All That She Can See(5)

On this day in particular, however, it seemed that Cherry wasn’t the only one trying to stifle laughter. A ring of Maddison’s cronies had formed around her, penning in a small boy whom Cherry recognised as the new pupil that had joined her year the week before. Cherry hadn’t given much thought to how he was fitting in but given that Maddison was holding him a few inches off the pale-blue hopscotch lines by the scruff of his school shirt, Cherry figured badly.

‘What d’you say?!’ Maddison yelled, spraying spit in his face. The troll opened and closed its mouth in time with Maddison’s but if Cherry hadn’t known better she would’ve sworn that this only amused the boy further, and he only half-stifled his laughter. Maddison shook him roughly until his laughter stopped.

‘I said, what d’you say?’ she hissed, holding the small boy close to her puce and sweaty face.

‘I said,’ the boy giggled, apparently deliriously transfixed by something over Maddison’s shoulder, ‘you look like your troll!’ and he was lost to laughter once more.

‘Troll?! You calling me a troll?!’ Maddison dropped him to the playground tarmac and kicked him in his side but before she could cause any more damage, a whistle blew and a teacher ran over to break up the ruckus. Maddison and her posse dispersed, running in several different directions, while the teacher consoled the spluttering boy she’d rescued.

‘Ah, here’s a helping hand,’ the teacher said, spotting Cherry standing nearby. ‘Cherry, dear, could you take Peter to the welfare room? There’s a good girl.’ She helped Peter up and wrapped his arm around Cherry’s shoulders so she could take his weight, but as soon as the teacher had disappeared to sort out another playground misdemeanour, Peter snatched his arm away and wiped it on his shirt.

‘Did you see it too?’ he asked, rubbing his eyes. Cherry noticed the deep purple semi-circles underneath them and wondered if Maddison had hit him in the face too.

‘Did I see what?’ Cherry said slowly.

Peter’s face fell and he balled up his hands. ‘Why does no one see them?!’ he shouted, his small face furious. ‘Some of them are HUGE!’

‘See what?’ Cherry asked cautiously, trying not to look at Frustration who had hold of Peter’s shoulders and was rocking him rapidly back and forth as Peter aimlessly bounced his fists around.

‘They’re monsters! Bogeymen! Meddlums!’

‘Meddlums?’ Cherry was struck by the word. She’d never heard it before.

‘Monsters! You know how girls are made up of sugar and spice and everything nice?’ He started to circle her, his wide eyes never leaving her face.

‘Yeah… ’

‘Well, Meddlums are made up of…’ His eyes bore into hers and he nodded for her to continue the rhyme.

‘… slugs and snails and puppy dog tails?’ she said.

‘No-wer!’ he exclaimed. ‘That’s what boys are made up of! Meddlums are made up of tears and sad and everything bad!’ He spat when he talked. Cherry wiped her face.

‘Oh. Well… I knew that. I just didn’t know the rhyme.’

‘That’s because I made it up.’ He hooked his thumbs into his pockets and puffed out his chest, smiling proudly. Then he stopped abruptly. ‘Wait… you know? How do you know?’ Peter took her by the shoulders and started shaking her. Cherry looked into his eyes, so full of frustration, and suddenly all she wanted was to help him.

‘Because I can see them too,’ she whispered.

‘You can?’

Cherry nodded.

‘Prove it.’ Peter let her go with a little shove. ‘Who’s that behind Maddison?’

‘Neglect,’ Cherry replied without skipping a beat.

‘And behind her?’ Peter pointed to a little girl playing hopscotch with Grief holding onto her ankle.

‘Grief. She lost her auntie a couple of weeks ago,’ Cherry said.

Peter’s face broke into a smile and suddenly Frustration didn’t have quite so tight a hold on him. He stepped forward and stood very close to Cherry as he asked, ‘We’re best friends now, right?’

‘I suppose so.’ Cherry shrugged, stepping back. ‘But that means you have to tell me why you call them —’

‘Meddlums,’ Peter finished.

‘Meddlums,’ Cherry repeated, enjoying the taste of the word.

‘D’ya know why?’

Peter was standing very close to Cherry again. She wanted to run away but he knew something that she didn’t and she needed to find out what it was. Cherry wondered if anyone was watching them but a quick glance around the playground showed her that even if they were looking, no one cared what they were up to.

‘Why?’ she whispered.

‘You know your good feelings?’ Peter asked, and Cherry nodded. ‘They meddle ’em all up until you feel horrible inside and they keep you feeling that way for ever and ever until you die.’ Peter made a horrible squelching noise as he drove a make-believe dagger into his stomach.

‘Meddlums.’ Cherry repeated, rolling the name around her mouth. Yes, that felt like the right thing to call them.

‘Meddlums,’ Peter said with a final nod.

Cherry would always remember that day. The day she put a name to the grotesque faces that had haunted her and the people she loved since she could remember. The day she made a friend. Having someone to finally share her secret with, someone to make faces at the Meddlums with, someone to cry to when one was particularly frightening, was comforting. It was the kind of comfort Cherry hadn’t realised she needed until it was there. Other children thought Cherry and Peter were odd but other children had always thought they were odd so the fact they were suddenly sitting next to each other at lunch and playing together in the playground didn’t make them any more odd than they were before. If anything, it made sense.