Sirene (Wattys 2014 Entrant)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Oceana, I have heard some rather disturbing reports about you.”

Oceana squirmed in her seat. It wasn’t really the tone of Miss Morgan’s voice, or her stern eyes peering over the rim of her glasses that made the little girl so restless. It was the knowledge that Miss Morgan was in charge and Oceana was bound to obey her. It was the fact that anything and everything she did was reported to this lady who was always dressed in grey with her hair gathered in a tight bun and glasses resting on her nose.

“It seems you have no respect for the rules and the way things are run here. What is this I hear about you telling wild stories to the rest of the girls?”

“It wasn’t a wild story, ma’am. There was nothing wild in it, only sea kings and mermaids and sailors.”

“I don’t know where and when you managed to fill you head with such rubbish, but you must not going spreading it around to others.”

“But Cassandra was crying and I needed to get her to stop, and it worked. I really don’t see why all of you have such a big problem with it. The ‘wild story’ as you called it, did more good than anything else anyone tried. The goal was met, the job was done, does it really matter what means were used to get to it?”

“Oceana! In all my life I’ve never seen such a child as you are.”

“And never will again, I fancy,” Oceana beamed. “I’m one of a kind.”

 “One of a kind indeed!” Miss Morgan mumbled under her breath, then turned her attention back to Oceana. “It is not just you distracting the girls from important things; I have received reports of bad behavior and disrespect for your elders. This is totally unacceptable.”

“Anything and everything in this place is said to be totally unacceptable. Take a look around and you would think we are in the army. I don’t understand why you force us girls to live under such a regime.”

“Good heavens, child, have you never been taught the meaning of the word ‘discipline’?!”

“D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E.” Oceana spelled the word out in a droll voice. “Meaning strict control to enforce obedience, self-control and orderly conduct; treatment that corrects and punishes. Comes from the Latin ‘disciplina’.”

Miss Morgan took off her glasses and just stared at the child sitting in front of her.

Oceana wasn't quite finished yet. “It is obvious you have never been taught the meaning of the word ‘boring’, because that would be the word I would use to describe this entire asylum. We spend day in and day out in classrooms and are hardly allowed to go outside. There is an entire world out there waiting to be discovered and we’re locked up in a…in a…in a…” Oceana searched for the right word, “in a chicken coop!"

“You have never had enough experience of the real world to know these walls keep you safe. If I let you out there you will only get into harm’s way. Trust me, Oceana, you will be alone and miserable.”

“Maybe you have never actually left the walls of this orphan asylum, so you don’t know what sort of a world is out there and that makes you are afraid to let us out. But I have been there, I have seen the sights and sounds and…”

“I have had enough of this!” Miss Morgan stood up and glared at Oceana, “I don’t know who…or what raised you but is quite obvious that manners and respect for elders were not a part of your upbringing. I find it of the utmost importance that these two things be taught to you. Along with the proper meaning of the word discipline, not as a noun, but as a verb. You, little Miss, have been very rude, not to mention ungrateful, and I find no other resort than to punish you. Go to the bedroom and stay there until bedtime. There will be no supper for you, is that clear?”