Visible and Invisible

The Man Without a Name

Henry lowered the volume on his stereo seconds after the doorbell rang. Muted voices hardly reached his door upstairs, so he opened his door and stuck his head out, seeking to catch the gist of the conversation.

"Your son-," a man's voice started.

"Nephew," Henry's aunt corrected him politely.

"Ah, yes. Beg your pardon," the man began again. Henry hadn't caught his name. His voice paused at strange times, like after he found the right words to say, he reviewed them in his mind. "Your nephew has shown exceeding promise in his academics, and not to mention his extra-curricular activities, and we at Maddox School would be extremely proud to have him join us."

Henry's uncle stepped in, his voice sounding pleased. "Where, is this Maddox School?"

"A town by the name of Mill Hill, found in London, sir." Henry couldn't decipher the tone in the man's voice. There was pride, but he detected a hint of unwillingness. "We believe that Henry would find himself quite at home in our school. The travel prices shall be paid for by the Board."

"That's quite," his aunt searched for the right word. "Generous of them."

"Yes, well, ma'am, as I said before, Henry shows great promise. The Board is more than happy to pay for the costs, as long as you all would be willing to pay for the books and uniform." The man said this last part as if he had memorized it, but like the words tasted wrong in his mouth.

"Again, very generous," Henry's uncle drawled. He could picture his uncle twisting his handlebar mustache as he said this, a natural habit of his when he considered things. "Our nephew has attended several boarding schools, all of which have promised the same things you had told us."

Henry's aunt, always wanting the last word, stepped in. "After a years, they let him go, saying that someone new and more… promising needs to be there more than him."

Henry closed his eyes for a few seconds. Names of all the school's he had attended in the past flashed behind his eyelids. The man paused, then said,

"We can guarantee that no such incident will occur, miss."

Henry turned back towards his room and closed the door. Maddox School. He rolled his eyes, but a smile glided onto his lips. Maybe this would be the last school for him.