Doctor, I Need You!

Part 10: The mysterious Mr. Jones

“Miss Smith, we’ve spoken to the local high school and they are fascinated by Victoria’s results. They would like to hire Mr. Jones so that he can continue to reach Victoria and a few of the other more gifted students.” Mr. Crawley, the headmaster of Victoria’s primary school said to her.

“Oh isn’t that wonderful mum!” Victoria exclaimed excitedly.

“Why yes it is darling.” Sarah Jane beamed. She knew how fond Victoria was of her tutor, yet she still hadn’t met the man!

“However the school do not plan on putting Victoria into her normal classes. With the exception of Physical Education, solely Mr. Jones will teach her, would that be alright?”

“Whatever is best for my daughter’s education.” Sarah Jane replied.

However Sarah Jane was still worried about Victoria’s lack of friends, and she had very little chance of making any if she was cooped up alone with Mr. Jones all day.

“May I meet Mr. Jones? It would be nice to know the man that is turning my daughter into a young Einstein.”

“Yes of course Miss Smith, I will arrange a meeting as soon as possible.”

“Thank you Mr. Crawley.”

Later in the week, Sarah Jane received word that Mr. Jones was unable to meet with her. Ever.

This made Sarah Jane very suspicious of Mr. Jones, naturally she was worried about her daughter.

“Victoria, what is Mr. Jones like?” Sarah Jane asked her daughter casually one day.

“Oh he is very nice mum. I think you would like him.”

“Hmm.” Sarah Jane replied. She was not convinced. She had to meet this man, what if he was forcing her daughter to do all this extra work, making her do things that were way too hard for a girl her age?

One Monday morning Sarah Jane drove her daughter to school as usual, but this time she didn’t drive back home to Mr. Smith and the adventure he probably had waiting for her. No. Instead she parked her little car in the school’s car park and made her way towards the large building.

Sarah Jane didn’t want to go through the normal channels to meet Mr. Jones this time, as she was afraid he would try and avoid her again. So instead of entering the school through the visitor’s entrance and risk being stopped by the office staff she slipped through the side door she always saw her daughter use.

Once inside she had no problems. All the staff simply assumed that she was a substitute teacher they were yet to meet; luckily she didn’t come across the school principal.

Her only problem was, she had no idea where to go, and the school was quite large for a primary school. So she started on the bottom floor, each of the doors had the teacher’s names on them, which made it easier for her. She walked up and down the stairs, past each and every door, but not one of them said Mr. Jones on it.

Sarah Jane tried to think like she would have if this were just another story. Where would she look for Mr. Jones now? And then the answer came to her. Every single door in that building was labeled, whether it was a classroom or a bathroom. But there was one door on the second floor with no label. It was blank.

Sarah Jane smiled to herself when she realized this. She was confident that she would find Mr. Jones behind that door.

The walk to the second floor seemed longer this time. She didn’t know what she was expecting to find. An old man smacking a scared child with a ruler? A man forcing a child to do work that was far too advanced for them? But one thing was for certain, these things were nothing compared to the truth.

“John?”