Jimanory No.3 6/1/2024
The Inflatable Boy
Once upon a time – there was an inflatable world – where it, and everybody and everything on it – was blown up by air,
This meant – for example, that a sharp pin was an extremely dangerous hazard / weapon and its production and possession was a serious offence and actual use of a pin was severely punished.
One day – the subject of our story – the inflatable boy – was sat on the inflatable bus going to his inflatable school. It was the one day of the week he hated, because it started with double maths and he hated maths and the teacher hated him and she always
shouted at him and made him look stupid in front of his classmates.
During his journey he looks down to his feet to see something small catching the sunlight and shining brightly. On looking closely, he realises – with a shock – that it’s a pin – about two inches long and looks sharp.
Now – what he should have done, is report it to the bus conductor/driver – who would arrange for the P.D.S (Pin Disposal Squad) to safely remove it safely and dispose of it permanently – but he didn’t.
But he didn’t. He had a vague notion – that this might give him some fun, -and he- very carefully – picked the pin up and wrapped it a few times in paper from his note pad and secreted it into a small pocket in his school bag.
He eventually gets to his inflatable school and is soon at his inflatable desk in the maths class and struggling with some new sums and hating it.
Then, his inflatable teacher gets impatient -again- and starts shouting at him -saying – ‘Everyone else has finished the sum and he hasn’t even started it.’ – with the other kids throwing lumps of paper at him – then she sweeps up the papers on his deck and rips
them all up and throws them into the bin – more laughter and finger pointing.
Ashe is then leaning on his desk – shouting in his face and he snaps – reaches into his desk draw – where he has hidden the pin, and in a panic to make her stop – pushes the pin into the inflatable teacher – who immediately deflates, like a balloon and flies around the
classroom slowly getting lower until she ends up as a flat deflated shape on the floor.
Of course, the class erupts with shouting and screaming – this is heard by other nearby teachers who start running towards the class to find out what the noise is about.
By then he has headed for the door, to escape – but some teachers were already on the way in – so no escape there.
Now in an extreme panic and desperate to get outside – he sticks the pin into three teachers and, one after the other they fly around the room and end up flat on the floor.
Now, he can escape the classroom and runs out into the corridor and turns right to run to the front double doors of the school to escape into the playground and possible freedom.
As he runs down the corridor- other class doors open and more teachers are coming out to see what’s happening – he continues running as fast as he can – and they follow, to try to catch him.
He just makes it to the door about ten yards in front of his pursuers and is through the door and slams it behind him and drops the latch to keep them in.
This slows them down a bit – but as he watches – a ruler is slid between the doors and the latch is being lifted up to open the door.
He knows that he can’t outrun them in the big open playground and, in a complete panic again- he sticks his pin into the school wall which, with a great noise, starts to deflate with the walls and ceilings all dropping to the floor and covering all the teachers an
d trapping them.
Now free – he sprints into the playground, heading for the open gates and maybe freedom.
But – about, halfway there, he hears the police sirens and they’re getting nearer and soon, two police cars speed through the gates and screech to a halt near him.
Even worse – the first person out of the front car is – his dad – looking ‘not too pleased’ to say the least.!
He has one last resort – he sticks the pin in himself – and turns a few circles up in the air and finally ends up, a flat deflated lump on the playground floor
He found out later – and was reminded many times – that his dad had been virtually arrested at his workplace and marched out by two policemen to “sort his son out”.
As his dad was actually the owner and boss of the business – the spectacle of his apparent arrest and custody – in front of all his staff – did not please him, of course.
Back in the playground – his dad – eyes bulging, red-faced – comes galloping towards his son and then stands towering over him – looking down in disgust – and shouts loudly at his son –
“Not only have you let your teachers down –
You’ve let your school down-
And – worst of all – you’ve let yourself down.”