Liquorice Allsorts

Jennospot 8  Liquorice Allsorts

Funny ‘ow little fings c’n sometimes ‘ave really big effects. Yew’d never fink that a little bag o’ liquorice allsorts could start off a big war all around the village would yew. Still an’ all, that’s ‘ow it turned out in Widdlin’ton one time. Peter wrote it all down from the beginning ter the end. This is ‘ow it begun:

‘Did you see that?’ I asked Jenno as I held out the bag of liquorice allsorts.

‘See wot?’ she replied.

‘What Creepy just did.’

‘I din't see nuffin'. What'd 'ee do?’

‘Just being his usual foul self. He tried to grab my sweets but they are for you.’

‘Why yew givin' me sweets?’ asked Jenno, frowning suspiciously.

‘Just wanted to say thank you for helping me get my cart back.’

‘Oh that. That weren't nuffin',’ said Jenno modestly but her frown changed to a pleased look.

‘Well, it meant a lot to me.’

I was about to say more, when my shoulder was grabbed from behind and I was swung forcibly around to find myself facing the malevolent glare of Mrs Crawley.

‘Wot yew mean by attackin' my defenceless 'Arold, yew 'orrid little bastard,’ she yelled. ‘An' it ain't the first time neither. This time I'll see yew gets punished real an' proper.’

Creepy's mum had never liked me from the day I started at that school. That was the day of my first violent encounter with her beloved Harold; with him and his bullying friend Snaylor.

Mrs Crawley gave me a shake that rattled the eyes in my head and then let me go suddenly. It set me completely off balance. I tried to stand up straight but staggered and fell against her.

The next instant a thunderclap exploded in my left ear and when the echoes had died away, I found myself lying on the ground with my head ringing as though a bomb had just gone off. Mrs Crawley had clouted me on the ear! My head rang like after the orphanage had been hit in the London air-raid. After the bomb, it had taken days before the ringing stopped. I hoped it wouldn't take so long this time.

I dazedly watched her march into the school porch, towing Harold like a bobbing dinghy behind a full-rigged sailing ship. They seemed to be on course for the head teacher's study, or perhaps they were only going to the school dispensary to patch up Creepy's knees.

I looked up to find Jenno, standing over me. ‘Wot yew doin' down there?’ she asked. ‘Don't tell me yew fainted away from the sight o' Mrs Crawley?’

‘She hit me,’ I retorted, aggrieved.

‘Git away, yew're exageratin'— she wouldn' do that— be more'n wot 'er job's worf,’ said Jenno disbelievingly. ‘Yew just fell down on purpose.’ She giggled and turned to her brother. ‘Did yew see 'er 'it 'im?’ she asked.

‘I din't see 'er do nuffin',’ said Braces doubtfully. ‘She 'ad 'er back to me. Anyways, Oi was lookin' at Creepy. 'Is knees were proper bloody. Yew did good to knock 'im down. 'Ee's 'ad it comin' to 'im fer a long time, 'n no mistake.’

Braces reached down a hand to help me up.

‘But I didn't knock him down,’ I protested. ‘He tripped over his own feet. I had nothing to do with it.’

‘Serves 'im roight any'ow,’ said Braces, ‘'orrid little sneak.’

Jenno opened the bag of liquorice allsorts and held it towards me. ‘Wot kind do yew loike? Oi always eat the coconut ones first.’

I carefully avoided taking a coconut one. ‘I like the solid black ones best,’ I said, taking one of those.

(Gang Warfare chapter 1)