?” Jack is whispering to Amoran and Lefty during school assembly.

  “She uses her airtime to be a beautiful woman.” whispers Amoran. “If she does not have any left, and she cannot buy any more, she will remain who she is: a hideous, evil woman.” He nervously glances over to the girls’ side, where his sister Shamare is standing next to some other girl. Jack has noticed her too; it’s the same girl who disappeared into her room on the day that he arrived.

  “Molluscuuuuum!” calls Yersinia. “You’ll have to run to Pop stores immediately. Theirs is cheapest!”

  “Can’t we please wait until the weekend, Madam? My feet are killing me.”

  “And it’s free over weekends!” shouts the girl next to Shamare and then bends down behind the others, pretending to tie her shoelace, but she is shaking with laughter.

  “I said NOW, you sight for sore eyes!” Yersinia commands Molluscum. “ What do you take me for? Do you think I am so cheap that I will fall for the free-over-weekends trick?”

  “No, ma’am. It’s just that wood…I just cannot get through it.”

  “Stand not upon the order of thy going, but go at once!” [Yersinia is again quoting Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare). This Lady M was responsible for the murder of a king. And your parents worry because you have a pop star for a role model? Rather annoying. I am kind of a pop star myself, you know.]

  “Oh no!” groans Molluscum Contagiosum.

  “You ARE cheap! You cannot make do without all these slaves, because you cannot afford paying anybody.” the girl calls out again.

  “If I get hold of the person who is giving all this running commentary, I’ll show you what cheap is!” Yersinia peers over all the heads of the children, but the snakes on her head keep going over her eyes. The girl rises and starts looking around her with a mock expression of shock on her face. How could anybody be so cheeky when talking to the head mistress?

  “If she gets angry, her airtime vanishes like it’s my sister’s on the ‘phone – not a pretty sight,“ whispers Amoran.

  “But why doesn’t she just buy it online, or on her phone? That Molluscum guy thinks going through that wood sucks.”

  “We are all guessing, but it seems to have something to do with her credit checks… you know… strapped for cash type of thing? She’s got some coupons from Pop stores – probably nabbed ones.”

  “Strapped for cash… like when they don’t pay your father for his work.”

/>   Charming.

  What I don’t understand is: why do people always want to be, what they call, beautiful to look at? Why do they sometimes think they are ugly? I am surrounded by nothing but beauty. Even so, I have seen most human beings who have lived on this planet for the past 4 000 years, or so. I have never seen an ugly one! They are all so perfect to look at! Do they want to be loved? Yes, certainly. But what do looks have to do with it?

  I am soooo glad I am not assigned to those woman kinds. You see, I may only intervene when I am commanded to do so, like when Jack was hanging around that camel’s neck, silly boy. Thing is, I may never intervene when Jack must make a decision, must choose between certain possible actions. That’s when I may only watch, even though I know the consequences will be bad for him. He has absolute freedom of choice and nobody may interfere, especially now, with his father gone and all. That is the Star Breather’s explicit ruling. Not even He interferes. Humans must have freedom of choice. (They seem to realize that themselves, in some twisted way at least, with their little bills on human rights. Strange.)

  So when it comes to being beautiful and attractive, humans, especially women humans, make the weirdest decisions, like that Yersinia creature. But I needn’t worry about Jack, not even when camels are around. He certainly does not care about looks, not with that torn T-shirt that he wears just whenever it suits him. He is the most attractive being in the entire universe,