Jack: Book One in the Trilogy, the Battle Begins

A Spy Part 7

"Yes sir, yes sir!" said Brooks, who sheepishly approached the master. Brooks couldn't fathom why master was suddenly treating him so differently, with such respect like he was a proper student or something, just because he got one answer right, and he even half-guessed at that because he was never quite certain no matter who told him what, or what he read in a book, whether an answer was this way or that way. Master always had treated him with disdain and utter contempt as though he was a stupid dunce, incapable of learning anything, and in fact, just the other day master had said as much in front of the whole class. And even this morning Brooks believed that he was incapable of learning. So, he reasoned, master had seen that he was wrong about him all along - that he wasn't a dunce but was actually capable of learning. And now that he had gotten so much approval he never wanted it to end so he promised himself to try to please master all of the time. That was surely the high road to success.

"Mr. Brooks, I think that you are making very important progress in your educational development and I do believe that you have made a turn today at a crucial juncture. But it's important that you do not reverse this progress. I will be sending a letter of approval home to your mother and your father if he's not too drunk to read it. He can read can't he?"

"Yes but my mom can't. He does all the reading, enough for both of them."

"Fine then, I'll address it to your father with instructions to let your mother know of your outstanding performance today. This has been long overdue, Mr. Brooks."

"Thank you sir," Brooks said, "I am trying so hard."

"Well Mr. Brooks as part of your civics lesson today, I want you to do something for me that will more clearly and irrevocably demonstrate your social and civic character and convince me once and for all that I'm not erring - uh, making a mistake - in singling you out for meritorious distinction. You get my drift?"

"Um, yes sir. I do. I do. You want me to prove that I'm what you think I am, that I'm not a clown, or fool, or a dunce or a dummy, is that right master?"

"You are a perceptive boy. Don't know why I never noticed before. Well Mr. Brooks, time is of the essence. Consider yourself like a soldier in the gallant army of Master Whittemore and that we're about to make an assault on an intractable enemy who has scorned the pearls of knowledge that I have so diligently and honorably - God knows - cast upon the gentle waters that are the minds of my best students whose ranks of which you sir, are now about to join.

"Know that you are being sent on a vital mission of the utmost importance and secrecy. The battle is now joined Mr. Brooks. The enemy is waiting outside this schoolhouse. He is out there and it is your duty Mr. Brooks to bring him to justice. Your mission is to go to the privy and tell no-one about this mission, then to lower yourself outside of the window - I hope you can still fit through it like you did last year mister when one Jack Stone tricked you into escaping from the same window so that you could retrieve his lunch. Can you still fit through Mister Brooks?"

Not knowing what to say because he had gained ten pounds at least since last year, and not wanting to disappoint Master Whittemore, Brooks said, "Yes, certainly I can sir, certainly."

"Fine," Mr. Brooks. "Then sir, you are to go to the south corner of the building, wait there and observe in the utmost secrecy - no-one is to see you - and look for the enemy who at present remains unseen. But out there he is and he will be watching, I assure you Mr. Brooks. But we will not let him get the upper hand, will we sir? No sir, we will not. Any questions Mr. Brooks?"

"Enemy sir?" said Brooks.

"Stone!" said Master Whittemore. "Mr. Jack Stone you, you ... you dear lad."

"Even though we haven't yet seen him, we do know who it is out there, Mr. Brooks. Oh we know alright. But we need good hard evidence. That's where you come in Mr. Brooks. That's where your newfound intelligence will come into play, your acute powers of perception and observation. You'll be my eyes, sir. While I am in here performing the duties of my illustrious calling, you'll be my eyes on the outside. And when he thinks he's got safe ground to walk on, yes, when he thinks he's outsmarted me at last, he will walk right into my cunning little trap, my little Venus fly trap. And stick he will Mr. Brooks! He and his cohort, Jeremy Foster, will stick in that trap. But first I'll let them get unalterably stuck by letting them lie about their activities today. They'll deny rapping on my door and skipping school when I accuse them both in front of the whole class the next time they appear together - Monday I suspect as they'll want to flaunt their supposed victory. And when those liars and good-for-nothings finally think they've won sure and good, that's when I'll spring the trap in front of my dedicated students, including present company Mr. Brooks, and produce you as my star witness, you Mr. Brooks who will tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God.

"You will say you saw both boys, Jeremy and Jack, pound the second time on my schoolhouse door. Your testimony, Mr. Brooks, will be incontrovertible and beyond question just like when you had so admirably acquitted yourself today during my fractions lesson. Yes the class knows of your sheer honesty in intellectual and other matters, Mr. Brooks, and so your word will be as good as gold ... nay, better.

"So Mr. Brooks, without further commentary, go to the privy, squirrel your way out the window and leap to the ground, then go to the south corner of the building where you are to wait on your stomach with your head down but with your eyes looking, ever looking, across the roadway for the faces of Jack Stone and his fellow miscreant, Jeremy Foster, once a highly-trusted studious boy, a shining light like yourself who, alas, fell into the vilest den of darkest iniquities when he partook of the apple of evil offered by one Mr. Jack Stone. "Remember mister, south corner. Keep out of sight. Stay there watching until I come out to get your report. Any questions?"

"The south corner sir?"

"Oh, of course. I should have taken obvious pains to clarify. When you get out the darn window and you're facing away from the darn building, go to the darn corner on your darn right. You do know your left from your right don't you Mr. Brooks?"

"Oh yes sir," said Brooks.

"Of course you do. Foolish of me for asking. That's my boy, Mr. Brooks. That's my boy. Now go. Remember: when you are looking directly away from the building, it's the corner on your right. And don't let anyone see you."

"No sir."