Christopher's Summer

Written by

Tahnli Thomas

An adaption to

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

By Mark Haddon

1

Schools done, my math for A level was complete, I received a grade A for my work. Now with that done I am going to prepare for Further Maths for A level.

I find myself wandering back to when I found Wellington in the garden. I like dogs. Wellington had heavy tight curled black hair; it was coarse to touch like rope that has been untwined. I think that if I was there earlier maybe by just seven minutes, sevens a prime number, I could have saved Wellington. My father would still be the man I know, and all secrets he had hidden in his old shirt box would have never been found.

Its summer time school is out for now, I wouldn't be seeing Siobhan again, she understood how my brain worked and knew what to do to make it right.

Numbers, count to 50 and take a breath between each number. I am going to find my university, I will start my search somewhere away from London, I don't like London, it smells like poo. Too many people and I like gardens. At night I can't think the noise it too much at times, people upstairs walk heavy and the tiles in the ceiling sometimes drop dust old gray dust.

"Mother, when can I go to find my university?" I asked.

"Christopher, we discussed this before, you have to have a planned schedule of where to go, and what routes to take." Mother said.

"I want to go to university away from London, I don't like London, it smells funny, and there are too many people." I said.

"You established that already, Christopher, and the universities we chose for you are outside London's city limits, but close enough that you can come here when you need to." Mother said.

"I want to see Sandy, I like dogs, may I go see Sandy today? We can all move to the country and have a big garden and a white fence and then Sandy can be with me, and then I don't have to worry about father getting mad and doing something to my dog." I said.

"Now father bought that dog for you to let you know that he was sorry for what he had done to Wellington, and he would never hurt that dog…"

"The dogs' name is Sandy, and you need to call it by its name, Sandy." I said.

"Ok Christopher… anyway, because he paid for it and it would be a waste of his money spent." Mother said, "we will visit your father… err… dog…err… Sandy tomorrow I am off work and can drive you. Now I have to go to work, there are some biscuits in the tin and please, don't go wandering off, London is much different than Swindon."

I don't like London, there are too many people, they are too close and I don't like to be touched, even if it is an accident.

I pulled out the bus routes, and began to memorize the stops, knowing where I must get off the bus and on the bus is important, if I don't know which stop I need I can get lost. I have been working on my Further Math Level A. I want to be prepared, I know the equations by heart already, but I like to make sure that I haven't forgotten one of the formulas, it is important to keep up with that because if I miss one part of the equation I can end up with an answer that isn't right.

I think that the basic integral rules are something that I need to know to be sure that I am ready.

It time to feed Toby, he's my rat, he gets three pellets of special food when I feed him, I change his water bottle every day, it is very important that rats have water because they can't live without it long. Fresh water is good because the water gets an old plastic taste to it if it sits too long in the bottle and it doesn't taste right.

3

I get to go see Sandy today; I got up at exactly 6:31 am, right when the sunrise happens. I listen to the birds sing, they aren't as many and loud as it Sandy's house, but the sing the same melody. I got my nicest shirt on and my best pair of jumpers. I think that Sandy would be able to tell that I missed him. I think they know that someone is gone but they don't know how much time passes by but when the person comes home they remember.

I think that I am going to have super good day today. I watched outside my window and seen five red cars pass by but it may just be a good day because one car was parked on the side, but there was four red cars one right after another that passed the parked red car. So today is somewhere between a super good day and a good day. I may take just one risk today, since it is a borderline super good day.

Taking the car instead of the train is much better, there is room for me to move about and not to have to worry about get touched by accident by a stranger, the only other person in the car is my mother, and she drives really fast. I keep my safety belt on when she drives. She talks to me while she drives which worries me because if she is too busy talking and not watching where the road is she could have an accident and then she will not have a car and then I would have to use a train to see Sandy, I don't like trains.

"Mother, you need to slow down, the speed limit is 110 kpm, you're going 118 and I don't want you to have an accident." I said.

"It's ok, Christopher, I am not going that much over the speed limit." Mother said.

"Well then just go 113 kpm it is a prime number and I like prime numbers, they are only divided by one or itself." I said.

She slowed down to 113 like I asked, I liked that I felt safer. It was close to the speed limit and it let her speed just a little like she wanted.

We Turned onto Randolph Street and drove down to number 36 that is where Sandy lived. We pulled into the drive way my father was standing outside by his van. He waved my mother waved back, I didn't. I still didn't trust him. He was trying hard to make it up to me but I think it was an elaborate trap to trick me into trusting him, then he was going to get me to stay with him again and then who knows maybe end up like Wellington because I made him mad like how Mrs. Shears did.

We got out of the car, I ran to the back where father kept Sandy, she was next to the shed by the tree, she had no water.

"Father you are supposed to give Sandy water every day, fresh water from inside not from the garden hose, it does taste right." I said. It like a balloon taste when you are blowing it up and the air seeps back into your mouth it just doesn't taste right.

I got Sandy's leash and hooked it onto its collar, then I removed the tie hook that Sandy was on to keep him in the yard. My father said he was going to build a fence so that Sandy could run around freely. He lied. There was no fence for Sandy and Sandy was trapped to a rope in the backyard.

When I get to my university I will have a big house with big yard and a fence that goes completely around the yard so then Sandy can run around and not be trapped to the length of a tie rope.

Sandy and I walked around the street, up and down it for about 47 minutes. I finally got tired and took Sandy back to the house, we both went inside kitchen door. Sandy was thirsty, I got a bowl from the cabin and filled it with some cold fresh water. Sandy took his time and lapped it up. I got me a glass of orange juice. We went upstairs to my old room and Sandy laid down and I laid my head on his soft golden fur and fell asleep.