Welcome back everyone. I'm so sorry that Basil got named in the summary. I try to avoid but I wasn't sure what to put for the summary and somehow his name just ended up in there. Anyway, I'm trying to return Basil to what made him so enjoyable to write: his interactions with other characters. "Stranger in a Strange School" was from what I got from others excellent, so was "Stranger and Stranger" and everything after that seemed to be rather mediocre despite some good reviews so I really want to return Basil to his roots. Enjoy and review.
The Monday after the Second Prank
The weekend had passed, Basil had given his flat cap a funeral, Cam and Holger had come up with some crackerjack plan to keep Lee from going to boarding school in Athabasca and nothing else of any interest had happened.
Monday morning, Basil walked through the halls with Tina. Back when he had been new at A. Nigma, he'd been something of a stick in the mud. Thanks to Lee and Tina he'd gotten better although he'd gone through Hell to become one!
"So how do you feel about Lee being sent to Athabasca?" Poor choice of a conversation starter for Basil! What was he thinking? The answer was that he wasn't. Basil had a way of knowing when a person liked another person, even if he couldn't figure out when a person liked him until he liked someone else. He knew Lee liked Tina and vice versa. He just didn't think that Tina would have been sad that Lee was being sent to Athabasca. So what did she do? Tina gave Basil a look. "What's that look?"
Tina shrugged. "It's a look. If there was a tax on looking we'd all be beggars."
This only caused Basil to roll his eyes. "Don't quote my dad's work to me, Tina. Just because I've finally gotten to reading his books doesn't mean I'm not angry, about him dying. He had no right!"
"'No right?' Basil, your dad had been sick all his life and it was only getting worse for him. Do you really think he'd want to go on suffering?" Tina's question really pierced Basil. He didn't say anything after that and just walked away.
"I'm going to talk to this new principal! Maybe I can convince him to let Lee come back." Basil walked to Barrage's… He walked to the new principal's office. It had been his fault that he chose to suck up to Barrage he ended up becoming his eyes and ears amongst the students. He tried to get out of it with a letter of resignation but Barrage only threatened to expel him. With a new principal that meant he wouldn't have to be their eyes and ears amongst the students. "Goodbye, Barrage. Hello…" And then Basil walked into the office and saw… A weird stick insect like person wearing clogs.
"Ah, Basil Hagen! I am your new principal." This person had a vaguely German accent. And that suit! If it were any brighter it would be the same color as a banana! But the clogs! Why was he wearing clogs? In Basil's experience clogs were uncomfortable things that caused corns! "I am Phil Blompkins, former superintendent now Principal of A. Nigma High!"
"Uh, hi."
"Barrage had quite a bit of paperwork about you. I can't believe he allowed a person with as many offenses as you to be allowed to attend this school! Selling candles! Being chased by birds! Playing jazz music over the intercom from his… From my office!"
Basil swallowed nervously. "Actually, it was just one bird and in my defense that thing was a monster that wanted to claw my eyes out!"
"Silence!" Basil couldn't believe it. He was actually starting to miss Barrage! A few minutes with Blompkins and he already wanted Barrage back! "But it also states that you were his eyes and ears among the students so I guess I'll keep you around for the same reason." What was happening? How was he once again the eyes and ears of a principal of A. Nigma? Then Blompkins handed Basil a pair of clogs. "Here is your regulation footwear, you can be the first student to show the power of clogs!" Basil stared at the clogs. What manner of evil was this? "Now, out! Out! Get to class!"
Blompkins pushed Basil out of the office. This only caused Basil to look quite confused as he walked to class. He then saw a garbage pail and threw the clogs into it.
The more things changed the more they stayed the same.
