No School Forever by Jeff Bollingar | HOMESCHOOLING TODAY Magazine

"Why aren’t you in school?”

The old lady’s harsh voice silenced the morning chorus of magpies. Sitting on a park bench, eight-year-old Alex blinked. His daydream of knights and dragons sank into the river. Leading with her cane, the old lady hobbled closer to the bench. Alex winced as she stabbed her finger at him.

“Kids should be in school,” she said, “especially young boys!”  

Great, here we go again; I explain, grown-ups always criticize,Alex thought. Their criticism chipped at his armour of confidence. Still, he remembered his manners.

“Hi, my name’s Alex. What’s yours?”

The old lady’s eyes narrowed. Seconds later she spoke in a testy tone.

“Mrs. Nogard.”

Alex studied the dragon lady through the eyes of a knight.

Mrs. Nogard leaned forward on her cane. Deformed fingers curled to hide her sharp claws. The talons of a dragon could mince a knight. Snapping at swords had left her teeth broken and missing. Narrowed to black slits, her reptilian eyes probed him. Hot words poured from her belly of fire.

“I’m going to report you for wagging school.”

“I don’t go to school.”

Dragon lady locked eyes on him that could melt a lead shield.

“What do you mean, you don’t go to school?”

“I’m a homeschool kid.” Alex glanced up at a flock of cockatoos squawking overhead. He inhaled; the scent of pine bark filled his nostrils. “This is the best classroom in the world.”

Mrs. Nogard’s eyebrow bent like a longbow. She scanned the park. “I don’t see your mum anywhere.”

“I’m with my dad.”

“Day off work?” she asked.

“No. He works at home.” Alex pointed to the man reading at the picnic table.

Her eyes narrowed. “You mean he doesn’t have a real job?”

Alex shook his head.Old dragons have small minds.

“I suppose this is your dad’s idea of a school day, goofing off at the park?”

“Our homeschool group meets here every Wednesday,” Alex replied.

Mrs. Nogard drummed her fingers on the handle of her cane. Dragons tapped their claws and flicked their tails when agitated.

Alex spoke in his best charming tone. “Do you have any grandkids?”

“I have a grandson about your age; he loves school,” Mrs. Nogard said. “His mum says he’s always busy on some school project.”

“My friend next door isalwaysdoing homework after school,” Alex said. “I think kids should be able to play after school.”

“Do you now?”

“Sure.” Alex shrugged.

Mrs. Nogard’s forehead wrinkled. The creases reminded Alex of the scaly head-plate found on wingless dragons . The head-plate protected their egg-size brain.

Under her silent stare, Alex jiggled a knee nervously. After five seconds of silence, he spoke in his friendly voice. “My grandparents live down the coast. They turned their home into one of those bed and breakfast guesthouses.” Alex talked about an odd Englishman he had met there last summer.

“Cripes, I’d better sit down,” she grumbled. “This story sounds like it could take all day.” Dragon Lady cast her eyes across the river and muttered. “You sure can chat for a boy your age.”

Alex released a thin smile. Mrs. Nogard rolled her eyes to their corners at him.

“I bet you don’t have many friends. You’d have lots of friends to play with if you went to school.”

Alex recoiled as if an arrow had pierced his heart. He folded his arms across his chest and wished that the rude woman would dip her toes in the river. Then maybe a crocodile would snap her up for lunch. His belly churned and mind spun.She hurt my feelings on purpose.

Alex recalled his mum’s words.‘Talk an argument to the end. Never end an argument with a walk.’ Fine, but I will take no more criticism from this evil dragon.His mouth grew tight, his cheeks flushed. Alex inhaled a silent breath to control his anger. Too late.

Alex clenched his teeth, jaw muscles flexed under his skin. Glaring at Mrs. Nogard, his eyes shone like a deep blue lake and reflected his confidence. He prepared his mind for battle.If this old dragon wants a fight, I’ll give her one. Yes, he thought. Mrs. Nogard will be a wingless, black dragon. I will be the fiercest dragon slayers of the valley, a red troll-warrior. I must slay her before she torches the village.

Alex, the red troll-warrior, swung his leg over the saddle on his black steed. He surveyed the field of battle. Midnight, his charger, snorted and stomped the ground. With eyes ablaze, the dragon’s breath steamed and her throat glowed red, ready to unleash a torrent of fire. Raising his shield with his left arm, Alex gripped the hilt of the sword with his right hand. The dragon clawed at the air with razor-sharp talons.

‘Get ready, Midnight,’ he said patting the steed. ‘Run straight and true, big fellow.’ Alex narrowed his steel blue eyes and picked a spot on the dragon’s scaly chest. He would strike her through the heart. Flaring her nostrils, the dragon snorted two plumes of smoke and then flicked her tail. She belched out a spurt of fire. Alex spurred Midnight forward and charged. The reptile rushed.

“How do you expect to get along in the real world?” said Mrs. Nogard. “School teaches you how to socialize.”

“Oh, I play with school kids on my street on the weekends, and they teach me how to curse, tease and bully,” Alex replied.

Mrs. Nogard screwed her lips. Her next choice of words blew hot.

The dragon blew a stream of fire. A wave of heat scorched Alex’s shield. With his sword, he stabbed at the beast as Midnight rumbled past. The reptile’s chest heaved. Tilting her head back, the dragon shrieked.

Alex, the red troll-warrior, reined in Midnight. He turned the steed back round to face the beast and then raised his visor. Blue blood pooled at the dragon’s feet. She twisted her neck and snarled. He had struck the reptile in the chest but had missed her heart. Wounded, the dragon would fight like a demon now. If the dragon attacked again, he would end her misery.

Weaving her way closer, the reptile snaked her neck, ready to strike. Midnight tugged at his reins and sidled left a few steps. Alex levelled his sword. The beast snarled, revealing a jaw full of daggers. The dragon spat two fireballs at him and bounded forward.

“So what grade are you in?”

“Don’t know,” said Alex, shrugging.

“.Do you use school books and take tests?”

“No.”

Mrs. Nogard rolled her eyes and muttered. “How do you know if you’re learning?”

“I’m learning right now how rude some people can be”

Mrs. Nogard sucked in her breath and grasped her collar. She spluttered. Then dragon lady thrust her chin. Her eyes burned like a fire, warning him of a counter-attack.

“It’s obvious you’re not learning any manners at home,” said Mrs. Nogard.

Alex snorted thinking she must have learned her manners from a goat.

“You learning anything about Australia?” she asked.

Alex nodded. “A little.”

Mrs Nogard angled her head at him. “I hope if someone asked you how many stars are on the flag, you could answer them.”

“Like I said, I don’t take tests. My mum always tells me, ‘Know where to find the water rather than fill a bucket.’ If I want to know how many stars are on the flag I would look at a flag and count them…all six of them,” he said, pulling a sly grin. He still remembered the cloudless night when his dad first showed him the constellation Crux, also known as the Southern Cross, which made up part of the flag’s design.

For seconds, dragon lady stared at him. Her smouldering eyes revealed nothing. Alex tensed his shoulders.Will she attackagain?Slanting his eyes at hers, Alex locked blue on black.Yes. Dragons fought to the death. Alex gripped the hilt of his sword.

The dragon roared and leaped forward to rush at him. The ground rumbled. Alex spurred Midnight into a charge and the steed kicked up clods of turf. Alex shouted a war cry; ‘Dragon burgers!’

The dragon spewed a wall of flames in front of him. Alex braced against his shield. A blast of heat singed his eyelashes. He winced at the shower of sparks and the smell of burnt hair.

Warrior and dragon collided head-on in a thunderous impact. The sound echoed off the valley walls across the river. As the dust and ash settled, Alex squinted over his shoulder at the dragon. His sword had found its mark. The reptile lay lifeless.

Mrs. Nogard leaned her back against the bench let out a long sigh. Alex’s grandma sighed the same way after a long day of looking after him.

“Do your grandkids visit you much?” he said.

Mrs. Nogard pressed her lips tight. Narrowing her eyes towards the river bank, she spoke in a flat tone.

“My husband passed away years ago. We have four children, all grown up, of course. I have seven grandchildren. They all moved away and left me here to rot.”

“Do you miss your family?”

“Only my grandkids.”

Alex’s sharp eyes caught someone approaching.

“Hi, Alex. Come on, let’s go play.”

“I have to go now. That’s Harrison, one of my homeschool friends.”

Mrs. Nogard stood on unsteady legs and shuffled round to face him. “Did you know that Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were educated at home?” she asked.

Alex’s eyebrow arched.

“I didn’t think so,” she said. A smile cracked her granite face. “I taught school kids your age, for over twenty-five years. You’re right about onething.”

“What’s that?” Alex said in a cautious voice.

She glanced up at a pair of screeching rainbow lorikeets that rocketed by. “You do have the best classroom in the world.” Mrs. Nogard turned and hobbled away.

A thought struck Alex. For the first time, he had stood his ground against a critic. It’s a start. Today I slew a spiteful dragon; perhaps tomorrow I shall battle a blind ogre.

©2009 Homeschooling Today magazine, Nehemiah Four, LLC