Exodus Chapter Two

Chapter Two
The Old Wolf

Slowly the kids began to crowd around Mrs. Winter and Wolf's Dad. Normally the bell just rang and the kids filed into their classes like rows of condemned prisoners. The lack of a bell, and the Principal standing at the gates with a strange man was strange and suspicious.

Mrs. Winter was what you would expect if Jack Frost and the Wicked Witch had a daughter who was raised by a librarian. Mrs. Winter always seemed to stand in shadow. She was cold and creepy and mean just to be mean. She put things in boxes and put labels on the boxes and then filed the boxes away so the things inside wouldn't get messy by silly things like getting used. I only would have hated her, if not for two things. Mrs. Winter had a lot of power in town. Even though she was only the principal, she was on the Town Council and everyone seemed to defer to her. Even my mother was cautious around Mrs. Winter.

And Mrs. Winter liked to think that she was the hero of the story.

Mrs. Winter waited until everyone had gathered and quieted down before she spoke. She didn't shush or wave her hands for quiet. She just stared at the crowd until the noise subsided out of shame.

"Children, we have an important announcement to make."

There was a long pause, and everyone waited while Mrs. Winter let this sink in.

"We are temporarily closing the school, due to unavoidable renovations to the electrical system."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd, and Owl turned to give me a look of triumph. Mrs. Winter waited until we were quiet again.

"For the safety of you children this cannot wait until the end of the school year. You will still be required to maintain your studies. You will be given taken home assignments that they will be required to turn in to your teachers when finished and receive new assignments."

A groan rolled through the crowd of kids. Clearly most of the kids were hoping that the closing of school meant and end of school entirely. Not quite an Alice Cooper fantasy unfortunately.

As quiet reasserted itself, Mrs. Winter continued.

"This will be a complication. I understand that, but it is necessary. I hope you understand."

Wolf's Dad hadn't said anything the whole time. He stood beside Mrs. Winter like an Giant Guardian. What I couldn't tell is who he was there to guard against. He couldn't be there to keep the kids in line. Kids would love the idea of no school, even if we still had homework. That was obvious, so who was he here to scare?

My mind raced. The only possible targets were us kids, Mrs. Winter, and the other teachers. Wolf's Dad gave the impression of being Mrs. Winter's bodyguard, so it couldn't be her. And something like this wouldn't be necessary for the kids, so he had to be here to scare the other teachers. But the question was: why?

I suddenly noticed that Owl was working his way to the front of the crowd. I shook my head, no good would come from this.

"Mrs. Winter? Are you saying that school was ready to fall apart on us?" Owl asked, tipping his cowboy hat back.

Mrs. Winter scrunched her face as though she were eating a lemon, “Dogs are not allowed on school property.”

Owl looked down at Frisk and then shook his head, “Yes they are. I've checked the rules. Dogs aren't allowed inside the school unless you're blind and they're a guide dog, but they're allowed on the field, and we're still on the field.”

Owl grinned and Mrs. Winter didn't change her expression. They were both quiet for a moment and then Owl added, “You didn't answer my question. Is the school really about to fall apart?”

"I did not say that. I said that school is in need of immediate electrical system renovations. There are no structural problems."

Owl nodded, "But you said that this was for our safety. So if it's electrical, does that mean we've be risking getting electrocuted ever time we came to school?"

"I did not say that either. The renovations need to be done immediately, the danger would be from students attempting to attend school during the renovations, which you will not be. Thus there is no risk to you."

Mrs. Winter did not like Owl. She didn't like that he wore a cowboy hat all the time, including in the classroom, unless he was forced to remove it. She didn't like how cocky he was, or that he had no problem correcting teachers when they were wrong. She didn't like the fact that Owl wasn't scared of getting bad grades or being shamed by the teachers.

"So how much equipment do you need to do the renovations?" Owl asked, "I mean can we still play dodge ball in the gym?"

"The gymnasium will be under renovations as well, so I am afraid that it will be closed to you as well. I think that answers all questions, don't you?"

"I don't think so Mrs. Winter. You didn't say how much equipment you need."

"I answered the underlying question. You will not be able play dodge ball, the gymnasium will not be open. Your additional question is irrelevant."

Owl was a bad teacher's worst nightmare, a kid that couldn't be bullied by authority, peer pressure or rules. Those were Mrs. Winter's weapons. And so Mrs. Winter hated Owl.

Professor Tuttle coughed, "The question may be irrelevant to you Helen, but the question is not irrelevant to Owl. Our duty as teachers is to educate, and to encourage questions and curiosity. So let's answer him."

Professor Tuttle, on the other hand, really liked Owl. The Professor like how Owl spoke his mind. The Professor enjoyed Owl's ability to think laterally and come up with original solutions. The Professor was pleased with Owl's fearlessness when it came to questioning assumptions.

Mrs. Winter scowled at Professor Tuttle, but then turned and spoke to Owl, "Yes Owl, we will require quite a bit of new wiring and electrical equipment that will be replacing old systems. Does that answer all your questions?"

Owl grinned, "I guess so."

Professor Tuttle nodded to Mrs. Winter, "Thank you Helen."

Owl was a good teacher's favored student, as much as good teachers favor students at all. The Professor tried very hard to be fair, but we could tell that he liked Owl.

As all this happened, I was watching Wolf's Dad. He didn't respond to anything until Owl mentioned the gymnasium and asked about space requirements. From that point on, he stared at Owl with his army man intensity. I don't think he blinked for the rest of Owl's conversation with Mrs. Winter.

Mrs. Winter spoke again.

"Alright now Children, find your teacher. They will go over your assignments and where to go to hand in your assignments. Then check with Mrs. Sanger to find out how your music and art classes will be conducted going forward. Chop Chop, off you go."

I looked at Owl and whispered, "You made Wolf's Dad suspicious. I think he might even know."

"There's no way he knows," Owl responded, "And besides, we have bigger things going on here. None of what they told us matches what I saw. That means that Mrs. Winter is lying to us, and I think Wolf's Dad is here to keep the other teachers quiet."

"What the heck is going on?" Viper whispered.

"I told you my Dad was acting creepy," Wolf added.

"You don't mean creepy, you mean creepier." Russell added

I glanced over the adults again and noticed Mildred Sanger, the music and arts teacher, watching us closely. I turned back to the group.

"We should get moving before we attract attention. Everybody is curious and talking, but we don't want to stand out, and Owl already did that just now."

Russell grinned, "You treat an oath to secrecy like a tightrope across Niagara Falls, you know that?"

Raven added, "Suddenly it feels like the whole school is walking on a tightrope."

I shook my head, "Think about what Wolf said about the deliveries to stores in town. Whatever this is, it isn't just the school- it's the whole town."

Professor Tuttle was our teacher, so we all looked at each other and then trotted over him.

Professor Tuttle was the only teacher in my school that people called professor. He never asked us to, but calling him Mr. Tuttle didn't seem to do him justice. Professor Tuttle was wire thin and strong and fast enough that he was also the Track and Field Coach. He had a PHD in Sociology, but he never bragged about it.

In fact the whole school knew, because the whole town knew. He was the only PHD in town and it had made the paper when he was awarded his doctorate. Professor Tuttle was born in Safehope Bluff, and he was the local boy done good. He had taught at a big University out east, but come back to teach in his home town. At least that was what our parent's told us.

I don't know Professor Tuttle's first name, his classroom door only said A. Tuttle. Other doors listed the teacher's full names and every kid wanted to know what Professor Tuttle's name was.

Mr. Tuttle had long hair, tied back in a ponytail and a liked to wear Hawaiian shirts and blue jeans and wore sandals- even in the winter. He looked like a hacker or a middle aged hippie, or maybe both at once.

Professor Tuttle taught the class for grades six, seven and eight. There were forty-two of us, which Professor Tuttle said was a very large class size, but there was nowhere else to go, and the grade nine to twelve class was much smaller, since a lot of the kids from the outlying communities like Sumter's Ridge didn't go past the eighth grade.

Professor Tuttle looked around at the class, "Well my friends, I think we have time for a brief lesson before we continue on. I want everyone to think about the school's upgrades and think about all that wiring and the rubber insulation and the electrical equipment made of all sorts of different metals and wires and pieces. Go ahead, close your eyes if it will help you visualize."

I looked around, Raven had closed her eyes and so had Russell and a few other kids.

"And I want you to think about how much work goes into taking those materials from their natural state, in the ground or wherever they come from, to where they are put together, to where they are sold, to us. Think about that long and skinny line from beginning to end. And think about how this relates to you."

Professor Tuttle was silent for a minute or so after that and seemed to be waiting for some response from us. But I couldn't tell what he was after, and I didn't see anyone else raising their hand.

And so we waited.

Finally, Professor Tuttle asked, "Any thoughts on this?"

Tentatively, Maize raised her hand and asked, "Except for school closing, I don't think it relates to us at all Professor."

"Excellent. Thank you for saying what was on everyone's mind. Now let's explore that shall we."

Maize nodded, cautiously. The Professor liked to use question sessions with kids rather than lecturing at us if he could manage it.

"Where do you clothes come from?" He asked.

"From the store."

"And where does the store get them?"

"The factory."

"And where does the factory get the material to make them."

"From a fabric store?"

"And where does the fabric store get the fabric?"

"From a factory?"

"And where does that factory get the material to make the fabric?"

"From another store and factory?"

"And the raw materials that this factory uses must be from somewhere as well, am I right? And somebody gets paid to collect those as well, am I right? This vast network of businesses and factories and stores. All so you can have pants and shirts with funny animals on them. And all those jobs must be done. Without that delicate network of jobs, none of us have shirts on our backs. We as individuals, are all dependent upon the workings of the group. We need to respect the will of the group and the needs of the group if we are to survive and maintain all of those wonderful things that we get from it."

“Okay. And?”

"And that is how this relates to you and I, as people living in the modern world. We are dependent upon those long drawn out supply lines. Lines with roads and big rig trucks with huge trailers full of stuff we need to survive from day to day and have fun. Lines with big boats and jets full of stuff that can be made cheaper overseas. There is a series of long spider web lines stretching out from each of you to the far corners of the world, keeping you safe in your modern first world happy place. This is how we keep the modern world running and what you will need to learn how to contribute to, and keep in place if you want this world of plenty to continue when you grow up."

We all kind of stared at the Professor, feeling a little shell shocked. I was feeling particularly stunned, because I had the feeling that there was more to the Professor's lesson than he was letting on. I looked at Owl and the rest of the gang in turn, and got nods confirming that they shared my suspicions.

The grown ups were hiding something from us. The Professor was trying to prepare us for the truth, or trying to hint the truth to us maybe. With each new piece of information, I became more concerned.

Owl was right, this was big- but it was not in any way a good thing.

I hoped my mom knew how to handle it. She was the Police Chief after all. And whatever it was, she would be in the thick of it. And I had the sense, that this meant she would be up against Wolf's Dad, something I did not want to think about.

Mildred Sanger stepped beside Professor Tuttle as he finished speaking.

"Hello class. You will still get music class and art class during this time of smoke and mirrors. We have arranged to use the conference room at the Safehope Community Church. Classes will be the same time and day as always. That means your classes will be when?"

Raven put up her hand, "Fridays at 2 o'clock?"

"Yes, thank you Raven," Mildred Sanger said and nodded, "And of course, since tomorrow is Friday, that means you will need to tell you parents and plan your route to the church with your instruments. I recommend that anyone with a tuba or a trombone ask their parents to drive them. Any questions?"

Wolf's Dad walked up to us as Mildred Sanger finished speaking and addressed us.

"Boys," He said, ignoring Raven and Viper, "I'm going to make a few stops. You'll come with me in case I need some extra hands."

Suddenly, none of the kids had any questions. I noticed immediately that he was staring at Owl as he spoke.

Wolf nodded, "Yes sir." Even Wolf called his Dad sir.

Owl and I looked at Wolf and considered. I could see the worry in Owl's eyes. Owl liked Wolf, but was a little scared of Wolf, and Wolf's Dad was way scarier than Wolf.

I wasn't letting Wolf go alone. I nodded, "Yes sir."

Owl nodded finally as well, "Yes sir."

Raven looked at us, I could see a little worry in her face. Viper looked at Owl and then looked up at Wolf's Dad and spoke.

"What about us? Why can't we help?"

Wolf's Dad looked surprised that Viper had even spoke. He seemed to consider Viper before him, in the same way a Rottweiler would consider a Yorkshire Terrier.

"I'm sure your mother could use some help around the house," He finally said in a slow, carefully articulated voice.

Viper's mouth hung open, and she put her hands on her hips.

"My mother works you know."

A longer silence.

When he spoke again, the words were even slower and spoken through clenched teeth this time.

"I am sure there is housework to do at home then."

I noticed that his hands were clenched bone white into giant calloused fists.

Mildred Sanger spoke, "Run on home girls, let the cave man go off and beat his chest with the boys."

Wolf's father glared at Mildred Sanger and I could see that he was clenching his teeth so hard that sharp lines ran down his neck from the tension.

The girls seemed to sense that this was not the time to push this particular adult. I realized that Mildred had gently positioned herself between Wolf's Dad and the girls.

He stared silently at her and finally swung about at the shoulders and stalked off, leaving us running to catch up.

Twenty minutes later, we stood outside the Garden Shop as Wolf's Dad spoke with Mr. Pinchen. I couldn't hear much more than a few scattered worlds and muffled sounds like adults make in Charlie Brown cartoons, and I don't think Owl or Wolf could hear much better than I could. The conversation had a friendly tone at the beginning, but the voices began to get more hostile as the conversation went on.

As we were starting to wonder how long this would take, Wolf's father raised his voice loud enough that we could clearly hear him say, "You heard about the Saudi reserves? How do you think the world is going to compensate? You've seen what it's done to the world markets. Do you think this is just going to go away, what do you think is the main ingredient in your fertilizer? In your pesticides?"

Mr. Pinchen kept his voice to low for us to hear and from the tone he used, I assumed he was trying to calm Wolf's Dad down. I shook my head, Mr. Pinchen would yell at his wife, but not at somebody scarier than himself. That said a lot to me.

I watched the two men talk. Mr. Pinchen kept wiping his thumb underneath his nose, like Bruce Lee spoiling for a fight, whenever he objected to something Wolf's Dad had said. He never raised his voice, though. Mr. Pinchen was angry at Wolf's Dad, but too afraid to do anything. It was funny in a sick sort of way.

The conversation continued for a few more minutes and then Wolf's Dad walked out of the Garden Shop. I looked at his face and tried to read his expressions, but I couldn't. So I looked at Wolf and saw that he had relaxed a little, so I assumed that his Dad must be happy.

The next stop was the local Sporting Goods Store. Wolf's Dad left us outside again as he went in to talk with Mr. Brown. Wolf's Dad didn't end up raising his voice, but the checkout counter was closer to the front door than at the Garden Shop, and we could make out a little more of the conversation."

"Don't you think this is a little bit of an overreaction?"

"I don't. Norway has dramatically reduced its exports. They've legislated the reduction- citing domestic
needs. Don't think that they won't be the first."

"I understand that, but you have to understand..."

"... have to understand anything Bill. Think about it for a second..."

"... not going to do that. Mexico is part of NAFTA."

"Right now they are, but what about when things get tight?"

"... they'll need our help. They wouldn't dare..."

"All it takes is one tropical storm that takes out a few offshore platforms in the Gulf and then they won't have a surplus to export."

"But, certainly there are alternatives?"

"Like what? All the alternatives take too much energy to make and don't give enough back. All the good stuff is made of fossilized dinosaurs, and don't see anybody making more of them! Do you?"

"Well no, but..."

"There is no 'but', except the one you keep sitting on. This is it: the end of this way of life. There is no overtime and there is nothing that can fill the gap. Nothing will ever be the same, and the people who realize this first are the ones who will decide what tomorrow looks like. Nothing is going back to the good old days. The golden age is finished and nobody has noticed yet. Choose your side, it's the only choice left that matters."

This went on for several minutes, and although all three of us listened in as best we could, we couldn't tell what they were talking about. Whatever they were talking about sounded big and far reaching. But other than that, the conversation was mystifying. And we weren't going to ask Wolf's Dad to explain.

When Wolf's Dad came out of the store, he was carrying three big plastic bags of fertilizer. He silently handed one to each of us in turn and then began walking again. We walked in silence for several minutes, when Wolf's Dad addressed Owl.

"What was that? The question about space in the gymn. What brought that on?" He didn't look at Owl as he spoke.

Owl was quiet for a minute. For me, and I'm sure for Wolf, his silence felt way too long. I think I was counting seconds, trying to tell myself that it wouldn't seem long to Wolf's Dad, because he didn't know what we knew. But the time still seemed to stretch beyond any reasonable pause.

"Well sir, renovations mean replacing old stuff like wires, don't they?"

"Yes. And how does that lead you to believe the gymnasium is full?"

"And if they're closing school, then it must be the whole school that needs replacing, right?"

"And?"

"Well sir, the windows of the classrooms looked empty. There wasn't any wires or stuff in the classrooms."

"And?"

"Well they had to put the renovation stuff somewhere and the gym doesn't have windows, and its big enough to hold lots of stuff. So I figured that if the stuff wasn't in the classrooms then it had to be in the gym. Is that bad?"

"No. It's fine. Good thinking."

The tone he used made me doubt that he meant what he said. But he went silent again, and we walked in that silence for several minutes.

Wolf's Dad spoke like a mine field. Long periods of terrified silence, and then suddenly he would
explode into words with no warning or preamble.

I never got used to it. After spending any time with Wolf's Dad, my shoulders would always ache from how tense I was during the time spent.

"You boys need to be sharp," Wolf's Dad said suddenly.

"Sir?" Wolf said.

"Have you been paying attention to the world news lately?"

"No sir?" I said. Wolf and Owl shook their heads as well.

"Start. You're almost men now. You have to be on top of things. The world is changing, big changes. We're going to have to be strong in the next couple months. You understand?"

"No sir. What do you mean?" Owl asked.

"I mean world powers are are shifting. Power is changing hands and old powers are losing ground. We're an old power. And if we aren't careful, we'll go down with the ship."

"What do you mean, go down with the ship- sir?"

"I mean, the old ways of doing things, being selfish little kids, is ending. I need to know that you boys are ready to be men now."

"I don't understand sir." I said.

He shook his head, "Just pay attention, you'll understand later. Remember what I said."

"Yes, sir." We all said, practically in unison.