The Trial
This story begins in a courtroom. And I know for a fact that you would not want to be in this courtroom. You want to know why? Course you do! So, since you seem so eager, I'll skip the boring explanation and move straight onto the story!
The atmosphere in the room was unbearable. You could feel the tension in thick layers, threatening to suffocate you. There are quite a few people filling the limited space of this stuffy room. But I'm only really going to introduce you to four of them. The first and most important of these four is Stanley Yelnats IV. Or just Stanley Yelnats. Stanley doesn't tend to disclose his full name to many people. And I'm sure that you're at no loss to understand that.
Sitting next to our Stanley, is Mr. Percus. A solicitor. Stanley's solicitor. He is a solicitor of much tradition and looks the part well. He has on a black suit complete with black tie and white shirt. How he managed to wear such heavy garments in such heat is unknown. I've always thought that solicitors aren't quite human… He had one of those perfect moustaches sitting neatly on his upper lip, bristling in the extreme heat. Sitting behind them were Mr and Mrs. Yelnats. Mrs. Yelnats is a short, plump woman with what seemed like an endless amount of frizzy, orange hair shooting out from every direction from her small, rounded head. Her eyes are swollen and blood shot, giving the impression that she had very recently been crying bucketfuls. The rather soggy looking shoulder of Mr. Yelnats soon confirmed this notion. Her husband was quite the opposite image being tall and thin with only a few strands of hair left on his sun burned scalp.
The other people I the room were of course the jury. Many waved small makeshift paper fans in front of their red, sweaty faces. Most of them, no in fact, all of them would rather not be in that stifling courtroom, about to try a teenage boy for something or other. But the law complied them to do it. Failure to do so would result in imprisonment, and none of them really fancied being locked up in a cell with a psycho killer thug who's first language was to grunt once for 'yes' and twice for 'no'. So they cancelled their plans and grumbling and moaning about the government and democracy made their way to the red brick building in which the courts were held.
Just went the heat and suspense became almost unbearable, a door to the right swung open and a tall man in a black robe swept in. Everybody in the room climbed wearily to their feet except one person. And that was our very own Stanley. Unaware of court procedures, he remained seated and looked around, wondering why everyone else had got up.
"Get up! Now!" Mr. Percus hissed at him. Stanley jumped to his feet. The figure in the black gown sat down behind a high table and everyone else sat down as well leaving Stanley towering above them all in the middle of the room. A lady tutted in the jury and the judge (for that was who the man in the black robe was) gave Stanley a cold, hard stare. Stanley looked around bewildered, why did everyone keep on standing up and sitting down. Was there a game of musical chairs going on that he didn't know about? Mr. Percus' small hand shot out and grabbed him by the elbow, yanking him roughly down onto his seat.
The judge picked up the pile of papers in front of him and pulling out a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, began to read. While he was reading, everyone else sat there as silently as possible, fidgeting nervously. Stanley, feeling very bored after all this waiting around, looked about for something to occupy him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small fly buzzing around the corner of the table he sat at. Slowly, Stanley lowered his hand and laid it flat on the once smooth surface of the table. He tensed the muscles in that arm and counted under his breath, his eyes never leaving the fly- like a true predator. Smack!
The sound sliced through the silence like a knife, causing everyone to look in Stanley's direction. "Sorry," he whispered sheepishly, mostly to Mr. Percus who's moustache was bristling even more as he glared at Stanley. Lifting his hand, Stanley flicked the dead fly stuck to his hand away and wiped the yellow muck left behind on the edge of the table. After that, with nothing else to occupy him, Stanley went into a kind of trance and thought about Tiffany Wright, a blonde, red-lipped girl at school, who was frankly completely out of his league.
"You are Stanley Yelnats I assume?" a booming voice snapped him out of his trance just as Tiffany lent towards him, her lips puckered. Stanley looked up to meet the rock hard gaze of the judge. Sitting up straight, I wiped the drool trickling down the corner of my chin away and nodded. "Um, yes, sir, that's me, Stanley," he sputtered. The judge gave him another of his penetrating stares then looked back down at the documents in front of him.
"You do realise that what you have done is quite serious? Stealing from an orphanage fundraiser is nothing to laugh at. I should say, that you should be ashamed of yourself…" he said in his loud, booming voice.
"Yes sir but I didn't do it…" Stanley began.
"Mr. Percus, have you not informed young Stanley of the rules of this court?" the judge asked, raising one eyebrow high.
"Um, no your highness… I am sorry… we did not have time… I'm sorry…" Mr. Percus stammered. Rolling his eyes, the judge turned back to Stanley and said, "Mr. Yelnats, you are not permitted to speak in this courtroom unless permitted. Please do not do it again!" Stanley nodded, lowering his head.
Just at that moment a shrill alarm sounded throughout the room. Everyone except for the judge looked around bewildered.
"Ah, that would be the fore alarm. Now there's no need to panic I am sure it is merely a drill. Please stand up and leave the room in an orderly fashion, nothing to panic about!" the judge boomed. The whole courtroom climbed wearily to their feet, to hot and tired to be worried and shuffled out through the main doors. Stanley beamed at the fire alarm on the ceiling as Mr. Percus quickly ushered him out. That fire alarm had just given him more time before his verdict was decided and he couldn't help but love it!