Bradley Wallace Murphy just turned thirteen, and he's not happy about it. He doesn't fit in at school, he's no good at sports, a bully torments him, he's a disappointment to his parents, and his only "friends" are fictional characters on a TV show c...
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CHAPTER 8
Summer Vacation
Freedom at last! Almost three months without school and John Wagner. Yippee! Bradley Wallace's heart was light and his step spry as he ran home from the bus stop that afternoon. Of course, summer also meant longer workdays with Mr. O'Conner, but he looked forward to that.
Both parents praised his report card, especially the B- in math (an improvement over the C he'd gotten last reporting period). They barely commented on the C in handwriting – that was a foregone conclusion and not the most significant subject on the card. They both also noted the large number of signatures on the cover and expressed genuine pleasure that he seemed to be making "lots of friends." He shrugged and smiled. Best not to go into that.
Whilly grew rapidly during this period, shedding his original scales for newer, larger, and shinier ones, much in the manner of a snake shedding its skin. His wings, belly, and the ridges down his back were changing from crimson-brown to a deep scarlet that matched his beautifully piercing eyes.
Bradley Wallace commented on these changes on the afternoon school let out, after the companions clicked off the portable television and sent another episode of Dark Shadows to the ethereal oblivion of memory. Whilly seemed especially restless and Bradley Wallace feared he might be sick.
*I'm not sick, Bradley Wallace,* Whilly answered, reading his mind with ease. *I am what you would call bored.*
"Bored? Don't you like my company anymore?"
*Of course, but you're not here all the time. I'm alone so much with nothing to do except watch TV.*
"I thought you liked watching TV."
*I did for a while. But it's too much of the same thing all the time. I get bored.*
Bradley Wallace had never seen him so fidgety, but he could empathize. He didn't like being alone all the time either. "I'm sorry I haven't spent more time with you. But with school and all, it's been hard."
*Dragons need their freedom just as you humans do,* Whilly informed him, obviously having dwelt at great length on this matter. *I fly around a lot, invisible, of course, but that's not the same as having company.*
They lapsed into a thoughtful silence, considering the difficulties children and dragons must face in this world. The quiet was broken only by the occasional squawk of a circling crow.
Finally, Bradley Wallace spoke. "Look, what if I promise to spend all my time with you this summer, except when I have to work with Mr. O'Conner?" The idea of a summer with Whilly excited him. They would have such fun.
*But what will we do?* Whilly asked, obviously wondering what "fun" he had in mind.
Bradley Wallace hadn't considered specifics. "Well, we could fly around, carefully of course, and explore new places, that's fun. And we're gonna see House of Dark Shadows, remember?"
