Prologue
Peter looked at the clock once again. The hour seemed to stretch for days.
"And if I have twelve apples, take one away and add three more, how many apples would I have Peter?"
Peter looked at his teacher, thought about the question for a brief moment and replied,
"A lot of apples"
The kids start laughing. The one thing Peter was good at was making people laugh.
"See me after class Peter!" the teacher said.
"It's a date" He replied with a sarcastic smile.
Peter took out his art book and continued sketching. He may not be the smartest kid in the orphanage, but he defiantly had the broadest imagination. Ogres, goblins, dwarfs, dragons, mermaids, lost cities and pirates are just a few things he drew that lesson.
"Every picture tells a story" Peter was telling his friend Curly beside him.
"How can it when it has no words?" Replied Curly.
"Every picture tells the story of a thousand words" replied Brains from behind me.
"The three of you will be writing ten thousand words at the end of the lesson if you don't learn to be quiet!" The teacher yelled.
Peter ignored the teacher.
The bell finally rang, cutting out what the teacher was about to say. Ding Ding Ding. It's funny how such an annoying noise can be the best thing you could hear all day.
"Class dismissed."
Peter began packing up his small bundle of equipment.
"Not you Peter" The teacher said calmly.
Peter sat back down on his chair and continued drawing. He could feel the teachers gaze staring directly at him. He had the burning sensation to look up, but he hated having to see the sympathetic eyes of his teacher.
"How old are you Peter?" The teacher asked.
"Fifteen sir"
"Why are you here Peter?"
"Because I talked during class, sir."
"No, I mean why are you here, at the orphanage?" The teacher asked sympathetically.
Peter looked up.
He had attended numerous detentions, but never had he been asked such a personal question.
"Because I'm an orphan sir"
The teacher looked at Peter for a long moment in silence making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"What do you want to be when you're older Peter?" The teacher questioned.
"I don't want to grow up, I want to be young forever" I replied.
"That's a boy's answer. A boy wants to be a dragon, a train, a horse or a tiger. A boy wants to be young forever. You are a young man now Peter so I ask you once again, what do you want to be when you're older Peter?"
"I don't know."
"Well here are your options. You can continue playing up in school being the class clown and end up as a garbage man or a trolley boy, or you could start paying attention in school, improve your attitude which may just lead to you being adopted and getting a good job. You know how hard it is to be adopted when you're fifteen. Hardly anyone want to adopt a teenager as it is! Your attitude and school work does not help. It's time to grow up Peter. You won't be young forever, it's time to face that reality."
Peter was almost in tears. He hadn't cried since he was five, when he was told how his parents had abandoned him when he was a baby, and his teacher had almost made him sob like the five year old boy again.
"Yes.. Sir..." Peter replied, trying desperately to hold his emotions together.
The teacher could tell he had pushed Peter too far and looked down at Peter sympathetically.
"That will do Peter, you're free to go now."
"Ok, sir"
Peter was almost at the door, still trying to control his emotions when the teacher called out:
"Oh and one last thing Peter, enough of calling me Sir, I rather dislike it and would prefer if you called me what all the other students called me, if you wouldn't mind" The teacher asked politely.
"Sure, s… I mean… sure Mr Hook."