Tom All Alone (9) (iii)

The boys agreed to say nothing about the man, and just say that Tom had got frightened on the Ghost Train. Tom had expected mum to be angry with him for wetting himself, but instead she was upset.

"Oh, Tom. You haven't done that for a long time."

"I-I'm sorry, mum," he said, through his tears.

"The ride was very rough and bumpy, too," said Russell. "That didn't help."

Mum got Tom cleaned up and changed, then put his clothes in the boiler. Nan had an old glass sweet jar that she used to keep flour in, but she emptied that out and washed it for Russell to use for Goldie. Afterwards, Russell went up to Gibney's to buy some fish food, while Tom sat quietly in the sitting room watching Goldie swim up and down and around in his new home. He thought about everything that had happened at the fair. He wasn't really sure what had happened. He'd just gone on the ride with the man - the man who said he was a friend of dad's. He didn't think there was anything wrong with that - though mum and dad had always warned him never to talk to strangers. He thought that was why Russell didn't want him to say anything about it. And it had been naughty anyway, because Russell had told him to stay where he was and wait. The man had seemed friendly, too - though he didn't like it when he put his hand on Tom's leg. That was all he'd done, though. And it hadn't been for long. He wondered why the man told him to keep it a secret, though. If he was a friend of dad's, it shouldn't matter if dad was to know, should it? Perhaps dad would think the man was silly for being frightened on the ride, and would make fun of him. Pull his leg, as dad always said, which always seemed a silly thing to do, anyway. Why pull somebody's leg? Perhaps that's what the man had been trying to do when he put his hand on Tom's leg - perhaps he'd been trying to pull it. But he hadn't. He'd just rested it there for a few moments before putting it in his trousers pocket.

Dad was out at the pub when they got home, so Tom wondered if he would be seeing the man there. Maybe the man would say something to him. If he'd asked the man to keep an eye on them, dad would want to know that everything was alright.

Just as he was thinking that, Skipper chirped loudly and started jumping from perch to perch. The next moment Tom heard the key go in the front door and dad come in. He heard him come up the stairs and go into the scullery where mum was working. He heard them speaking to one another, though he couldn't make out what was said. He could guess, though, that mum was telling him what had happened. Sure enough, dad came up to the living room next. He had his smart jacket on with a white shirt and tie, which he always wore when he went to the pub.

"Alright, boy?"

"Hello, dad."

He tousled Tom's hair and looked down at Goldie. Tom could smell the beer and smoke on him - just like the man at the fair.

"Did you win that?"

"Russell did. On the rifle range."

"He must be a good shot, then."

He said down in an armchair and lit a cigarette, then leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his knees. Tom knew something was coming.

"Mum says you had a bit of an accident."

Tom didn't say anything. He looked at Goldie - those tiny beady eyes, the bubbles when he opened his little round mouth. Tom could feel the tears coming again because of the telling-off he expected.

"What happened. Did you get frightened?"

Tom wiped a hand across his eyes.

"Yes, dad. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry about that, boy. Everyone gets frightened now and then. As long as you're alright."

He undid his shoelaces and slipped his shoes off, putting them down beside the chair. He then looked up at the window - staring out at the sky as he carried on smoking. Tom began to feel some relief at last. It didn't look like dad was angry or anything.

"Did you see your friend at the pub, dad?"

Dad smiled.

"I saw all my friends at the pub, son."

"Did you see the one from the fair?"

Dad looked at him.

"From the fair? What do you mean?"

"The man from the fair. He said he was a friend of yours."

He saw the look on dad's face change.

"What man? What was his name?"

"He didn't tell me his name. He just said you'd told him to keep an eye on us. He said you were his friend from the pub."

Dad stood up them and came over to him. He crouched down and took hold of Tom's arms, pulling him to his feet. Tom felt the tears coming again.

"What man? What did he do?"

Just at that moment, the door opened and Russell came in with the tub of fish food. He was smiling and was about to say something, but then he saw them, and the look on dad's face. He froze.

Dad let go of Tom and turned to Russell.

"Who was this man at the fair?" he said, his voice rising.

Russell looked from dad to Tom, then back to dad. Tom hadn't seen him look that scared before.

Dad's raised his voice again.

"I said who was this man at the fair?"

 

Later that evening, after dad had been out to ring them, a couple of policemen came to the house. Tom was more scared of seeing them than anything else, but they weren't angry with him and promised him they weren't there to take him away. One of them had his normal black uniform on with silver buttons. He was younger than mum and dad and he wasn't very tall. The other one was old and was dressed in a suit and tie and a raincoat. Mum had made everyone a cup of tea and they all sat around in the living room while the older one asked the boys questions about the man. Tom was the only one who'd seen him and he gave the best description he could. He said the man told him he was a friend of dad's, but it seemed he'd been telling lies. Dad said he knew no one like that, and hadn't asked anyone to watch the boys. Mum kept blowing her nose and wiping her eyes as they spoke. They asked what the man had done, and Tom told them. He said the man hadn't hurt him or anything. He told them about putting his arm around his shoulder and touching his leg for a moment. He told them the man had said to keep it a secret, though he didn't know why. But he didn't think it was bad to give the secret away now because the man had lied to him, anyway.

They then asked Russell how it had happened, and he had to tell the truth - about leaving Tom on his own, but thinking he would be safe because the man operating the ride could see him, and it was only going to be for a couple of minutes. Mum buried her head in her hands and shook it.

"How could you do that, Russell?"

Dad was angrier. "What did we tell you about not letting Tom out of your sight?"

Russell just hung his head and didn't say anything.

When the policemen had finished with the questions, they each shook Tom's hand and told him he'd been a very brave boy. Tom was worried that the man might come after him now, but they said they'd make sure he wouldn't.

"He didn't do anything," Tom said. "He just took me on the ride, that's all, because he didn't want to go on his own."

"Alright," said the older policeman. "We need to know these things, though. Strange men aren't supposed to do things like that, though. It's very bad. He should have known better."

"But I thought he was a friend of my dad's."

"I know. Alright."

When they left, Tom stood by the window and watched them get into their car and drive off up the road. He looked up and could see some of the other curtains in the road were moving, and behind some of them he could see people watching. Dad had been down seeing the policemen off, and he was still there now talking to Matthew's mum from over the road. She stood there in her green skirt and pink jumper and slippers, her arms folded, shaking her head and frowning. Tom thought she looked really angry about something.

When they'd finished, dad came back in and went into their bedroom downstairs, where Russell had been sent. He heard dad shouting at him. He wondered if he'd get a telling off now, too.

He wondered what Russell would do because Tom had broken the promise. The policemen said that Tom had done the right thing, and that so had mum and dad in calling the police. But he didn't think Russell would be pleased about it.

He'd just have to wait and see.

(continued) https://www.abctales.com/story/harryc/tom-all-alone-10