JOSH BEATS THE BULLIES

“JOSHUA THISTLETHWAITE!” Mrs. Thistlethwaite’s voice echoed around the house. “Come here right now.” Joshua Knew that he was in big trouble when his mum called him Joshua, but when she called him by his full name then he was in real trouble, and mum meant business. Josh also knew that he should respond immediately. “Coming, mum,” he shouted back. He then reluctantly made his way downstairs and found his mum waiting for him at the dining room table. Her elbows were resting on the table, and her head was resting on her hands. – a sure sign (if a sign was needed) that she was very upset. “Joshua, how many times have I told you to take your bag to your room after you get home from school?” “I meant to mum, but I forgot to, “was Josh’s weak response. “I’ll do it now,” he told his mum. Josh started to move to the middle of the floor where he had dumped his bag when he arrived home. He grabbed the straps and started to hurry out of the room, but his mother shouted out, “Joshua, if you keep leaving it out I’ll put it away myself where you won’t find it. Then see how you get on!” Josh attempted to leave before she asked more questions. He wasn’t quick enough though, and he heard, “Joshua, have you got homework to do?” Josh hung his head and replied, “Yes, mum.” “What is it?” “Maths.” “When is it due in?” Well, um, yesterday, but Mr. Briggs gave me an extension until Monday.” He hoped that this lie would get him off the hook. He hadn’t actually seen Mr. Briggs, and had awarded himself the weekend to get his work done. “Wel,l you’d better get it done now,” demanded his mother sternly. “I do not want it left until Sunday night; do you understand me?” And no computer games until it’s completed.” Josh was about to make a protest but the look on mum’s face stopped him from doing so. Instead, he timidly answered, “Yes mum,” and bounded up the stairs. “And while you’re up there, pick up your clothes, and put them away,” yelled Mrs. Thistlethwaite as Josh slammed his bedroom door closed. Josh slumped down on his bed crossed one leg over the other and started to contemplate his miserable position. “Why was he always in trouble? If it wasn’t his mum getting at him, it was his teachers. Anyway, I’ve still got my phone,” thought Josh. He wanted to check to see if he had any messages, but before he could even turn it on, he found his eyes getting heavy. When he opened his eyes again, he was startled by the sound of a woman’s voice calling his name. It wasn’t his mother, so who was it and where was the voice coming from? It only took him a few seconds to realise that it was his phone talking to him. The phone said, “Hello, Josh!” “What do you want?” demanded Josh rather abruptly. “What do you want?” replied the woman’s soothing voice. “Umm nothing.” Well, you said you wanted to get away from your home.” “Yeah, I’m always in trouble. People are always picking on me. I just wish I could escape to somewhere where everything isn’t so strict and there aren’t any rules.” “Well, I can take you to such a place if you want.” When Josh opened his eyes again, he found himself not on his bed, but on the outside in a place he’d never seen before. When it reached its full height, the sign gave a little shake to remove most of the dirt on it to reveal two words. From where he stood Josh couldn’t make out what the sign said. He made his way across the road and looked again at the letters and tried to figure out what they meant. The sign read n wot yZarc Josh hadn’t the foggiest idea what the sign meant, but since it looked like signs that he had seen at the outskirts of towns and cities he had been to, and because it had appeared when he was wondering where he was, he decided that n wot yZarc was probably the name of the town he had magically arrived in. But if his theory was correct then he was somewhere with a very strange name.