Eric nodded and tried to wipe away the tears from his cheeks.
“I know Samuel Pig’s parents,” said Odenrick. “I’ll talk with them.”
“No, no!” howled Eric, terrified. “You mustn’t say anything.”
“But Samuel can’t threaten you unpunished,” said Odenrick, and his voice was quivering with indignation. “I’ll speak with your principal.”
“No!” howled Eric again.
“But what—” Odenrick began.
“Nothing,” interrupted Eric. “It’s just that I’m scared. He’s mean, Samuel. He lies. And he fights. Promise not to say anything.”
“But I…”
“Promise?” nagged Eric.
“I promise,” said Odenrick. “We deacons have a duty to remain silent. You can count on me. I’m not going to say anything. But if Samuel so much as…”
The penguin didn’t finish his sentence. When we saw Odenrick’s threadbare appearance on the edge of my bed, we thought it was wise that he didn’t express any sort of threat.
He didn’t look as though he could live up to it.
The preschool was five blocks north. The pride of the school was the playground behind it. There we spent at least a few hours every day, most often during the Forenoon Weather.
Eric and I went to preschool because Mother wanted us to. We could have been at home, but Mother thought that the most important thing in life was to correctly understand how to manage your social environment. We went to preschool to learn to play with others, not just ourselves.
It happened less than a week after Eric’s confession. It was a Thursday. That I know. We sang on Thursday mornings, and I liked to sing. After singing we ate the fruit we’d brought with us from home, and then it was time to go outside. There were thirty of us cubs, and it quickly became chaotic in the hall when everyone was putting on their outdoor clothes at the same time.
Eric vanished out of sight. It was not unusual; we often kept a little distance from each other. Twins have different strategies at various periods of life. At the age of six Eric and I were careful about not choosing similar clothes and keeping ourselves a little apart from each other. I used to go down to the lawn by the great oak tree where there were always a few playing soccer. I was no star. I could just as happily play defense as be goalie. This made me popular. This particular Thursday, however, I was too late. I don’t know how it happened, but when I came over to the lawn a match between two teams was already in progress. I watched for a while, but soon lost interest.
That was why I walked over toward the storage sheds.
They were a short distance away. They were simple structures where the preschool stored nets and rackets, balls and bicycles and other things that could be used for outdoor games. I knew that there were cubs who hung around behind the sheds. They could play there without the preschool staff seeing them. There were corners there where you could be in peace. But I didn’t know more than that; it was seldom that I had anything to do with cubs who had secrets.
I heard the muffled screams long before I arrived at the sheds, and I heard who was screaming.
Eric.
I started to run. When I rounded the nearest storage building, I was out of breath. I will never forget the sight that met me.
Eric was standing upright with his back against one of the sheds. In front of Eric stood Samuel Pig, and on either side of Samuel a polar bear and an elephant whose names I didn’t know. Samuel pressed Eric against the wall of the shed with a fat fist around my twin’s neck.
“And one for Mama!” screamed the elephant who stood alongside, at the same time as he took out a marble, a little glass marble with all the colors of the rainbow, and pressed it against Eric’s lips.
Eric already had something in his mouth. When the elephant continued to press the marble against Eric’s lips, it finally had the opposite effect. Eric opened his mouth and out sprayed all the marbles the cubs had already forced in.
Samuel Pig let go of Eric so as not to get spit on his hand; Eric fell down on his knees and gasped for air like a fish. The pig showed no mercy. He kicked Eric in the stomach and screamed, “Take out the Ruby!”
Eric whimpered and sniffled. He didn’t have the Ruby, he said. This led to more kicks.