This is from my novel THE CATASTROPHE OF THE EMERALD QUEEN. Aimed at readers aged 10+ it's a magical fantasy set in another world. While not specifically Kravvy, this chapter has anti-bullying themes and shows that sometimes the only thing that can stop a bully is an even bigger bully.
Recently I've wondered if the outcome would have been different if Maria had done Junior Krav. But then I'd have had to find another way to show just HOW much Mordalayn hates bullies.
Artwork by Paul Rose.
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As
they began to bed down for the night Stone spied that Blautin hadn’t put his
flute in his backpack. He made a snatch for it and Blautin span round.
“Give it back,” the younger boy snapped angrily as
the older child grinned and held on to the flute, dangling it out of reach of
the frantic swipes of its owner.
“Come and get it,” Stone said, jumping up and
dancing around. The others barely took notice but then Blautin stood still and
started to cry.
Stone didn’t stop and instead started to laugh.
“Hey, what are you? A little…”
“ENOUGH!”
Everyone jumped and looked at Mordalayn who was
sitting opposite the two boys across the fire. There was a horrible silence and
Stone stared at the warrior, embarrassed and scared. Blautin stopped crying and
wiped his wet cheeks with the back of his sleeve.
“Give it to him,” Mordalayn growled.
“I was just messing…” Stone began but was
interrupted.
“You are a bully and bullies are despicable,”
Mordalayn said with limitless menace. Everyone was looking at him. Challandra
was scared, knowing the Caracalic’s reputation. Leppard glanced from Mordalayn
to the boys and then back. Stone handed the flute back to Blautin and then sat
down, his cheeks burning with shame. He hugged his knees and looked away.
After a long pause Mordalayn spoke again. This time
more softly.
“Bullying is vile. Would you have liked it if
he’d taken something you loved?”
Stone shook his head mutely. Blautin sat down,
putting his prized flute in its silk cloth and wrapping it carefully before
putting it in his pack. He sniffed the last of his tears away and looked at
Mordalayn, at the same time frightened and reassured.
The Caracalic had everyone’s attention and he spoke
calmly and quietly, the only other sound in the forest the crackling of the
fire.
“To make someone weaker than you a victim
only for your own pleasure is beyond vileness.” He glanced around slowly at
everyone as he said this. No one could meet his eyes, even Bue and Leppard
lowered their gazes.
“Recently I saw this.”
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Mordalayn had been shadowing Jared for four days in
Warwick
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“Oooh sissy dolly,” Aiden snapped at Maria nastily.
Maria was scared. She’d gone to the shops to
buy some milk for her mother and Aiden was there. She didn’t like Aiden. He was
older, bigger and bullied her and the other small kids at every chance he got.
The shops were only round the corner, she could see the front garden of her
house from here. She hoped someone would help her but there was no one around.
Aiden grinned at her, his smile not even
remotely reassuring and held out his hand.
“Give it to me and let me look at it.”
Maria gripped the doll even tighter and shook
her head. She knew that if she gave it to him, even for a second, she’d never
see it again or he’d break it.
Aiden moved forward, backing her up against the
wall and looked both ways in case any adults were around or that nosey
Community Support Officer who occasionally wandered round the estate.
“Let me hold it for a second and I’ll let you
have it back,” he said.
Maria was on the verge of tears and didn’t want
Aiden to see her crying. “Let me go Aiden,” she pleaded. “My mummy will be
wondering where I am.”
“Best give me the doll then you stupid cow,”
he said trying to snatch it from her.
Maria bolted and ran and Aiden followed her laughing.
“Go on run little cow!” he whooped, easily catching her up in about three
steps.
Maria screeched as Aiden tripped her up, pushing
her down on the paved slabs outside the shops. She skidded and fell, the milk
carton going flying and bursting open.
Aiden reached down and grabbed her doll in
his grubby hands. She screamed as he tore it free from her grip and shook it in
front of her triumphantly.
“See what happens when you don’t do what you’re
told?!!” he shouted at her.
Maria had skimmed her knees as she fell and
she started to cry. Aiden grinned and grabbed the head of her doll and pulled
hard.
“No!” Maria screamed at him as the head came
free with a pop. Aiden laughed and dropped it on the floor and put his filthy
trainer on it, stamping up and down on the plastic body and twisting his
foot.
Maria bawled loudly, looking on helplessly as Aiden
ruined her toy. The doll was a present from her nana, who had died last year,
and it was her favourite. Giving the doll one last twist with his foot Aiden turned
around and walked off laughing.
Staggering to her feet Maria looked around
and ran wailing into her home, shouting for her mother.
Aiden walked down the alley between Maria’s
house and the precinct of shops. Whistling a happy tune with his hands in his
tracksuit bottoms he failed to notice the cold, furious eyes that watched him
silently from a rooftop across the square.
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When Aiden got home his mother was in front of the
huge plasma screen TV in their lounge. She turned as he came in, her half smoked
cigarette clutched in her fingers. “Get yourself some dinner, there’s microwave
corned beef hash in the freezer.”
“Whatever!” Aiden said disinterestedly and
slunk off upstairs, leaving his mother in a cloud of smoke watching television.
He went up to his room and opened the door
with the sign, “Aiden’s Den. Keep Out or be Dead,” on it with a black skull and
crossbones.
He switched on the TV in his room and turned on his
games console. He fell back onto his bed and picked up the control pad while a
war game started to load. As the game began he became engrossed in the action,
not noticing the squeak on the stairs that meant someone was coming up.
As his door opened he hit “pause” on the pad and
cursed loudly. “Mum! I told you to knock when you….” then looked up and his
voice trailed off abruptly.
Mordalayn stood glaring at him in the doorway. His
rage at what he’d seen the boy do to the little girl was barely controlled as
he silently closed the door.
Aiden stammered. “What, wh..who are YOU?”
Mordalayn moved forward and stood towering over him
silent and terrifying, his hood thrown back to reveal his face. Aiden gulped,
the game controller forgotten in his hands, his eyes flicking over the huge
sword on the stranger’s back and the figure’s cat face, whiskers bristling
angrily. Glancing around the room Mordalayn saw the chaos of a young boy’s
bedroom with old sweet wrappers and magazines on the floor amongst old clothes.
He looked around slowly and his eyes finally rested on Aiden.
“The necklace you’re wearing. Give it to me,”
he said flatly.
Aiden’s hand went up to the chunky, gold
necklace he wore. It was a present from his father for his tenth birthday.
“What? No way. Get lost!”
He scrambled to his feet and made for the door but
Mordalayn grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back, clamping his gloved
hand over Aiden’s mouth to stifle the boy’s yell of fear. He tugged hard at the
necklace which snapped free with a jerk, two of the links clattering to the
floor and Aiden yelped.
Casually placing the chain into a pocket of his
robe Mordalayn tossed Aiden back against a pile of dirty clothes in the corner
of the room. As he reached for the door handle Aiden found his voice.
“Don’t take that. Please! My dad gave me that.”
He started to cry.
Mordalayn paused for a second then turned. He
glared at Aiden and his green eyes narrowed. “You laughed at that little girl’s
tears today,” he said slowly. “Remember how this feels.” Then he opened the
door and closed it behind him. He lithely crept down the stairs and walked past
the lounge doorway, Aiden’s mother was still engrossed in her TV show and never
noticed as Mordalayn made for the open kitchen door and vanished into the back
garden.
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Maria’s mother Sylvia kissed her forehead as she
slept, heartbroken about what had happened. She’d disinfected Maria’s grazed
knees and cuddled her while she cried herself to sleep. “That boy Aiden is utterly vile” she thought, but the police either
couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything about his behaviour. Each time they either
failed to return her calls or simply sent that useless community support
officer round to deal with it. The officer had tried to visit Aiden’s home to
discuss the matter with his mother but she had simply screamed at her to go
away. The only advice the police were willing to give now was “tell Maria to
keep away from him.”
She stroked Maria’s hair and pulled a stray lock
away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Sighing, she stood and pulled
the door half closed, the landing light casting a subdued beam into the room. Taking
one last look at her sleeping daughter she went downstairs into the
kitchen.
Making for the rubbish bin Sylvia pulled the white
bin liner free and checking there were no holes in the bag she tied the yellow
string tightly at the top and opened the kitchen door. She walked the ten or so
yards to the large wheelie bins on her driveway and opening the nearest one she
tossed the bag inside. Before she could close it a thick voice spoke quietly.
“Don’t be frightened but please don’t turn around.”
Sylvia jumped with fear. “What do you want?”
she stammered. “I haven’t got any money on me.”
“I’m not here to hurt you,” the voice replied. “I
just want to give you something.” Sylvia twitched her head but there was only a
shadow behind her, the low light on the driveway was not enough to see by. She
closed the dustbin lid and rested her hands on it. After a pause the voice
continued.
“The boy who hurt your daughter today will never do
that again. He is sorry and he wants you to have this to make up for his
actions.”
Sylvia glanced to her right as a paper bag was
placed on the lid of the wheelie bin next to her. The gloved hand withdrew and
after a long silence she slowly turned round. The driveway was empty. Breathing
out heavily she placed one hand on the wall to steady herself. Then she delicately
picked up the bag and walked into the kitchen to see what was inside.
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Next morning Maria came downstairs for breakfast
bleary eyed and grumpy. She was still upset and was surprised to see her mother
making pancakes at the cooker, singing softly to herself. As Maria came in she
smiled broadly.
“Hello my little angel” Sylvia said, wiping her
hands on a tea towel, hugging Maria then kissing her cheek.
“What’s the special occasion mummy?” Maria asked,
looking confused and taking her seat at the breakfast table. They only usually
had pancakes on special days like Shrove Tuesday or sometimes on a Sunday.
“Well my sweet, today is a special day because your
grandmother has bought you a new doll.”
Maria thought about this and even though she was
only 7 she wasn’t stupid. “Mummy, how can nana buy me a doll?”
Sylvia smiled again, barely able to contain
herself. “Look in the bag darling,” she said, nodding to the white paper packet
on the table.
Creasing her face in confusion Maria leaned over
the table and took hold of the packet. She placed it in her lap and opened it.
Reaching inside she pulled out the contents and gasped.
Inside was her doll, but different. It had
golden, curly hair down to its waist. which shone in the morning light from the
window.
“Oh mummy, it’s beautiful,” she exclaimed,
holding it up and smiling. Sylvia put her arms around Maria and laughed. “Yes
my dear, it’s lovely,” She saw her daughter’s face light up with joy and
wondered who had been the one who’d put things right.
-----------------------------------------------------
“So, remember when you tease or bully someone else
you cause them pain that can usually not be taken back.”
Stone, who’d taken the flute, bowed his head in
shame and after another long silence Leppard said, “I think we all need to try
and get some sleep now. We have an early start in the morning.”
The boys began silently arranging their packs as
pillows. No one spoke and no one would look directly at Mordalayn in case they
met his steel gaze.
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