Playschool by Colin Thompson Page B

forest.
    When he reached the place where he’d first met the family, it was deserted, but the branches that had parted to let Narled’s family through were still open so he followed the path into the darkness. Instead of closing him out like it had with Orkward, the forest opened its arms to him. The branches moved aside, welcomed him in, then closed gently behind him.The ground was covered with the little footprints and tiny wheel tracks of Narled’s family. Here and there other paths crossed the main one, and they too were covered with the same marks, but The Toad kept walking straight ahead.
    He had never been into the dark forest before and didn’t know anyone who had, student or teacher. Even Orkward Warlock, who spent the whole of every holiday at Quicklime’s, had never been any further than the closed branches. The entire forest was out of bounds, and even to wizards and witches it was an ominous and terrifying place, a kind of impenetrable nightmare that surrounded the entire school. There were those who thought the dark forest was not a forest at all but some huge living creature.
    The Toad was the sort of animal who always thought the best of everyone. If someone hit him over the head, he would admire the stick they had hit him with. It simply didn’t occur to him that things could be deliberately bad or unfair. When he’d been turned into a toad – which was a very, very extreme punishment for accidentally blowing up a few toilets,especially considering that the only injury caused was a nasty burn on Orkward’s bottom, which everyone agreed the boy deserved – even then he hadn’t complained.
    â€˜I suppose I deserve it,’ he had said, flicking a fly off the ceiling with his tongue. ‘You know, I’d never realised just how delicious flies were,’ he added, looking on the bright side.
    Now as he walked deeper and deeper into the gloom, it simply didn’t occur to him to be scared. After all, why would anyone want to harm him? He was just a little toad.

    â€˜Hello?’ he called out from time to time, but there was no answer.
    Dinner time came and went. The dark forest grew darker and The Toad began to falter. His little legs had been aching for a while but he had been so intent on his mission he hadn’t noticed. He turned a corner, tripped over a tree root and fell flat on his face.
    â€˜Oh well,’ he said to himself. ‘Seeing as how I’m already lying down, I might as well have a little rest.’
    He curled up in some wet leaves. In seconds he was fast asleep.

Lesson: Elocution 22 and Howling
Teacher: Mademoiselle Fifila Venus
    The noise was deafening. The entire class was howling, screaming and wailing at the top of their voices, not in harmony like a choir, but each student practising his or her own specialty.
    This was the only subject that Orkward Warlock was any good at. He could scream with such a piercing whine that he could make goldfish explode, and often did. He hoped today’s class would be focusing on screaming.
    Mademoiselle Fifila Venus held up her wings and waited for the class to quieten down. Theydidn’t, so she fluttered up to the ceiling and opened her mouth. Instantly, before she could utter a sound, everyone stopped in mid-scream. They all knew only too well what could happen when the Mademoiselle shouted. Almost every child in the class had had at least one eardrum transplant in Matron’s sick bay.
    â€˜Right,’ said Mademoiselle Fifila Venus, ‘now we have loosened up our voices, we will begin today’s lesson. Orkward, get a cloth and wipe the goldfish off the back of Howard’s head.’

    Orkward didn’t so much wipe Howard’s head as push it down inside his shirt and jacket. Howard started counting to himself, which he always did when it got dark suddenly.

    â€˜Today, children, we are going to practise throwing our voices,’ the Mademoiselle continued.