The Torc Of Immortality

Chapter 2 The Masked Cherub

“Well it looks like you are finding it hard to open your mouth itself! Please let me spare you from the trouble of making something up. Let’s get straight into the hard question! Are you a pedophile?”

I felt it hard to breathe now and when I spoke, I was stammering.

“No, I a-m not! Wh-y wou-ld I be?”. I said with a feigned confidence and my voice was wavering too much.

“Well that’s a question you should be asking yourself!” she said boldly.

“Look if I wanted to hurt you in anyway this would be the least way in which I would approach you.”, I reasoned.

“Not if you wanted to talk me into this first and effortlessly pull me out of these people’s sight. Do you have a teddy bear kept hidden in your bag or something? I have to tell you this first, I hate teddy bears! You may have some luck with gummy bears though. But don’t even think about it!”

I opened my mouth to speak but she cut me across.

“If you are that desperate then try persuading that girl sitting over there! She is a liability to our class!”, she said pointing to a fat girl with a stubbled chin. She had the stereotypical look of a villainous character. Surely a bully, I thought!

“Please, I’ll go back to my seat if you think I am scary.”, I said sensing that this was the only way out.

“You should be thinking I am scary by now!”

I stood up to leave but her arms clasped over mine tightly. She tugged me and I fell back like an obedient child. It was then I knew I was gone man.

“You will not leave until you prove you are not guilty!”, she said

“I am not guilty of anything, okay!”, I felt my patience being drained from me.

“You are not?”, she mocked.

“Yeah, I am not!”, I asserted.

“You see that cow there?” I looked out the window at the field through which the train was passing now wondering why she would talk about a cow now!

“No there!” She gestured to the woman screaming now, at a boy who was stooped over.

“She’s our math teacher. That poor lad over there is being eaten alive for not submitting his homework on time! Imagine what she would do to you if I tell her that you trying to groom me?”
I sat with a composed gesture. She raised her eyebrows.

“Imagine what she would do to you if I tell her that you grabbed my boobs!”

I gulped.

“Yeah, that’s right!”, she said with a grin. An evil grin!  “So ready to talk?”

“There is nothing to talk my dear” I said

“Oh, is that the case?” she said. What happened next is something I was anticipating, nevertheless the blow that followed was that of a mammoth size. She catapulted herself forth and leaned on the preceding seat and verbalized my worst fears.

“Ma’am what would you want us to do if a man tries to sexually abuse us?”
The voice that followed was really raspy. Probably from all the screaming. Somebody needs to check that boy for signs of deafness.

“Why are you asking me that now?”

“Nothing ma’am! I just wanted to know what we are required to do in such a case. There are a lot of child groomers out there.”, she said by looking my way.

“Oh, I would like you to tell me! There would be nothing left of him to groom anybody else!"

“Okay ma’am! Will do that!”
“Is there something you would like to tell me privately?”, the woman added looking in my direction, her gaze not meeting my eyes. I grabbed the girl’s hands and squeezed it lightly hoping the message was conveyed.