A Kingdom of Our Own

Chapter Eight - Witness

Harry entered the restroom, dressed in nothing but a white polo shirt and a pair of striped boxer shorts. Now that his event was so close, the building anxiety on what he was about to do was starting to get to him, making him shudder a considerable bit. Why?! Oh why had he made such a rash, careless decision? No wonder why he was such a screw-up in life.

This was his third visit to the lavatory since he’d arrived in the changing rooms just under twenty minutes ago and it was a miracle he was still there. He’d been tempted on a number of occasions to quit the race and leave for home. In fact, if his old man wasn’t so fearful in his own way, then Harry probably would have done just that.

The restroom was a grubby, poorly lit sort of place that reeked of years and years’ worth of teenager’s B.O. Pretty much your standard school bathroom in other words. On one side of the room were a long row of sinks and urinals, whilst on the other side there was a line of half a dozen cubicles.

There was another boy in there at the time, a lanky, dark haired boy who was also dressed in PE kit. He was having a face wash in one of the sinks and although they had never spoken or knew the other’s name, they still nodded to one and other in polite recognition. It’s a strange concept to deal with, that Harry, a complete stranger was to be the last person to ever greet him. In fact, the very most Harry knew about him was that he was in the grade above him and was one of those relentless sorts who would speak their views on matters publically, no matter how unpopular they may be, without any thought on the possible consequences. A little like Harry himself really, just with more spirit and self-confidence.

Harry walked on, further into the restroom and stopped before one of the urinals. It was overflowing with water, making a series of gurgling-flushing noises. Matter-of-factly they all were. Still, Harry wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t unusual for there to be a fault with them, given the meagre funding the school received by the state, its budget getting cut more and more as the years passed. For a moment he stood there, staring at the urinal and then turned towards the stalls, stooping down to see which ones were empty.

No feet were visible under any of the doors and so Harry proceeded along the row of cubicles, until he finally settled with a stall near the end. There was no real need for him to select this particular one. Why hadn’t he gone for the one nearest to him? Admittedly the “why” in this case lacks importance. Although the decision at the time may have seemed insignificant, it was a choice that was to save his life.

As soon as he’d entered the cubicle and closed the door behind him, two other figures entered the restroom. Initially Harry didn’t see them. He was only aware of their presence due to the creaking of the door and the low muttering of voices.

They were both boys of around sixteen years. One of them, as Harry had done a moment earlier, went over to one of the urinals, whilst the other remained by the door, stood arms crossed next to the paper towel dispenser. On their entry, the young boy who had been washing his face suddenly glanced up uncertainly, although in an instant he lowered his gaze again and continued washing.

Looking through a gap along the side of the cubicle door, Harry could understand the boy’s uneasiness. He could only see one of them, the one by the urinal and that was more than enough to stir up some concern within him. He was surprisingly hench for a boy of his age, with broad shoulders, dressed in a short leather jacket, designer jeans and a pair of black boots. It was the dress code that surprised Harry the most. They certainly didn’t seem to be here to take part in sports day; they’d have been half changed by now if they were competitors. So what were they doing here in the changing rooms? Just the sight of them made Harry shiver right down to the bone, their presence making him feel mighty uneasy.

It was the moments that followed this however that had the real impact and that Harry would never forget for as long as he lived, the events haunting many of his dreams to come.