Science Fiction for Young Readers, grade 4 up
Story by Terry Gibson ©

TABITHA'S SECRET, Chapter 18

     Next day, her secret solved, 
Tab arrived at school with a smile and 
light feet. She hadn't felt so good 
since all this nonsense had begun.
Those who saw her high spirits had 
strange expessions on their faces when 
they said, "Look at her. Like the cat 
that swallowed the canary," and "You'd 
think yesterday hadn't happened at all."
     Funny thing, but as soon as she 
entered the school, her well-being  
evaporated.  Gone was the smile, the 
spring to her step, the joy at having
solved the problem that had oppressed 
her so long.  She was late.
     Tab was so seldom late that it 
was almost a new experience.  What's 
worse, her first class was Ms. Tempest's 
Environmental Studies.


     Tab did not know that Ms. Tempest 
had a romantic interest in Mr. Player, 
or that it hadn't been going well for 
her.  Neither did Tab know how angry 
Ms. Tempest had been when she saw the 
way Tabitha had clung onto Mr. Player.
     The class was already working 
when Tab opened the door.  She tried 
to slip into her seat without being 
noticed.  In a hushed room, with the 
eyes of twenty-five classmates 
clamped upon her, the teacher's gaze 
followed her to her seat.
     No smile.  Tab wished she had 
stayed home.
     "We heard of your accident, 
Tabitha dear," Ms. Tempest said 
sweetly.  "We hope you are okay now."
     "Yes, ma'am."  Tab looked at the 
teacher's face and knew that she was 
in for a bad time.
     "Perhaps you will tell us--  Just  
how did you happen to fall from the 
swing?"  A big girl like you, her sneer 
said.  "We've been wondering."
     Tab couldn't believe this.  The 
Inquisition.  "I don't know," she said.
     "You don't KNOW.  Tell me, do you 
take these fits often?"  A soft snicker 
came from behind her.
     Tab squirmed.  Why couldn't she 
just get to work?  Now that she had 
(by what Ms. Tempest had called 
EMPIRICAL research,) solved her problem, 
she couldn't wait to revise her Science 
Fair project.
     "Tabitha?"
     "I'm sorry...."
     "I asked if you take such fits 
often."  Whispering, and a snort of 
laughter.
     "No, ma'am." Now the direction was
clear. She'd seen it done to other kids 
and now it was her turn.  Such a 
question had no answer.  "No ma'am," 
she tried nevertheless.  "I didn't know
who was on duty."
     "Come now, dear."
     Oh I hate her, Tab thought, and 
didn't know that her tight lips had 
betrayed her.  She said nothing.
     "So, would you have hugged ME as 
hard?"
     "Tabby disease," someone said, and 
they all laughed.


     Frantically, Tab looked around, 
and saw only malice there.  "Would you?" 
she heard.  She stood up, unable to 
take another minute of it.  As she
broke for the door, she shouted, "Yes, 
yes, yes," wanting only to die.  She 
could hear "Come back here," as she 
dashed into the hall.
     Where could she hide?
     Not in this hallway.  Around the 
corner, the janitor's room?  No, she 
could get locked in there.  
The washroom?  No, it's the first 
place they'd look.  The stockroom?  
Locked.  As she was going past the 
staffroom there was Mrs. Meander
herself.
     "What's your hurry Tabitha?"  
Not waiting for an answer, she 
continued, "You are just the person
I wanted to see.  Ms. Tempest just 
buzzed the office and reported you 
absent from class without permission.  
I need your explanation."
     Tab was caught.  She followed 
the principal into the inner office.  
Special treatment, she thought.  
Usually it was the vice principal who
punished kids.
      "Well?"
      In a small voice, Tab tried to 
explain without giving away her secret.  
It was so hard, with the principal's 
hard eyes glaring at her.  Mrs. Meander 
had been so angry yesterday; there
would be no mercy.  Hesitantly she 
admitted being late for class, and 
tried to describe the ridicule without 
sounding insolent.  Her mother couldn't
stand insolence, and Tab figured the 
principal couldn't either.  Tears 
started, and Tab angrily wiped them 
away.  How could she tell why she had
fled from the classroom?  The sarcasm?  
Telling about its cruelty came out as 
defensive excuses.
     "Ms. Tempest is a respected 
teacher," Mrs. Meander interrupted.  
"I think I prefer her word against 
that of an ill-mannered and rebellious 
girl."
     "But I don't mean to be those 
things!"
     "You deliberately broke school 
rules by running away."  Apparently 
the interview was over.  Tab saw Mrs. 
Meander look up the number of her 
mother's high school, dial it, identify
herself, and request "that Mrs. Gray be 
called from her classroom immediately."


     Oh boy, would Tab be in for it 
tonight!  To be called from her 
classoom by another principal would not 
be viewed with favour at the high school.  
She would fear severe injury to one of 
her children, and be terribly upset.
     "We expected your reply to the 
message yesterday," Mrs. Meander said 
after her mother had picked up the 
phone.  What message? Tab wondered.
     "No, it's not only about that, 
Mrs. Gray.  No, it's much worse."  
Then Tab had to listen to a coldly 
stated listing of her sins.  It was 
all so backwards, so wrong, so unfair.  
It had been Ms. Tempest who had been 
so rude!  Now her mother would NEVER 
believe her.  "I trust we will meet at
four this afternoon?"  Then with, 
"Good.  We will see you then."  Mrs. 
Meander was about to hang up.  "Oh.  
Yes, she is with me now."  She held 
the phone to Tab, and said, "Your 
mother wants to talk with you."
     Hopeless.  "Oh Mom," she sobbed.  
"I'm so sorry..."  She could say no 
more.
     "All right young lady," Tab's 
mother snapped, "I believe you owe me 
an explanation why I should have this 
phonecall at school."  The principal 
sat listening, with THAT look on her 
face.
     Tab's heart sank.  What could she 
say?  Her mother hated to have 
complaints about her children; it had 
something to do with being a teacher 
herself.  "Oh, Mom, I'm sorry!"
     "You'll be sorry all right.  What 
on earth made you do such a thing?"
     Tab knew her mother believed Mrs. 
Meander's version of it.  "It's not 
true," she whispered.
     The principal was obviously angry.
     Her mother had no patience with 
inaudible answers.  "Excuse me.  Say it 
again."
     "It's not true."  She saw the 
principal's icy stare, and added, "They 
don't understand."
     "Don't lie to me.  I will not 
accept your disobedience and rudeness!  
As for pretending to be hurt, whatever 
it was you did yesterday, you may have 
destroyed the professional career of a
teacher."  Her mother took a deep 
breath and continued.  "On the other 
hand if I find out he abused you, IN 
ANY WAY, then I will see to it that he 
will never be near young girls again.  
I will get to the bottom of it.  Do I 
make myself clear?"
     "Yes, Mother."
     "Which is it?"
     Tab nodded sickly as she shifted 
the phone to her other ear.  "You mean 
Mr. Player, don't you?"  She had Mrs. 
Meander's full attention.
     "Yes.  Did he--"
     "No!  Absolutely not!  
Mom, couldn't we talk at home?"
     "Yes, I have to get back to class," 
her mother said grimly.  Then more 
gently she added, "If your conscience 
is clear, you need not worry.  Okay?"
     "Thanks Mom."
     "Now, let me talk with Mrs. 
Meander again." Tab handed the phone 
over.  'You need not worry,' her mother 
had said.  It comforted, it held her
hand, it told her maybe she was not 
alone after all.  Tab felt much better.
     When Mrs. Meander hung up Tab 
asked, "Please, may I be excused from 
class?"
     "You can't run away forever."  
With that, the principal buzzed room 26 
on the intercom.  "I am sending Tabitha 
back to class now," she said.
     "Thank you, Mrs. Meander," Ms. 
Tempest said sweetly.


     Tab resolved to remain absolutely 
silent no matter what anyone said.  
Even Ms. Tempest got only yes-no answers, 
no matter what she said.
      Somehow she got through the rest 
of the day, and as she waited for Greggy 
to arrive at the door, she stewed about 
what her teacher would be telling her 
mother at that meeting after school.
     Greggy listened all the way home as 
Tabitha vented the shock, the hurt, the 
unfairness, the anger, and the 
helplessness of her day.  "It's like 
anything THEY say is the truth, and what
really happened doesn't rate the time of
day!"
     "They think it's true the way they 
tell it."
     "And I can't tell them my secret."
     "That's the trouble." Greg kicked 
a stone along as they walked.  "If you 
can't tell, how can they know?"
     "Anyhow, I've never been in trouble 
like this.  Mom did say that if I had a 
clear conscience, it'd be okay."
     "And you do.  It wasn't your fault."
     "Maybe it was.  I didn't lie, but 
I didn't tell the truth either."
     "Huh?"
     "I evaded.  That's like a lie, 
because I didn't tell what really 
happened.  And I'm going to be in for 
it when Mom gets home tonight."


     By the time her mother got there, 
Tab was ready.  If she absolutely HAD 
to, she knew that she could 
demonstrate how she had floated.  
Having control of the secret was 
enough to cheer her up.


     Mother came home, looking more 
worried than they had ever seen her.  
"I heard things today, Tabitha, that I 
refuse to believe.  Things that simply 
do not fit the daughter I used to know."
     "You still know me, Mother."
     "I'm not so sure.  That you might, 
in a time of upset, run out of a 
classroom--I can understand that.  
I know Esther Tempest, and although I 
maybe shouldn't tell you this, she is 
not one of my favourite people. Maybe 
that's why she is hard on you."


     "You FOUGHT with her?"
     "Call it a major difference of 
opinion.  Anyhow, that's neither here 
nor there.  You will NEVER run from a 
classroom again.  Never."
     "Even if--?"
     "Even if.  Running away solves 
nothing. You'd be wise to apologize."
     "Apologize!  She was rude to ME!"
     "Even so.  Courtesy is always 
helpful.  I understand that your 
science fair project is not meeting the 
deadlines too."
     "I had to change my topic."
     "So I hear."
     "That's one of the reasons I'm 
having trouble.  She didn't approve of 
my first choice."
     "Can you live with the choice you 
have now?"
     "Sure. I've done some EMPIRICAL 
research."
     "You did original experiments?"
     "I had to."  Enough said, Tab 
thought.
     Her mother nodded, satisfied.  
"Now, let's talk about those troubles.  
Exactly what happened in the 
playground?"
     "It's hard, Mom.  Maria and I were 
on the swings, and I lost control."  
Tab happily thought that it could never 
happen again, now that she knew the 
other word.  "I fell off--"  
A momentary regret at the white lie, 
unless you can fall UP... "And I held 
onto the swing support leg; I couldn't
walk.  Then Maria brought Mr. Player 
and he carried me into the nurse's 
room."
     "Okay--so?"
     What could she say?  Mother would 
hear all the stories--  How could she 
put it so it wouldn't sound so bad? 
"Well, they say I hugged Mr. Player, 
but I didn't, honest!  He was carrying
me and I just hung on tight because I 
was afraid."  She hoped her mother 
would think that it was true.
     "I was afraid I'd fall," she 
repeated.  Nobody except Greggy had 
guessed her secret.
     (Actually, she was wrong. Mr. 
Player knew, and he feared for his 
sanity.)
     "He's strong.  Why did you fear 
falling?"
     "Because he started to run while 
he was carrying me, and because I felt 
myself sliding."
     The phone rang.

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