The kids packed up and ambled towards the taped section of the floor.
Soon enough they were all seated on the carpet, an array of kids all
looking up at their teacher in expectation. Jimmy sat next to Jake and
Danny.
Ms. Rose introduced herself and gave the class a very warm welcome,
telling them that 'big school' was nothing to be scared about at all. She
ran through the rules, teaching the class to sit cross-legged and to
raise their hand when they wanted to say something. She explained that
everyone was to go to the bathroom with a friend or a teacher and last of
all, that all the kids had to stay within sight of a teacher at all
times. These childish restrictions helped Jimmy feel more and more like a
little boy again. It was easy to get distracted from his old, boring life
when he was being treated like the child he appeared to be.
The class sat under a tree at 'little lunch,' supervised under the
watchful gaze of their teacher. Jimmy found a seat with his friends and
opened his lunchbox to eat with them.
Stange, he thought as he pulled out a little carton of chocolate
milk. I don't remember Mummy packing this...
"Okay, KR," Ms. Rose announced. "If you've finished your lunch you can go
play on the equipment."
Jimmy watched as about half the class left their seats to run towards the
swings. Chris went with them. Jimmy didn't want to get left behind and
playing on the equipment looked like lots of fun, so he decided to drink
his milk and get it done with so he could join in.
He gulped it all down and felt the effects straight away. His head spun
and he leant against the seat to steady himself. Jake and Danny didn't
notice; they were already running towards the play equipment. Jimmy
grabbed his head and winced.
Everything he learnt since kindergarten was gone. Eveb basic maths and a
lot of his vocabulary vanished in an instant. Once the spell had taken
place he could only remember how to count to twenty and recite the
alphabet.
Then it was over and he felt Ms. Rose's big, comforting hand supporting
him. "Jim, sweetie?" she said. "Are you feeling okay."
"Um..." What had he been thinking just then anyway? Something about being
grown up and knowing stuff... but that was all make pretend. He was still
in his first day of school. Shaking it off, Jimmy said, "Yeah, I'm fine,
miss."
"Jimmy!" Danny shouted from the playground
equipment. "C'mon!"
"Go on," Ms. Rose said, and watched the little boy run to his friends.
Jimmy was about to start a brand new life for real this time. Now he
truly was just an innocent little boy.
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