price32ii

The Bully
J. Price

Marvin ducks as the kids move in. “Hey, sissy, where’s your mommy?” Tommy continues, “That bike is old school.” All five of the bullies surround him, pushing, poking and belittling him. He is teased daily. Maybe because he’s an honor student. Maybe because he has very curly blonde hair, is skinny as a stick, wears glasses and wheezes when nervous because of his asthma.

But, the kids don’t know how smart he really is. Not yet.

He can use magic, if and when he chooses to and tries to keep to himself. Today they’re winning. He yells out, “Hey, guys? What do you want from me?

They all laugh and sneer. Andy says, “We just don’t like you.”

“Hey baby, I’m going to make your bike macho.” With that, Bear (AKA Joseph) takes a spray paint can out of his pocket and sprays his new Schwinn bike an ugly green grey. The paint drips in globs onto the ground.

The kids laugh, push him to the ground while Tommy steps on his Seahawk hat getting it all muddy. They are a mean band of brats.

When he gets home, his mom comes to him, lays her hand on his shoulder and asks. “Bullies again?” She looks at his new bike and shakes her head. “It’s time you learned to use the gift you know you have. Clean up your bike, that’s a start. And Marvin, I love you.” With that she smiles at him and snaps his back with her dishtowel. “Remember to be cautious when using magic.”

“Thanks, Mom.” He turns to his now hideous bike, thinks a little, and closes his eyes. He conjures the thoughts of his bike being renewed once again. When he opens his eyes, the bike is again shining new. All the ugly paint is gone.

The following day, riding his newly recovered bike to school, all five big bad bullies confront him. Today is a grim looking, damp day. It smells of lightening close by. That metallic smell filled his nostrils. The sky is dark grey. The air stands still and nobody but the bullies are there.

‘Big Red’ storms over and yanks him off his bike. He lands in a big pile of cold wet leaves.

“That’s it!” He decides to create a really big mean dog to chase them away. He closes his eyes and thinks.

Fir the sound of a vicious long growl and deep bark gets the attention of all five. Knuckles (AKA Gerald) yells, they all stop, look toward the sound and all see at the same time, a big hairy dog showing gigantic teeth. This monster dog pounds and shakes the very ground they stand on. The dog gets closer to them. Bear (AKA Joseph) wets himself. He’s afraid of dogs since he was bitten by his neighbor’s dog three years ago.

With panic, yells, cries, and cowardice replacing their bravado, they run like the dickens away from Marvin. Marvin lets out a long breath and the dog disappears.

He is safe and thankful too.

Snow falls in huge flakes around him. It’s cold and miserable. He closes his eyes, uses his magic to dry his clothes and warm up. Now he’s ready.

In class, Mrs. Anthony hands him his report card, and tells him, “Well done, Marvin.” He looks at the ‘A’s across the line of each subject. He’s happy. Behind him a spit wad hits his head. It’s Tommy.

At three o’clock everyone leaves school when the five pack of bully’s decided to try again. “Well,” he says to himself, “I’m at least ready for them.” He leaves school holding his books in a cloth case. The five confront him once again. He thinks about it and decides to use the dog again. After all, it had been a complete success earlier.

Andy pulls him away from his bike, while the others hold sticks in hand and walk closer to him. Suddenly the giant dog with a loud growl bounds into the center of the group showing huge teeth the size of a city block to the kids. The dog digs his front paws the grass and growls so loud it shakes the ground eying each and every kid. Big Red yells, It’s a monster dog.” They drop their sticks and run like the dickens away from Marvin.

“Well, now, I’ll have to tell mom this worked out just fine.” He heads for home as the winds pick up speed and swirls around him. He walks his bike slowly home because the street is slippery and everything is covered with ice now.

“I’m hungry.” His stomach rumbles.

Deciding to conger up a real answer to end the ongoing irritating nuisance theses five create, He decides to make the big dog his pet. Closing his eyes, then opening them, he feels the big dog lick his face. He hugs the dog, laughs and knows the days of tyranny with those bullies now will end.

He named the dog “Pal”. And they become inseparable.

Andy, Big Red- aka Sean, Tommy, Knuckles-aka Gerald, Bear aka Joseph The bullies

End

Fiction