Bradley Wallace Murphy just turned thirteen, and he's not happy about it. He doesn't fit in at school, he's no good at sports, a bully torments him, he's a disappointment to his parents, and his only "friends" are fictional characters on a TV show c...
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CHAPTER 16
The Trap
St. Raphael's so buzzed nonstop with talk of the bridge incident that Bradley Wallace was unable to escape hearing about it even in his classes. Mr. Baldoni offered his "scientific opinion" that a strange, but not unnatural, convolution of wind currents conspired at just the right moment to stop the swinging span. Bradley Wallace wished with all his heart that it had been so simple. But he knew the truth and the truth was killing him.
He avoided all discussions pertaining to the bridge, both at home and at school. If anyone asked his opinion, he muttered something about not knowing and hurried away. He kept to himself as much as possible and fortunately, no one sought him out. He felt that every time someone looked at him, they would see the "thing" in his head that made him different and then they would shun him.
And as if he didn't have enough on his mind already, John Wagner started following him around. Every time Bradley Wallace turned, somewhere behind him Wagner would be lurking - in the halls, at recess, in the lunchroom, it didn't matter where.
And under Wagner's penetrating gaze, Bradley Wallace felt naked and vulnerable, as though his very soul was being scrutinized. In his paranoid state, he didn't need those feelings. So he and Wagner engaged in an unending game of hide and seek, but they never actually came together. And they never spoke.
Whilly was not pleased when Bradley Wallace told him their adventures as Captain Courageous were over because he couldn't be trusted with "this thing in my head." He truly felt that he might go out of control and "blow somebody away."
The dragon cited past evidence of his control over the mind push and recalled how much good they had done, how many people they'd helped. But Bradley Wallace paid no attention. He'd made up his mind and no one was going to change it. Fear made his decisions and self-doubt anchored them. He just couldn't take any more chances.
Even watching Dark Shadows could not completely fill the void in his troubled heart and he found no relief in the usually comforting images of his friends at Collinwood. His brooding became more pronounced over the ensuing weeks and his mother got so worried that she hauled him down to see Dr. Cooke. Another battery of tests and dumb questions revealed what Bradley Wallace already knew and had repeatedly told his mother - he was fine.
"Physically," he overheard Cooke tell his mother, "but psychologically is another matter. The boy is despondent," Cooke had said, "and doesn't want to talk about what's bothering him. Now I know some excellent psychiatrists."
And that's when Bradley Wallace tuned him out. He didn't need any damned head shrinker telling him he was crazy. Fortunately, Marge and Jack were old-fashioned and didn't believe in shrinks. He eavesdropped on them that night as they argued over what to do about him, but they could come up with no real plan of action. They finally decided to take a wait and see attitude. He slunk back to his room and locked the door.
