Author's note: This is the third chapter of my novel. You might recognize one scene I adopted from ANOES6 (Freddy's Dead – The final Nightmare), but I changed it slightly (at least what we saw in ANOES6 was a creepy kind of memory, and memories aren't always correct, are they?)

Warning: This chapter contains explicit descriptions of cruelty to animals!

ATTENTION: CHAPTER CHANGED DUE TO SOME NEW IDEAS I WANTED TO ADD IN THE STORY!!!

CHAPTER 3 – Growing Distrust (1951)

=================================

1. Three years have passed. Nine year old Freddy lives in the foster family of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and their twelve year old son Rick. It is the second try in a foster family, the first one failed soon after a few weeks because of his still occurring rage attacks. Freddy is an outsider and has no friends, neither in school nor at home, where even Rick constantly teases him. One day he hides behind a big elm tree (guess which street he's in, *g*), but is discovered by three bigger boys, which chase him down the street and beat him after they caught him. His school bag breaks during the fight and he is full with dirt when he finally returns home. Mr. Jackson tells him off for coming late back from school and ruining his clothes.

2. Evening lunch. Freddy's foster Brother Rick picks on him and kicks him under the table. Freddy isn't hungry, but Mr. Jackson wants him to eat his meal. Freddy however gets frantic and throws his pea mulligan to the ground and yells furious. Mr. Jackson sends him back to his room without dessert for punishment.

3. Mrs. Sullivan is Freddy's teacher in third grade of the Springwood Elementary School. She treats him poorly and always repeats that he will be a looser all his life and will end up terrible some day. Freddy can't understand why his teacher dislikes him so much (well, we know, Mrs. Sullivan knows about his past and has the same opinion as Miss Jennings in the orphanage). His marks in school aren't best, not because he's not smart enough but due to his laziness. Mr. Jackson always has to check his homework, otherwise he probably would have had to repeat a class.

4. In the night. Freddy can't sleep due to a heavy lightning storm and tiptoes through the house. In the living room he finds Ricks precious collection of baseball cards, which he has forgotten there. Freddy remembers that Rick teased him all this afternoon while Mrs. Jackson just watched and didn't interfere. In a sudden rage he starts to shred the play cards in tiny pieces, throwing them all over the ground. Then he returns to his bed, feeling a little bit satisfied by his destructive act. Rick finds the remains of his collection in the next morning and Freddy gets punished severe, but he feels no remorse.

5. In school. Freddy has to read out his essay in front of class. He hates doing this, mainly because Mrs. Sullivan normally chooses such topics like "My family", "My last holiday" or "My house" – topics which understandably aren't easy to write for Freddy. This time the topic is "My career aspiration", and he really worked hard on this one. He wants to be a head-hunter when he is grown up and begins to describe what he would do to the criminals (which are really bloody and creepy things), but Mrs. Sullivan stops him at once and tells him that his essay is nonsense and that head-hunter isn't any normal work. All other pupils laugh at Freddy. Freddy on his part can't understand what he did wrong. His career aspiration was inspired by a comic book series called "Marshal Cooper, the mighty avenger" he used to read. But Mrs. Sullivan doesn't let him explain anything and sends him back to his seat. Back on his chair he stares scowling at his paper and finally mutters that he will nevertheless become a great head-hunter!

6. Freddy has got a confinement to his sleeping room for his last franticness a couple of days ago. He is bored and scrolls one of his old Marshal-Cooper comics until Rick enters the room. He mocks him right instantly and tries to take away his comic. Freddy ignores him first, but when he bullies him even more he jumps up and struggles with Rick until Mr. Jackson comes and separates them. Mr. Jackson though only punishes Freddy for his aggressive attack, which in Freddy's point of view is totally unfair.

7. Another school day. There is a new project in class called "My favourite pet". Every day one student has to bring an animal to school and read out an essay about it. Today it is Steve McCullum's turn, he has two green frogs in a big preserving jar and reads his essay in front of class. Freddy is rather bored by his story. The only animals he likes are dead ones. During brunch pause he returns unnoticed to the classroom. He hates to be together with all the other kids on the school yard, because they bully him most of the time. In the classroom he discovers the preserving jar, which stands on Steve's table. He opens the jar and tries to catch a frog, but they are too fast. So he takes a sharp pencil and spikes the frogs one by one, watching thrilled how they perish in agony. Then he leaves the class room again with a pleasant anticipation of Steve's reaction. Indeed all students are shocked and appalled when the dead frogs are found. They can't understand why anyone would do such a cruel thing. Freddy however stays silent and enjoys their disgust and disconcertment.

8. Freddy finds a box with matches and sets his bed on fire, almost causing a dangerous room fire. Only because of the fast reaction of Mrs. Jackson, who smells the smoke and puts the fire out, there is no one harmed. But after that the Jackson's decide to bring Freddy back to the orphanage.

9. Back in the orphanage. Mr. Robinson, the group leader, tries to talk with Freddy about the reasons of his returning, but in vein. Freddy seems unable to understand that it was his own behaviour which brought him back. The other kids mock at Freddy because he screwed up his foster home again.

10. Freddy steals a Comic of "Marshal Cooper" in a store and runs away, colliding with Sister Mary Helena all of a sudden. She is completely surprised to meet him. She talks to him a while, but Freddy doesn't remember her visit four years ago in the orphanage and is rather untalkative. At least he runs away again.

11. Sister Mary Helena comes several times to the orphanage to have a short glimpse at Freddy, but she never enters the orphanage due to the contact prohibition. Mr. Robinson, who saw her three or four times standing on the street, steps out to her one day and talks to her. He had put two and two together and suspects that she is Freddy's mother (well, at least there aren't many nuns with a highly visible interest in the only known child of a nun and hundred maniacs). He warns her not to break the prohibition and to stay away from the orphanage, for her and for Freddy's sake. Mary Helena, who knows that she behaved silly and irresponsible, promises him to stay away.

12. After the adoption day. Most children mope on Freddy because he got an outrage during the visit of the parents, which of course didn't left the best marks. When he wants to be alone, a boy named Pete trips him up so he fell against the door, which is opened at this moment by Mr. Robinson coming in. Freddy bounces back and fells to the ground. Pete laughs at him, and then he detects that Freddy is nose bleeding. As Freddy sees his own blood he becomes furious and jumps up. Albeit the blood that drips on his clothes and on the floor he curses on Pete and wants to attack him. Mr. Robinson tries to stop him, but he turns on him with the same rage and insults him vulgar. Mr. Robinson is forced to slap him in the face to bring him to halt, then he commands him in the bathroom where he should clean his face and change the bloody clothes. Freddy obeys but not without spitting blood to the ground and muttering more curses to him.

13. Once again after several rage attacks Mr. Robinson gives a long harangue to Freddy, who lacks any sign of remorse or sense of guilt. Mr. Robinson is completely at a loss with him, not knowing how to teach him decency and a moral conscience. In his despair he gets a quite absurd idea, namely to get some external help – help from a person who knows well about ethics and patience: Sister Mary Helena! Perhaps she could give Freddy some kind of "ethic lessons", of course only in her function as a nun and not as his mother. She is Mr. Robinson's last hope, because Mr. Graham, the director of the orphanage, has already threatened to put Freddy in a reformatory if his behaviour doesn't get better soon.

14. A couple of days later. Sister Mary Helena visits Freddy the first time. She is rather nervous, Freddy however doesn't speaks much to her. He is angry about this new, unexpected and unusual punishment of Mr. Robinson. The idea of having "ethic lessons" sounds silly and useless to him, because he doesn't think he did anything wrong. Mary Helena tries her best to overcome his mistrust, but Freddy is far away from trusting her, and this makes her conversation pretty hard. After her "lesson" Mary Helena talks to Mr. Robinson. She is unsure if she can handle Freddy's strong distrust and teach him any good. Mr. Robinson affirms her not to give up after one meeting. He knows how hard it is to talk with Freddy and suggests that she reads out some bible stories which she could discuss with him afterwards. Mary Helena thanks him for this idea and promises to come back in a few weeks.

15. Mr. Robinson compliments Freddy on doing his homework. He had no rage attack for one week, which is a small but noticeable success. Freddy asks him for the first time about his parents. Mr. Robinson doesn't know what to tell him, he isn't sure if Freddy is yet old enough to cope with the full truth. So he tells him only a "censored" version, namely that his mother, Amanda Krueger, died after his birth and that his father is unknown. This is the official version that is written in Freddy's orphan-record. Actually it was only a bit imprecise, as it kept quiet about the circumstances of his conception and that his mother was still alive, but as Sister Mary Helena and not as Amanda Krueger anymore.

16. A week later. Mr. Robinson makes a trip to the park with his group but orders that no one is allowed to leave the group. Some kids mock on Freddy because of his previous nose bleeding, so he disobeys Mr. Robinson order and separates from the group. While he walks through the park alone he just meets the elder boys which chased him down the street before. In an instant he runs away, crawling under a line of bushes and then climbing on a big tree, hoping the boys won't find him there. Indeed the guys loose interest on him when they can't find him anymore. Freddy keeps on his place high in the tree for a long while watching other people. In the end he starts to climb down, but fells down when someone suddenly calls him. It is Mr. Robinson, who noticed his absence and searched the park for him. He is very angry about Freddy's disobedience and orders the return to the orphanage.

17. Next day. Freddy is on the way home from school. He thinks about Mrs. Sullivan's frequent vitriol. She also reminded him that he has to present his favorite pet in a few days. Unfortunately Freddy has no clue of what to present. Lost in thoughts he almost stumbles on something on the ground. It is a dead rat, probably hit by a car. Without any disgust he touches the dead animal, fascinated by its half decayed state. Suddenly he knows which favorite pet he will present – this nice rat! So he puts the cadaver in his school bag and returns happy to the orphanage.  

18. Later on the same afternoon Sister Mary Helena visits Freddy for the second time. She has followed Mr. Robinson's suggestion and reads out a bible story about the benefits of not taking revenge. Freddy finds it difficult to understand why he should suppress his anger and hate. His rage attacks are beyond his own control, they overwhelm him almost without any warning. And when he tries not to go overboard the others mock him so long he can't bear it anymore. Mary Helena is very keen to explain him the difference between good and bad behaviour, but it is a cumbersome work.

19. Two days later. Freddy presents the rat in class as his favourite pet. Sadly, no one else understands his special and abnormal preference for dead animals. Mrs. Sullivan and all other students completely freak out, screaming in disgust and abhorrence. Freddy on his side can't understand their agitation; all he knows is that somehow he totally screwed it up again.

20. Freddy is in the garden although it is raining. He kneels on the ground and smashes earthworms with a stone, still angry and disappointed that Mrs. Sullivan didn't accepted his essay about his rat and gave him a bad mark. Miss Jennings finds him outside and commands that he comes in, but he ignores her and forces her to come out in the rain. She wants to grab him on his arm and pull him back inside the house, but he runs away from her. When she pursues him she slips on the wet ground and fell right in the mud, giving Freddy a nice picture to laugh at. Only when Mr. Robinson shouts at him to come in immediate he obeys and returns in the dry room, where he gets four hours room arrest, although it was not his fault that Miss Jennings slipped.

21. School. Becky Thompson, best pupil and Mrs. Sullivan's favourite student, humiliates Freddy as a loser and shows off with her two small hamsters she brought today to class as her favourite pets. In the small break between two units Freddy takes one of her hamsters, put it on a desk and smashes it with a big sledge. His deed doesn't stay unnoticed, and the reaction of the other students and Mrs. Sullivan even tops the one they showed for his rat.

22. Freddy overhears a discussion between Mr. Robinson and Miss Jennings. After his hamster-murder he was brought back to the orphanage. The educators talk about what he did in school. Mr. Robinson is confused and appalled facing such an unbelievable cruelty to animals. Miss Jennings however thinks that Freddy's deed is just another proof of his insanity. She believes that the orphanage can't keep Freddy any longer and that he belongs to an asylum more than ever. Mr. Robinson mentions that not she but the director will decide about Freddy's future, but Miss Jennings is confident that he will decide in her way. Freddy, who witnesses this quarrel, is quite shocked. Although he hasn't any remorse for killing that dumb hamster he fears being put to an asylum like Miss Jennings said. When Mr. Robinson discovers him eavesdropping he runs away out of the orphanage.

23. Late in the evening a police officer brings Freddy back to the orphanage. He was picked up walking near the city limit. Mr. Graham, together with Mr. Robinson and Miss Jennings, await him already. The director is very angry that Freddy killed a harmless animal first and tried to runaway then. Mr. Robinson is sad knowing that Freddy made everything worse with his runaway. Miss Jennings however is satisfied that he will get his comeuppance now. Mr. Graham interrogates Freddy about the last events, but Freddy is obdurate and behaves rather naughty. He is at most disappointed that he has been caught before he could leave the town. When Mr. Graham gets angrier at his disrespect and grabs him at his shoulder, he screams, beats him and even bits him in his hand. Mr. Robinson pulls him away and slaps him in his face, which makes Freddy stop. Mr. Graham calms down and commands that this was the last straw and that the orphanage could not keep such an aggressive child any longer. They would send Freddy to the youth reformatory in town just tomorrow.

24. Later in the night. Freddy lies in his bed and can't sleep. Although the reformatory isn't as frightful as the lunatic asylum he is deeply scared being sent there. The grim words from Mr. Graham and Miss Jennings spin around in his head, and he feels absolutely lonely and lost.       

To be continued…

BTW, please excuse my English, the translation is really exhausting. Leo.org dictionary became my best friend…