to touch the rock now, even though it’s just rock that he probably found on the playground this morning. Even if he really did find the rock on a mine, it’s still just a rock. Why is everyone so excited? Mrs Pandolfe has to tell the class to ‘sit back and relax’. When Mrs Gosk wants her kids to relax, she says, ‘Don’t get your knickers in a bunch.’ I don’t know what this means, but it sounds funny.
Mrs Pandolfe tells all the kids to sit down again. She promises that everyone will get a chance to hold the rock if they are just patient.
It’s just a stupid rock, I want to yell.
All this nonsense going on while my friend is dying.
‘When is the spelling test?’ I finally ask.
‘Next, I think,’ Graham says, and her voice is even wispier than before. It sounds as if she’s standing behind three doors now. ‘She usually gives the test right after show and tell.’
Graham is right. After Norman is done lying about his fake trip to the prison and everyone has had a chance to touch his stupid rock, Mrs Pandolfe finally passes out the white-lined paper for the spelling test.
I stand at the back of the room during the test while Graham stands beside Meghan. I can barely see her anymore. When she stands still, she almost disappears completely.
I’m standing in the back, hoping that Meghan makes at least one mistake. Even though Meghan is a rotten speller, Graham said that she’s also spelled all the words on some tests correctly. If she spells them all correctly today, we won’t have time to make a new plan.
I feel like Graham could disappear at any second.
Then it happens. Mrs Pandolfe says giant and Meghan writes the word on her paper. A second later, Graham leans over, points to it, and says something. Meghan has spelled the word wrong, probably with a j instead of a g , and I feel giddy as I watch her erase the word and rewrite it.
Three words later, the same thing happens again, this time on the word surprise . By the time the test is finished, Graham has helped Meghan spell five words correctly and I am just waiting for the fading to reverse. In minutes, I expect that I will no longer lose sight of her unless she is moving. Any second now, my friend will appear whole again. She will be safe once more.
I wait.
Graham waits.
The test is over. We sit at a small table at the back of the room. We stare at each other. I wait for the moment when I can jump up and shout, ‘It’s happening! You’re coming back!’
Mrs Pandolfe has moved onto math and we still wait.
But it’s not happening. In fact, I think she’s fading away even more. Graham is sitting three feet in front of me and I can barely see her.
I want to doubt my eyes. They must be playing tricks on me. But then I know it’s true. Graham is still fading away. She’s becoming more and more transparent by the second.
I can’t tell her. I don’t want to tell her that the plan didn’t work, because it should have worked. It had to work.
But it didn’t. Graham is disappearing. She is almost gone.
‘It didn’t work,’ she finally says, breaking the silence. ‘I can tell. It’s okay.’
‘It had to work,’ I say. ‘She spelled all those words right because of you. She needs you. She knows that now. It had to work.’
‘It didn’t,’ Graham says. ‘I can tell. I can feel it.’
‘Does it hurt?’
As soon as I say it, I wish I hadn’t asked it. I feel bad asking it, because I’m asking it for me. Not for my friend.
‘No,’ Graham says. ‘Not at all.’ Even though it’s hard to see her, I think she is smiling. ‘It feels like I’m floating away. Like I’m free.’
‘There must be something else we can do,’ I say.
I sound frantic. I can’t help it. I feel like I am on a ship sinking into the ocean and there are no little boats to save me.
I think that Graham is shaking her head, but I can’t tell. It’s so hard to see her now.
‘There has to be something that we can do,’ I say again. ‘Wait.
Mrs Pandolfe tells all the kids to sit down again. She promises that everyone will get a chance to hold the rock if they are just patient.
It’s just a stupid rock, I want to yell.
All this nonsense going on while my friend is dying.
‘When is the spelling test?’ I finally ask.
‘Next, I think,’ Graham says, and her voice is even wispier than before. It sounds as if she’s standing behind three doors now. ‘She usually gives the test right after show and tell.’
Graham is right. After Norman is done lying about his fake trip to the prison and everyone has had a chance to touch his stupid rock, Mrs Pandolfe finally passes out the white-lined paper for the spelling test.
I stand at the back of the room during the test while Graham stands beside Meghan. I can barely see her anymore. When she stands still, she almost disappears completely.
I’m standing in the back, hoping that Meghan makes at least one mistake. Even though Meghan is a rotten speller, Graham said that she’s also spelled all the words on some tests correctly. If she spells them all correctly today, we won’t have time to make a new plan.
I feel like Graham could disappear at any second.
Then it happens. Mrs Pandolfe says giant and Meghan writes the word on her paper. A second later, Graham leans over, points to it, and says something. Meghan has spelled the word wrong, probably with a j instead of a g , and I feel giddy as I watch her erase the word and rewrite it.
Three words later, the same thing happens again, this time on the word surprise . By the time the test is finished, Graham has helped Meghan spell five words correctly and I am just waiting for the fading to reverse. In minutes, I expect that I will no longer lose sight of her unless she is moving. Any second now, my friend will appear whole again. She will be safe once more.
I wait.
Graham waits.
The test is over. We sit at a small table at the back of the room. We stare at each other. I wait for the moment when I can jump up and shout, ‘It’s happening! You’re coming back!’
Mrs Pandolfe has moved onto math and we still wait.
But it’s not happening. In fact, I think she’s fading away even more. Graham is sitting three feet in front of me and I can barely see her.
I want to doubt my eyes. They must be playing tricks on me. But then I know it’s true. Graham is still fading away. She’s becoming more and more transparent by the second.
I can’t tell her. I don’t want to tell her that the plan didn’t work, because it should have worked. It had to work.
But it didn’t. Graham is disappearing. She is almost gone.
‘It didn’t work,’ she finally says, breaking the silence. ‘I can tell. It’s okay.’
‘It had to work,’ I say. ‘She spelled all those words right because of you. She needs you. She knows that now. It had to work.’
‘It didn’t,’ Graham says. ‘I can tell. I can feel it.’
‘Does it hurt?’
As soon as I say it, I wish I hadn’t asked it. I feel bad asking it, because I’m asking it for me. Not for my friend.
‘No,’ Graham says. ‘Not at all.’ Even though it’s hard to see her, I think she is smiling. ‘It feels like I’m floating away. Like I’m free.’
‘There must be something else we can do,’ I say.
I sound frantic. I can’t help it. I feel like I am on a ship sinking into the ocean and there are no little boats to save me.
I think that Graham is shaking her head, but I can’t tell. It’s so hard to see her now.
‘There has to be something that we can do,’ I say again. ‘Wait.
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