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

     Promptly at seven, Mr. Player arrived.
They sat around the dining room table, and 
the kids brought in coffee cups.
     Jeremy Player did look tired.  
Exhausted, even.  "Have you heard the 
gossip about phone calls?" Tab's mother 
asked.
     "Not only gossip," he said.  "Phone 
calls."
     "Phone calls!"
     "Many times through the night.  Mostly 
they just burst into giggles.  Some of them 
claim to be Tabby--"
     "But I didn't!"  Tab's eyes appealed 
to her mother for support.
     "I know that," he said.  "It wasn't 
your voice.  Anyhow, the problem is solved; 
I bought an answering machine to screen my 
calls."
     They talked about the impossibility of
floating in the air.  Tab reminded her 
mother about the lack of footprints, and 
at last her mother said, "I recall being 
angry at you for telling me such a whopper.  
I guess I should have listened better."
     To her credit, Tab didn't say 'Yes, 
why didn't you?'  Then she told about the 
time during the volleyball game.
     "Really?" he said.  "I had no idea.  
You mean, if you had obeyed me then, you'd 
have floated?"
     "Right.  It just kept getting stronger 
every time it happened," she said.  She 
smiled at the apologetic look on his face, 
and wished she had the nerve to tell him 
it was okay-he-didn't-know.  "After that, 
as I got more used to it, it was
kind of fun to skateboard, until it got 
out of control."
     "And unsafe outside the house," Greg 
added. "Should we show them?"
     After a moment of hesitation, Tabitha 
nodded, and said softly, "You mean, now?"
     "Sure.  It will prove it's true 
better than anything can."
     Tab thought about it...her secret was
already known.  No secret at all.  No 
reason why not. "Okay," she said.  "This 
is what happens..." She looked at Greg 
with a look that wordlessly said, 'Help 
me okay?'  His slight nod showed he knew 
they had to say the word loudly for best
effect.  "1, 2, 3"  Tabitha rose at the 
loud "UP" and from the ceiling, she 
continued with "...LIKE THIS, and 
without warning too."
     Much as Greg had done, the seated 
grownups stared up at Tabitha, gently 
turning horizontal in the air high above 
their heads.  What could they say?  They 
had not expected a connection with the 
word, and so did not notice it.
     Tabitha smiled sadly, and said 
nothing, having noticed Muffet standing 
stifflegged, his back arched, tail up, 
and long fur expanded into soft hugeness, 
mouth agape and lips drawn back ready for 
the hiss of the century.  Frozen thus in a 
tableau for what felt like an extended 
time, hung suspended between evidence and 
disbelief they saw Muffet slowly deflate 
and heard a cautious "Mew?"
     It was the pin to the balloon of 
silence that exploded into simultaneous 
comments.
     From Mother: "And I did not believe 
her." Mr. Player: "So high!  That proves 
what I felt!" Tabitha: "I'm going to try 
something... Maybe--" Mother: "Nobody will 
believe this, no, never!" Gregory: "Why 
are you turning on your back, Tab?" Mr. 
Player: "What is she doing?  Legs pulled 
up--"
     Tab almost didn't have time to place 
her feet on the ceiling before the space 
suddenly closed.  With some effort, she 
stood upside down like a fly, feet glued 
in place, and announced, "Ta-Daaa!"
     Mother burst out laughing, and soon 
they were all cracked up at the ridiculous 
sight of Tabitha, ponytail hanging 
downward, shirt bunched at armpits leaving 
the stomach bare, hanging there.
     Stress release can be pretty loud.


     Time passed quickly.  Tab discovered 
a new skill at comic story-telling as she 
described the recess when Miss Longshanks 
had her back turned, and the time Mr. P. 
had almost caught her sliding on the air 
in the hall.  She liked being able to make 
people laugh.  After more of her adventures,
there was no doubt the adults had become 
used to the idea of floating.  Tab and Greg 
had relaxed, now that the secret was out.  
It grew to be more like a social evening.
     Then Tab reluctantly had to go and do 
her homework.  Greg left too, but he made 
himself comfortable out of sight on the 
staircase landing, where he could hear 
very well.

                         
     Once the children were gone, the 
adults talked of public opinion and human 
nature and honour and boring teacher-things.
     "It was when Ms. J.  wanted the 
principalship so badly, I remember, and 
they gave it to an outsider?" she said.  
"A grievance--"
     "Well, she WAS eminently qualified," 
he said.
     "But they thought her fat ankles 
matched her opinions."  They laughed at 
that, and Greggy didn't know why.  He 
guessed you had to know the people. "More 
coffee Mr Player?"
     "We could drop the Mister..."  Greg 
saw the fleeting, startled look.  "I mean...  
Since Muffet seems to have adopted me and 
all?"  He faltered, as if thinking,  Now 
why did I say that?  Idiot!  Muffet, 
having heard his name, jumped onto his lap
where he got his ears scratched 
absentmindedly.  In exchange, the big cat's 
eyes closed as he leaned his whole body 
against Mr. Player.
     It hadn't been the words that he said, 
as much as the wistful way he said them, 
like a stray puppy licking a hand in the 
dog pound, hoping to be accepted and taken 
home.
     "Sure, why not?  Would 'Jeremy' do?" 
she asked.  "Somehow you don't look much 
like a 'Jerry' to me."
     He grinned happily.  "Great.  My 
friends call me JP, too."
     "Just to foster equality," she teased, 
"I'm Alice."  It did a lot more to relieve 
the tension.


     Terminally cute, Gregory thought, and 
yawned.  
     TV news.  Greg was finding it harder 
to stay awake, and besides, his rear had 
gone to sleep long ago.  The television 
droned on, as he shifted his position and 
then drifted in and out and almost missed 
paying attention when they talked about 
Mrs. Meander's inquisition after Tab had 
been "flung" onto the cot.  Greg didn't 
hear the details, but he did find out that 
Mr. Player's "contract might be terminated."
     As Greg gave up, and crept stiffly to 
his bed, he thought about what he had heard.
"Terminated"?  Ended.  Did that mean fired?
He would talk with Tab tomorrow.

          
     At school, Tabitha pretended to be 
immune to the taunts of "Tabby Disease" by 
reading a lot when she was not with Greggy 
and Akim.  When she got into a book, Tab 
was out of there.  They figured she 
couldn't hear it anyway, so there was no 
fun in it for them.
     Tab visited Mrs. Mallow often, 
thankful for her patience and willingness 
to take time to be there for her.  
"Amazing how such a simple thing could 
look so bad, though," she told Mrs. 
Mallow.  They talked about the way the 
stories the kids had invented had grown 
quickly from "She pretended to be hurt so 
he'd have to carry her," to "She has a 
mad mad crush on Mr. Player."
     "None of that is true...."
     "We both know that.  Once again, 
there's no fun in it otherwise.  Better 
and better stories follow--"
     "Or worse, actually," Tab added.
     "Of course.  Each new version is told 
as if true."  The teacher shook her head, 
and continued, "What-ifs become 'truth' as 
they add all kinds of embarrassments to 
the stories."
     "So that's why the girls came up red 
from their whispers and giggling!"
     "I'm afraid so."
     "And that's how the telephoning 
stories began.  Elsbeth asked me if I had 
phoned him after school.  I said no...."
     "It looks that way.  And because you 
and Elsbeth used to be friends, the others 
decided that you had SAID you were phoning 
him."
     "That's gross!"
     "I know.  To make the story better, 
it became, "Tabby-poo phones him at all 
hours of the night."


     When the Pariahs met again, Tabitha 
said, "Mr. Player looks so sick now.  They 
say he drinks, like too much."
     "Tabby!  You don't know that's true!" 
Akim protested.
     "That's what they say, though.  And 
his eyes are red most of the time."
     "Maybe from not sleeping," Greg 
said.  "Besides he's on sick leave isn't 
he?"
     "Hold it!  I overheard that he's on 
what Miss Longshanks called 'other duties' 
at the Learning Centre."
     Akim looked at Tab critically, as if 
to say, 'whose side are you on, anyway?' 
"You're just as bad as the rest of the 
kids!"
     "What?"
     "Repeating stories."
     "Oh Greggy, get off it. I don't want 
to talk about it to EVERYBODY.  Just you 
two."
     "That's what they all say." 
     Silence answered him.  Long silence.  
At last, Tabitha wiped her eyes.
     Akim touched her shoulder.  "Sorry."
     "No, it's all right," she said.  "I 
had it coming,  I don't even know why I 
said that."  She sat motionless, her hands 
limp in her lap.  "He is my favourite 
teacher.  He's the last person I'd have 
wanted to do something bad to...."
     Impulsively, Greg touched her hand to 
comfort her.  "We have to make plans.  
Somehow we have to convince everyone that 
you floated.  It's the only way to help 
him."
     "But no one will believe it.  I don't 
want them to think I lie too."
     Akim laughed at the possibilities.  
"So, SHOW them!"
     "What if it doesn't always work?  Like
outside!"  Tabitha watched Greg shrug and 
raise his hands.  "Okay, okay.  If we're 
the only ones who can help him, just stay 
near, you guys, okay?"

                         
     At breakfast, their mother said, "The 
story is through all the schools now, not 
just your school." She stirred her coffee.  
"We fear that Mr. Player is in for bad 
times."
     "They know about me?"  Tab felt sick.
     "Yes, and they know that you're my 
daughter.  They're calling it child abuse."
     Tab's eyes were big with disbelief.  
Abuse to her meant only one thing.  Very 
pale, she said, "That's not true."
     "I know it isn't.  But we have to 
prove it.  I was told that if I refuse to 
lay charges, it could make me into an 
accessory."
     "What's that?" Greggy asked.
     "Like I'd be guilty too."
     "But HE's not guilty!"
     "Mrs. Meander thinks he is, and so 
will the school board."  Their mother told 
about the stories that were going around 
the high schools, and the fact that the 
whole community seemed to be involved in 
speculation.  "I wondered how it had 
spread so fast and far, and it seems angry 
parents have taken it upon themselves to 
see that he gets fired."
     "That's sick."
     "No doubt.  But don't be surprised if 
you see a series of articles in the BUGLE.  
Today a reporter called me at work."
     "Oh Mom!"
     "I know."  They were left feeling 
helpless.  Under the weight of public 
opinion, what could they ever hope to do?.
     Almost as if speaking to herself, 
Mother said, "I know you are both innocent, 
but when everyone else seems to disagree, 
it makes it seem impossible to convince 
them."
     "It's all fantasy."  Tab's face was in 
her hands.  "I'm the cause of it all.  
Tabby disease."
     Greggy asked, "They're having a lot of 
fun, aren't they, Mom?"
     "That they are.  That they are."

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