Casey and Me

Maple Park

The next day, Mum and I drove down to the school, and as it turned out, Mum had been rather generous in her estimation of how many miles it was from home. The road was quite narrow, barely wide enough to accommodate our car, and it was such a winding road that, by the time we got to Maple Park, I estimated that we'd added at least another ten miles to our journey. 

But when I saw Maple Park for the first time, I forgot the road, instead captivated by the school, which lay basking under the morning sunshine like a cat. Perched on a hill, it was a massive, sprawling complex of halls, towers, and even a ruined wall. It looked very much like a castle, and had in fact been the residence of a long-dead earl and his family many, many years ago. The last heir to the earl's title had died with no issue of his own, and the school had fallen into the hands of the council, who had no clue what to do with the place. They did, however, ensure its future by getting it put on the National Heritage List, and that had led to its purchase for use as a boarding school thirty years ago by one Daniel Maple. The school had been named Maple Park in his honour after he died, and field maples had been planted to further commemorate his legacy.

The school now housed over three hundred students, and all grades, from pre-school right through to sixth form, were catered for. The curriculum was essentially the same as for public schools, with some notable additions; horse-riding, archery, and other outdoorsy sports were offered to those who wished to expand their knowledge beyond the usual subjects. There was even a dedicated pony club for those who preferred being a little closer to the ground, and this was something which piqued my interest when Mum mentioned it on the drive down. I loved ponies, and had always wanted one of my own from the time I could walk - what little girl didn't? To be able to ride a pony as part of learning; I was ready to be signed up on the spot!

But there was one question that needed to be answered before anything else - would I be a day student or a boarder? Given that we lived around twenty-five miles away, it seemed rather impractical to be a day student. And I didn't fancy being away from my parents for the duration of the term. 

The current headmistress, Miss Ainsworth, thankfully had a solution. Some boarders who lived around the same distance from the school as I did had the option of going home on Friday evenings to spend the weekend with their families, before returning on Sunday afternoons to recommence school on the Monday. 

"It actually works well," she said. "Some students love to be at home on the weekends, so we created that option to allow them the chance to spend time with their families before coming home."

"Some, not all?" Mum guessed shrewdly.

Miss Ainsworth nodded. "Yes," she said simply. "The same applies for half-terms and end of term as well. My uncle wanted to ensure children had a safe space to be when their own homes weren't... palatable, for lack of a better word."

It certainly sounded fair. Mum and I thanked Miss Ainsworth for her time before leaving her office. "So what do you think?" Mum asked, as we walked back out to the car. 

"I do like it," I admitted. "I'm just not sure about being away from you and Dad for so long, that's all."

"Well, you can always come home on the weekends," Mum reminded me. "I think that would be the best solution, because I am not using up all that petrol to get you to and from school, young lady." 

I knew she wasn't being mean, and I laughed as she started the car. "Fair enough," I said. "In that case, I think we've found a good place."

Mum nodded. "We'll work on getting you signed up, then," she promised. "It was a good stroke of luck, I must admit."

"It sure was," I agreed. "I can't imagine what would've happened otherwise."

Nor could I. Finding Maple Park had been a serious stroke of good luck. And as we turned into the road home, I couldn't help but feel that I'd finally found a place where I belonged. I did hope the environment would be better than at my old school, but right now, all I cared about was getting my education back on track. 

And if worst came to worst, I had plenty of experience in dealing with bullies.