"Good morning class." Mr. North says. I stare at the door waiting for Asher to show up with my notebook. "We don't need our notebooks today. Just pens."
Asher were are you? I don't need you but I want my notebook. If only I had soMe special power to send messages to people. Cindy looks at me when I look down at my bag filled with notebooks. Just not the one I want. She gives me a concerned look but I smile in reply. Though I know she doesn't want a smile... She wants to see my notebook.
Asher runs in with my notebook in his hands. Kyle's eyes stare at the book that is now being placed on my desk. "Thanks." Asher whispers. Not only does Cindy wanted to see my notebook. But now I think she wants an explanation of why he has my notebook. I stuff the book into my bag as I take out a pen. "Test time!" Me. North says fund by his tests. He loves them. It's like he has no life but decides to make our lives miserable.
"It's elemental. History of elements and...stuff." He says giving me my page. He eyes me and my heart is racing. He's fire. But he throws in a grin with my test and I smile.
I stare at the test. Two pages of words. Who discovered the Periodic Table of Element? Was question one. I smile. Am I in middle school? This is too easy.
***
"What was he doing with your notebook?" Cindy asks while I leave class.
"I gave it to him in English." I tell her.
"I didn't ask when. I asked What." She says preventing me to open the locker. "Coping notes." I tell her. "Why did he ask you?" She asks me.
"Ask him." I don't think I should have told her that. She would go. Knock right in front of his door and ask why. If he refuses to tell her she will force him to tell her... Sounds like Cindy. She just sighs in reply. "I'll talk to you during lunch." She mumbles and leaves me alone struggling with my lock.
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again." My English teach says. We all stare at her in disbelief. What is this?
A girl in the back raises her hand angrily. "What is this?" She speaks. Though the teacher never asked her to speak. "I'm glad you asked Amy." Though it's clear she wasn't glad. "It's a nursery rhyme. Very famous centuries ago. We don't do nursery rhymes anymore. They where banned remember?" She says.
"I wasn't born when they were banned." Amy replies crossing her arms.
"Oh yes. I forgot." Of course you would. "Your old enough to remember the Second World War." Asher mumbles next to me. I smile trying to hold in a laugh.
"Wasn't he an egg?" I call out. I've read it one of the books about him. Though I never heard his riddle. Humpty Dumpty was an Element. People fight about which element he was. They say it represented the Fire and Water soon being destroyed by society. Others say Humpty was his own Element.
"No. No where in the riddle did it say he was an egg. Nobody knows exactly who or what Humpty Dumpty was. People say Humpty Dumpty was a name for a cannon protecting a fort which fell. While the men attempted to lift the cannon again, they were being slaughtered and finally they surrendered because they couldn't get the cannon working." Chuckles surround the room eventually becoming laughs. Humpty Dumpty was a canon and they wrote things about a canon?
"Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row." My English teacher says. The class falls silent now wondering what that could mean. "Bloody Mary?" I ask. I've heard stories about this bloody marry creature. But I don't seem to believe it. My father told me it was all myths. Things to interest little kids to shut them up or something.
"The Mary being referred to is believed by many to be "Bloody Mary," the Catholic queen of England who did a pretty good job of filling graveyards with Protestants. The garden referred to is actually a graveyard.
The "silver bells and cockle shells" are instruments of torture. You don't even wanna' know what they did." Cameron mentions. We all stare at him. " I read." He then adds.
"Not quite. That's what the ordinary people think. For us Elements Mary was a fire. She was strong and destroyed all the Waters. Even the Natures that disrespected her and wanted to save the Water. She buried them on a silver mountain. When she died they buried her with the waters. Lack of respect. They called her Bloody Mary. Because she believes the ordinary buried her there." Goosebumps climb up my spine. Others gasp and some still laugh. Probably still laughing about Humpty Dumpty.
"How many of you heard of ring around a rosy?" My English teacher asks. Everyone's hands are thrown up. Some start to hum it. "That is a murder song." People stopped humming it. We all listen carefully.
"Well, you kids might just be singing merrily about THe bubonic Plague. The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin. Pockets were sometimes filled with sweet smelling herbs (posies) due to the belief that the disease was transmitted by bad smells.
And I'm sure you can guess what the term "Ashes Ashes" referred to. In case you can't-it's the cremation of the thousands and thousands of dead bodies." She says. "An Element wrote this Rhyme."
"So... What are you trying to tell us?" Amy says.
"That the reason why nursery rhymes where banned because people discovered there meaning. The riddles have been cracked. Children became afraid. So now, we must teach you these. You only hear about them but you never know what they are. Until now, I want you to memorize these rhymes." She says handing us a packet.
"Class dismissed."
YOU ARE READING
Elements #Wattys2015
Romance"He likes your curves. Rightfully claims you as his... in his mind." Asher now speaks staring at the golden boy. I carefully peek through my lashes to find him still looking at me. "Are you jealous?" I dare to ask. He sits back at the wall staring...
