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

TABITHA'S SECRET, Chapter 6

     There was no question that the ceiling had
been a great thing to have, considering the hard
force that had pushed her against it.  No one
else could know how it had squashed her into the
sharp points of its surface.  Both kids went
silent as they considered how it would be before
Gregory ventured, "'Ceiling 2000 feet,' it said
on the aviation report this morning." He smiled
briefly.  "Nice if that was the limit, that you
couldn't go any higher."
     "Still much too high."
     "It has never happened outside?"
     Tabitha shook her head no.  She shivered
at the thought of rising, rising, rising.  
What would stop her?  It must not ever happen.  
Even a tall ladder could freeze her with panic.
     Gregory saw her rising too, but envied her
for what she could see from there.  And the
bullies...he almost laughed as he pictured
straight incredulity on their faces as they
stared at what they could never reach.  Just
a matter of control.  "So how high did you go
before?" he asked, "At school?"
     "Never so high I couldn't grab something."
     "And the rest of the kids didn't know?"
     "Not yet..."  Tabitha lapsed into thought
about all the things that weren't quite right
in her behaviour, all the stares, and the
comments, heads together, whispering behind 
a mouth-hiding hand.  "The kids have noticed
something was wrong but they don't know what."
She hung her head.  "They laugh and say mean
things--"
     "So THAT's why kids say I have Tabby
disease." Gregory stretched after sitting 
still so long.  "Something really awful 
happened at school, didn't it?"
     "Not much.  A couple of things."
Embarrassing things that Tabitha didn't want 
to talk about.  Gregory waited.
     With a sigh Tab said, "It's really hard to
be ready for something when it doesn't give you
any warning."
     "What would you do, anyway?"
     "Stay near something heavy I can grab.
That is, that's what I will do now.  I didn't
always."
     Like today, Gregory thought.  "I could hang
around where you are, outside.  Be there if you
need me."
    Tabitha felt comforted.  "You sure seem to
know what to do....  You'd do that for me?" A
little shamefaced, she realized how wrong she
had been about him; thought of the many little
bits of niceness in what he had done and said,
and how she had taken them for ways to show her
up.  Now she wasn't so sure.  She really
couldn't understand such a brother, but what 
if he really had meant all those nice things?
     "If you want me to," he added.
     It really got to her.  "Greggy, I'm sorry
for all the mean things I've said to you." The
unplanned words were out between them, as with 
a life of their own.  And yet, they made her 
smile because they felt so good.
     "And done?"
     "Yeah."  She could think of several recent
things, and wondered at his goodwill in spite of
them.  "You're a good kid, Greggy."
     "Thank you, ma'am."
     They laughed, because it was so odd to
feel at peace with each other.  "But they give
me a hard time at school because of you.  I've
heard all kinds of things--how stubborn you are,
and a show-off, and how you--"
     "Not much of it is true."
     "So, what-all happened at school?" he
asked.

     "Okay, since you know so much already."
She looked at him thoughtfully.  "I guess 
the first one happened in gym class.  We were
playing volleyball.  My team was losing...."
     Tab's words didn't follow her thoughts as
she remembered the race to gain points.  She had
been everywhere, playing a strong game.  A ball
barely cleared the net and got past Sally in the
front row.  It would have been another point for
them but she had dived for it and just barely
kept the ball in play.  Caught unawares, the
other team lost its serve.  "I turned the game
around," Tab said out loud.  "Soon there were
only two points between us.  I was serving, and
it was so exciting!"  She told Gregory how she
had placed her serves to the weaker players 
over the net, and got point after point.

     "What's that got to do with--"
     "Wait for it.  I raced for the ball, which
was coming in low.  Mr. Player yelled at me to
get it up--oh no!"  Tab grabbed Gregory's arm.
"It can't be another attack in the same day!"
     "I can feel it pulling!"
     "What if I can't get down--"  It was over.
"I was going to say 'before morning' but I guess
it doesn't matter now."
     "That sure was a short one.  Anyhow, about
the game?" Gregory still couldn't see what it
had to do with floating.
     "Where was I?"
     "Mr. Player shouted at you."
     "Oh yes--it was just about the same time 
as I slipped and kept right on flying into the
benches against the wall.  It hurt."
     "And the ball?"
     "It was spiked by Maria."  Tab smiled.  
"It got us the winning point.  They stopped 
the game."  How could she tell how embarrassing 
it had been?
     "Was it an attack?"
     "Yes.  I had forgotten to be careful.   
They made a big deal of my bruise, as if I had 
a broken leg or something.  I had to sign an
accident form and everything."

     Gregory could imagine it. The same thing
had happened in baseball when, with the swing
and hit, the bat went on to break the catcher's
nose and there was blood all over.  And a crowd
of kids came to gawk.

     Tabitha was thinking how all she really
wanted to do was hang on to the bench.  "I
didn't dare let go."  She fell silent.  Kids had
brought icebags, thinking she was in great pain,
and she had felt like two cents.  But when she had
refused to leave the bench, even Mr. Player, the
nicest teacher in the whole school, had lost his
patience.  Her favourite teacher!  She hung her
head and said, "I sat on the bench for two more
gym periods while classes came and went."
     "So what I heard was true."
     "What did you hear?"

     "That Mr. Player yelled at you for being 
so stubborn but you disobeyed anyway.  They said 
it was just so you could be alone with him."
     "That's not true!  That's so GROSS!"  For
the first time, Tab was angry, not having known
the lies they were telling.  "That's not fair!"
She felt her face grow hot at the thought.  They
thought she had a mad crush on her teacher?
What if it was true?  No!  Not like Sally who
carried a fan picture of whatzisface everywhere,
and kept kissing it.  She shivered and repeated,
"That's gross."
     "I figured."  Gregory wondered why she
would be blushing, but decided this would not 
be the best time to ask.
     "It was awful, kids in other classes
laughing at me, making fun.  But they said
THAT?"
     "Uh-huh.  I didn't believe it."
     "Oh, he yelled at me all right.  Did you
know, when he gets really mad, his face gets red
and there's a vein in his forehead that pulses?"
     Gregory laughed.  "No kidding!  But it's 
an artery, Tabby."
     "Whatever. Anyhow, I didn't mean to
disobey."
     "Sure, you couldn't let go.  How would they
have rescued you from among the struts in the
gym ceiling?" He saw her weak grin. "When did it
end?"
     "In time to limp home.  I don't know, but
suddenly it was over.  I--" She wiped her eyes.
"Oh Greggy, you do understand.  So what do you
think?"
     "I think we have a problem."
     He hadn't said 'you have a problem' but
"We!"  Something else to show her where he was
coming from.  She heard him ask, "There were
other times too?"
     At her nod, he asked, "How many?"
     "Six, maybe seven.  Not all of them were
bad." She smiled.  "Some were short and nobody
noticed."
     "But some were bad.  Tabby disease too."
Tab nodded.  "Things that made them laugh at 
me. Things that made me feel like dirt.  And
scared."  Funny, she thought.  I've never
trusted him enough to tell him stuff like this.
     Gregory didn't know why Tab was looking at
him funny.  It was a most peculiar feeling, but
nice.
     "What I don't understand," she said, "is
why I float at all.  I mean, it just happens."
     "Maybe it's what other people say."
     "Nobody was with me in my bedroom--"
     Gregory saw her sudden wide eyes, and 
thought perhaps she had remembered something. 
"Maybe," he continued along that track, "maybe 
if you can remember what is said just before 
an attack, it might help."
     It could be that!  Tab suddenly knew the
word that had done it if so, or thought she did.
It was what Mr. Player had shouted when she
reached to volley the ball that last time.  
It was in what Gregory had said, and it had sent
her higher and higher.  It was not a word she
was going to say out loud, EVER.
     "Bedtime," their mother called.  "Half-past
bedtime, in fact."
     "Okay, Mom," Greg answered.  He stood up to
go.  "You'll figure it out," he said confidently.  
"Good night."
     "'Night..."  Tab was sure of it, but
refused to try out her theory today.  It would
really help now that she could watch for the
word.  She'd stay ready to grab hold, and maybe
nobody would notice.

     It was a very long time before Tabitha
could fall asleep.  As she tossed, self-doubts
and plans clashed with what the other kids
called Tabby Disease.  And from ugly stuff 
in the news, stuff that gets headlines without
proof, stuff about some teacher even in another
country who had been arrested, she knew how
dangerous such gossip could be.  Mother hated 
how it seemed no one needed proof to accuse 
a teacher.  Tabitha vowed she would NEVER 
stay behind just to be "alone" with Mr. Player,
no matter how cute he was!

Chapter 7 will be up tomorrow.

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