The Oxboy by Anne Mazer

Author:Anne Mazer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781453294024
Publisher: Open Road Media Teen & Tween

Laceflower

I was invited to Suseen’s birthday party. Most of our class attended, as well as the teacher and all of Suseen’s cousins. I was not used to parties, and I stood to one side while the others ran, jumped, and threw in games of skill. Suseen played in all the games, her glossy brown curls bouncing on her shoulders. I sat on the sidelines, sipped the too-sweet drink her mother had given me, and watched Suseen.

Then came the game where everyone took turns with bows and arrows in front of a large target that was covered by a picture of a deer with an evil look in its eye. Its front hoofs were firmly planted on a small dead child. Everyone shot at it until its entire body was pierced by arrows.

A bow and arrow were thrust at me. I fit the arrow into the bow with trembling hands. A lock of hair fell into my eyes and I awkwardly pushed it away. I pulled back the bow and let the arrow fly, hoping it would fall harmlessly into the grass. But my arrow flew straight to the target and pierced the heart of the deer.

My classmates cheered and handed me another arrow. As if it too had a will of its own, the second arrow found its way to the deer’s heart. I bowed my head while the others shouted their approval.

Suseen took my arm. “You are too modest,” she said. “No one else has made two hits in a row.”

She led me to the table, which was covered with a fine rose-colored cloth, set with silver plates and cups, and crowned by a magnificent frosted cake made by her cousins the bakers.

The guests came running, the games forgotten.

As we left the party, Suseen handed each guest a small gift. The girls were given a necklace of blue and green stones. The boys received a wooden knife. When it came my turn to say good-bye, instead of the hard object I expected, Suseen pressed something light and fragile into my hand. I looked down. It was a tiny purple laceflower.

From then on Suseen no longer joined in the laughter when the teacher made fun of my reading. When Suseen read in my place, she did so slowly and gravely, as though her words had a special power to somehow transform my mental dullness into her own brightness and quickness.

After she went into her house at the end of the day, Suseen now waved to me from her window.

The other girls teased her. “Your love,” I heard them say. “Your handsome noble knight.” When this happened, Suseen reddened and would turn away from me. But the next day she would bring me a small frosted cake at lunchtime.

One day a boy said, “Oh, Suseen leads him around by a ring in his nose!”

I became enraged and, lowering my head, charged the boy.

He screamed and fell, and the other boys came crowding around.

They brandished fists and sticks at me and drove me off.

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