Tom All Alone 14 (ii)

They were all herded into the large assembly hall first. It was filled with sunlight from the windows that ran along the outside walls. Through them, Tom could see Gibney's Stores on the corner of their road. He looked to see if mum was crossing over there, but she must have already gone. The teachers were directing everyone to get into lines and to stop talking. The lines were arranged by years across the width of the hall, with the newest children at the front. Everyone was made to face the end wall opposite the windows. In the middle of it was a platform with a tall stand - like he'd seen in church, where the vicar stood. A large cross was on the wall behind it, with a picture of Jesus with a halo around his head and holding up a bright lantern. Above the picture, some words were painted on the wall in gold letters - but they weren't words that Tom could understand:

Christus Lux Mundi

Lux was the only word that meant anything. He'd seen it on the soap they sometimes had at home. He wondered what that had to do with the picture. Perhaps it was the soap that Jesus used, he thought. The hall had a very high ceiling, again almost like in a church, but all painted in white.

Tom looked around at some of the other children in his line, and the ones in front and behind, but didn't see a single face he recognised. A few were also looking around, but most seemed to be fidgeting with their shirt cuffs or skirt hems, pulling up their socks. One girl in the line behind him caught his eye and smiled - her cheeks blushing - so he turned away quickly.

Once everyone was in their proper lines, the teachers went out to the front and faced them. One of them - an older woman in a smart blue dress - went and stood by a piano in the corner. The teacher who'd rung the bell then stepped forward.

"Everyone be quiet now, please, while we wait for the headmaster."

They stood watching the main doorway - the silence broken only by sniffs, shuffling feet, a car droning by outside. Eventually a man came through the door carrying some papers. He stepped up onto the platform, bowed his head quickly at the cross on the wall, then turned and put the papers down on the stand. He was an older man - older than dad was. He looked very smart, in a dark brown suit with a white shirt and tie - the same tie as the one Tom had. He also had very shiny brown shoes on. His hair was black, but greying at the sides. It was neatly parted and Brylcreemed, so the lights shone on it. He had thick, bushy eyebrows and jowly cheeks. He shuffled the papers for a moment. Then he finally looked up and over the sea of heads, and he gave a slight smile.

"Good morning, boys and girls," he said. His voice was soft, but commanding.

"Good morning, sir," the chorus went up across the hall.

"Welcome to the beginning of the new school year," the man said. He then shifted his attention to the front rows, smiling. He caught Tom's eye for a moment, then moved on. "And a special welcome to all you new boys and girls starting today for the first time. My name is Mr Tring, and I'm the headmaster of St Mary's. We're pleased to have you here with us as you begin your life at school."

He looked up again then.

"If you'll all remain standing, we'll begin with a prayer. So hands together and eyes closed."

Tom did as Mr Tring had said. It was a relief to shut everything out for those few moments. It all went very quiet. Even the fidgeting had stopped.

Mr Tring cleared his throat.

"God our Father, we thank you for bringing us all back together again safely at the beginning of a new school year, and ask that you keep us safe and well as you guide us in our learning throughout the year. This we ask in the name of your son and our saviour, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."

"Amen," they all repeated.

"Everyone sit down now, please."

The teachers sat on the chairs at the front, but the children had to sit on the floor and cross their legs.

Mr Tring then started to talk, telling them about the school and all the things they would be learning, and how important it all was. He had a friendly-sounding voice, Tom thought. It made the feeling in his stomach begin to fade a bit. He looked at the teachers sitting there at the front in their smart clothes, listening to the headmaster. There was only one man among them. Some looked a bit older than others - but they all looked younger than mum and dad. He wondered which one of them would be his teacher, and which class he would be in.

Mr Tring's words carried on in their quiet, but important-sounding way, drifting over their heads and around the walls. Tom looked along the row he was sitting in, and the rows behind him. The rows stretched back all the way to the other end of the hall. He'd never seen so many people all together in one place before. He could see a clock on the wall showing the time as ten-past nine. He wasn't sure when lunchtime would be, but knew it would be a while yet. He thought about mum being at the gate to meet him, which also made him feel a bit more settled. He looked up at one of the big windows and saw the white trail of an aeroplane going over in the sky. In his head, he was the fighter pilot in his cockpit window at home, firing his machine-gun at it uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh....

Suddenly, there was movement and noise around him, breaking his reverie. Everyone was now standing. The boy next to him glared down at him and he felt a hand push his shoulder from behind. A couple of girls were giggling. The teachers were glaring at him, too - one of them motioning with his hands for Tom to stand. Quickly and awkwardly he got to his feet, embarrassed at being looked at like that. He turned and saw Mr Tring looking at him, too.

"Glad you could join us," he said, with a quiet smile.

There were some more giggles at that, which Mr Tring quickly cut off by raising his head again.

"We will now sing hymn number four-oh-five, All Things Bright And Beautiful. The new children who don't have hymn books, try to sing along if you know it."

Tom heard pages rattling behind him for a few seconds as the older children found the page. Then the teacher at the piano played through the introduction, and they started to sing. Tom had heard nan sing the hymn before and could remember the first bit. He was too shy to sing them out, though, so he mouthed the words as best he could. The boy next to him turned and looked at him, scowling again, so he stopped. When the hymn finished, the boy nudged him.

"You can't sing properly," he said, bluntly.

Tom looked at him - at the sternness on his face - and felt that thing rise in his stomach again. The boy sneered and turned away.

"We'll remain standing now for the Lord's Prayer," said Mr Tring. "Hands together and eyes closed again, please."

Again, Tom was relieved for those few seconds to blank everything out. The prayer began, and Tom spoke the words quietly to himself as he knew them - as he'd heard them before - though they made little sense to him.

"Our Father, whose heart's in Heaven.

Hello be thy name. Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those that trespass

against us.

And lead us not into Thames Station.

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory.

For ever endeavour,

Amen."

"Eyes open," said Mr Tring.

They did so. Mr Tring looked around at them all for a few moments and seemed satisfied with what he saw. He then picked up his papers and turned, bowing again at the cross before stepping down from the platform and going out.

And then the teachers came forward and started to direct everyone towards the classrooms.

(continued) https://www.abctales.com/story/harryc/tom-all-alone-14-iii