Every day was the same. The older children in the orphanage would bully the little boy who didn't look like the others, and as he did every day, the boy the children called the plank would defend him. He had this face, this terribly frighting face, that he would make at them when they would get too close. Every day Lottie would bring him food, and the plank allowed it, and as he did every day, the dark skinned boy would try to befriend the little blonde. She would not respond. Today the plank could no longer allow her to ignore his friend. It was hurting him. He confronted her by pushing her against the wall, silently asking her why. "The others would do the same to me," her tone was hushed. One of the girls went to fetch an adult, but they had already restrained the plank by the time she returned. Today was not the same.
He was taken to a room where he would have to stay for the next two days. It was his punishment for his aggression on the little girl, and without a word he remained. He wondered how his friend was fairing without his protection. Surely he had taken a beating or two while his defender was away. The plank entered the hall where the children would play, and after several minutes of searching, found he was missing. Angry eyes shot from one little boy to the next until the familiar blonde spoke up, "He was adopted." The plank was both happy and sad that little Johnny was gone. His eyes locked on Lottie, and without a word, asked her when it had happened. "The day they locked you up," after the short explanation, she and the other girls she had been sitting with moved farther away form him.
His new mother was absolutely lovely in every way. Her voice was soothing and she was very gentle with the child. His new father was warm and kind. They were to leave to go back to the states, new child in tow, as soon as they could. He had many new family members to meet once they returned.
The first day with him went well. They spent most of the afternoon showering him in affection while they shopped for his new wardrobe. In the evening they treated him to a large dinner, and even bought him dessert. Throughout the day he had smiled, laughed, and clung to his new parents, but had not said a word. After the day's events, the family was ready for a god night's sleep, but the more tired Johnny grew, the worse he became. His first word to his parents came after his bath, "Plank?" Within the hour he was screaming it. The couple didn't know what to do, so his father ran out to get him what he screamed for, the plank.
When he returned he handed his new son a piece of wood and some markers. The boy stared at it for a moment before drawing on the face. It was a strange face, only familiar to those who had lived in the orphanage. This terribly frightening face made the couple worry about their son, but he had given his new friend that face to keep him safe. After a few more days, they moved back to the states to introduce him to his new home.
Through the years Johnny toted Plank everywhere he went, interacting with the piece of wood as if it were alive. To him this object had a personality, a life that no one else seemed to understand. They didn't need to. The children of the cul-de-sac accepted him and his strange companion for a long while, until the neighborhood pranksters did something none of them could forgive. The three boys, Ed, Edd, and Eddy, fled to a theme park where the shortest boy's brother resided. Plank had 'suggested' that the two of them, clad in melon warrior gear, take the bus, but when they arrived everything seemed to be over. Johnny attacked the boys, but for some reason the other children would not stand for it. Once again the boy was shunned by his peers, not even knowing why. The worst part was when the threw Plank over the dock. That night the screaming resumed.
The summer before Johnny's freshman year, his parents left for a 'vacation', leaving him in the care of his adopted grandmother. They returned to Russia to try to find the cause of their son's distress. When they explained the situation to the woman working at the front desk, she only had one answer, "There is a boy here. The children refer to him as the plank." There was no way the woman could have personally known everything that happened with the children, so it was all she had. The couple asked to speak with the young man.
"There was a little boy here a few years ago. He has a shaved head and dark skin, did you know him?" Johnny's mother asked, hoping the blonde teen would have remembered him. He nodded. "He screams for Plank every night. Where you friends?" The plank grinned upon hearing that the little boy he protected years ago still needed him. He did not want the boy to suffer, but the selfish part of him was happy that he had not been forgotten. He too was adopted by the couple, and just as the had with Johnny, they brought him home.
It was late when Johnny could hear his parent's car return. He made his way down the stairs to greet his parents, but the addition was something he had never imagined. "P-plank? Is that you, buddy?" His eyes were wide and soon filled with tears at the sight of the teen now standing in his living room. All at once, Johnny remembered his time with the Russian. From now on, every day would be the same.