Wally - @Short Story

Wally - 7

Wally  - 7

by sloanranger

It was Walt's turn on the sofa. Wally could see a half moon from the window as he lay on the floor later that night, thinking. It would be an important day tomorrow, he had to plan carefully.

The next morning Alf was standing on the corner at Church Street when Levy walked up to him from the usual direction, east on Seventh. When he had about ten feet between himself and the bully, he stopped.

"Hey, Alf, I wanna talk to you."

Alf had seen the kid coming but pretended not to notice until he spoke.

"Scram, Shrimp," he said, and turned back to the street.

"I mean it Alf, I gotta talk to you."

"About what, Shrimp?"

"I was thinking about, maybe you could use a partner."

"A partner?"

The hoodlum broke into a grin and finally turned to look at the kid.

"Are you nuts, Hebe?" Alf said with sarcasm, still grinning.

Levy had got his attention, now. "Look, kid," he smirked....

Because of his height, the first blow from Wally barely reached the base of Alf's skull. It stunned him but though he staggered, he did not go down quickly; his legs buckled and he dropped to one knee, giving Wally a clear shot.

Alf raised his big head almost obligingly and looked dazedly at Levy. He tried to stand.

"Hurry, he's getting up!" Levy said.

If it had been a ball and not attached as it was to his body, Wally would have gotten to first base with the next hit on Alf's big head. The 'thwack' sound reverberated and Alf crumpled completely this time. The small boys stared for a second at the fallen enemy sprawled before them, bleeding profusely from the head.

Levy leaned down. "He's still breathing."

"Come on," Wally said and they cleared the corner seconds before Donny and Mick came 'round from the opposite end.

Later that day, Mick was already at the corner waiting for the evening papers when Wally and Levy arrived from school.

"Looks like y'all got your spot back," he said to the boys, pointing to the stain on the sidewalk. Neither of the boys said anything.

"Got waylaid," Mick volunteered. "Had it coming, I reckon."

"He dead?" Levy asked.

"Nah," Mick said. "Always a lot of blood when you get head-hit," he offered, nodding at the stain on the sidewalk.

"Am'blance came though, took him away. Heard he got a cracked skull."

The other boys straggled in by ones and twos, giving Wally and Levy the occasional, sidelong glance. Both boys stayed by the door alcove and did not acknowledge the looks.  

(To be continued).