George

• Daniel Marns, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2013

“Ah finally, I can sit down and enjoy the ride” thought George, a mischievous boy with scabby teeth and a freckled nose, as he sat on the bus while putting a fake pool of rubber vomit, complete with realistic carrot chunks, on the seat next to him. “No one will want to sit next to me now, I'll have room to stretch my legs all the way to Albany...” he whispered to himself in his usual devilish, mischievous voice. It was definitely working, whenever someone came near the seat George would point at the piece of vomit disgustedly. Anyone who saw the vomit would turn away!
At the third stop and elderly man wearing dark shades who walked a bit cautiously with a stick came to sit next to George. “I wouldn’t sit there if I were you, it’s quite dirty” George said to the man, a bit confused as to why he would even go near the seat. That vomit was top quality stuff and if the man came and sat next to him he wouldn’t be able to stretch his legs on the trip...! The old man felt around the seat with his stick and eventually prodded and grabbed the piece of vomit rubber with is spare hand, “Oh some kid has played a trick on you, it’s just a rubber” man replied in a jokey voice and then sat down.
“But how!" "that vomit nearly fools me, I can’t ask him to leave and I don’t want to be mean, I can’t just leave either because that would seem rude, if I’m going to have room on the way to Albany I’m will have to scare him off” thought George, panicking a little.” Maybe he’s only going a few stops..." “So where you going?” George asked the man, fingers crossed. “Albany, what about you?” the man replied. “Oh that's funny, I’m going to Albany too” George laughed shakily.
“You know, you can move, it’s a long way to Albany and I can get car sick” George told the elderly man. “Oh – its fine, I can get car sick as well, good thing I’m with a strong boy like you” the elderly man replied in a happy voice.
‘This is not going as planned! I’m going to have to do something really drastic to get this guy to move, even if it does mean losing my lunch.’ though George while he pulled his sandwich from his bag. He opened up his sandwich and started rubbing it on his cheeks. “You should try this, it makes excellent skin moisturiser, and a lunch” George said while starting to eat his sandwich.
“Really, you should tell me where you get that multipurpose cream from” said the elderly man replied, not any disgust on his face. “It makes great toe cream as well” said George, really panicking now, and that’s when it hit him...
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
“I don’t know dear, I’m blind, why do you ask?”