Letters from Johnny by Wayne Ng

Author:Wayne Ng
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Guernica Editions

Your friend,

Johnny Wong

October 23, 1970

Dear Mr Keon

Did you ever lie to your mother Mr Keon? Did you lie a lot? My stomach feels funny and I think it is because I am a lier. Not like Mr Ingles but worse because it is to my mother. Yesterday after breakfast I waited around for mother to leave for work but she said she was working a late shift then she said what are you waiting for? Go to school. So I could not look for Rollie’s things and hid the hammer and tool under the bed.

On the way to school I imagined what was inside his box under the floor. I guessed millions of dollars or diamonds or guns or disguises or all of it. I thought what would happen if I leave them on Catwoman’s door or at a restaurant instead. Then at least nobody could say they were in our house. Then I remembered that mother’s finger prints are all over them. So I thought about cleaning everything when mother is out. Then I thought what if its true mother loses at mah jong. Maybe she needs some of this money. Maybe I can sneak some of it before giving it to Catwoman. Then I thought what if Rollie does get caught and really does blame mother. It is all lies but the police might still be suspicious of her and bust her. And maybe Rollie will wear a John Lenin mask and find me and kill me. I wish you could help me now Mr Keon. How long does the mail take? Maybe I should have just went to Maple Leaf Gardens myself.

Mrs Clover was showing the class pictures of her twins birthday party. Their dad gave them a big wheel that was red like a fire truck and a easy bake oven and a party with lots friends and cake and some clowns. Everybody looked so happy and everything looked so perfect. I did not want to see their perfect family any more so I asked to go to the washroom and just walked around the school.

I saw Barry Arble pulling the overhead projector out of his class so I kept walking. Then I saw the red fire alarm that says pull in case of fire and wondered if it would be hard to pull in case of a for real fire so I tried and it was really easy but then the alarm bells rang and everybody lined up to leave the school. I followed Mr Turner’s grade 6 class outside and we all watched the fire trucks come. Even a police car came by. It was a long time before the alarms turned off.

Principal Ingles was really mad and yelled at people to keep quiet. When the fire man left we were allowed back into the school but the principal made everybody who was not in class when the alarm went off line up in his office.

Who pulled the fire alarm he asked. Everybody said not me.

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