A Brave Orphan

• Roisin McCann, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2014

Oliver Jhon-Fraser sat still as if he were paralyzed, his eyes fixed on the world outside. The rain was hitting the window pane like tears falling from heaven. It made him think of his mother and father, they were in heaven.
Oliver was only five when he survived the horrific accident that took the lives of both his beloved parents! He had lived at St Hilda’s Orphanage ever since. St Hildas wasn’t a bad place, but it was a lonely place, many of his friends had been adopted. Oliver wished he could find a new family but everyone wanted babies or strong boys to help on the farms. Oliver was neither of these, he was small and scrawny with fine bones, like his mother and he was definitely not a baby anymore! Oliver was bullied by older kids.They picked on him and called him a baby! If only he was a baby he would have been adopted by someone who would care for him, someone he could tell his worries to, someone who didn’t yell at him every time his shoelaces weren’t done up properly! He climbed into his bunk and pulled the straw-mat over him as he drifted into an uneasy sleep.
When Oliver woke up, he was in a bed, a proper bed with a mattress and duvet. He sat up and looked around, he saw a lady holding her hand out to him. “Oliver,” she said “Mum,” he gasped. “Yes honey, your breakfast is ready,” His Mother exclaimed “Warm porridge with berries and a hot chocolate!” Oliver blinked, but when he opened his eyes he was back in the hard wooden bunk with a straw-mat as a blanket, standing over him was Greg, Tom, Alex and James, The Bullies! Greg stepped forward, “Whats Wong widdle boy, can’t find mummy?” He mimicked “Your Bweakfast is weady, wawm powwidge wid bewwies and a hot-chocwit!”
Hey wait a minute how do they know what he was dreaming? He then realized his dream had been interrupted by reality!
Later that day at breakfast he was about to put his spoon into his cold porridge when he heard a shout from the other side of the table, Greg, Tom, Alex and James had just tipped Tommy’s Porridge over his head. Oliver got up and went over, “it’s alright Tommy, ignore them,” . He turned to the bullies “back off, pick on someone your own size!”
He put his own porridge on the table were Tommy was sitting “here have this, but first lets’ get you cleaned up,” he offered
“Oliver, come here!” boomed Mrs Jamison. “You’ll be alright,” Oliver whispered to Tommy and quickly followed her to the office.
“Oh no” Oliver thought “I’m in trouble.”
“Sofie and Arthur Henderson are looking for a young boy who’s kind and intelligent,” explained Mrs Jamison.
“Tommy would be good ,” Oliver suggested.
“Oliver, You’ve misunderstood, it’s you they want, look what you did for Tommy thismorning,”
“yeah and…” Oliver started.
“Meet your new family!”…