Excerpt: Untitled

The day beyond the window looked more like night; dark and damp as it was, I would rather have been outside. My pen scratched at the notebook on my school desk. I was trying to take notes, but instead was only retracing the same letters over and over again. I hope Mr. Stotz doesn't call on me again. I thought, just as Mr. Stotz said:

“Paul, would you give us the theme for The Most Dangerous Game?” He leveled his gaze at me, hard black eyes piercing from behind his soft, tired lids.

“I...” my voice trailed off. “Well...”

“Did you read the story?”

“Yes, Mr. Stotz, I did.”

“OK, well lets start with the conflict. Which of the four types of conflict are in the story?” He was still looking at me, this was a question for me, not the rest of the class.

“Well, Man vs. Man. The general guy is trying to kill the hunter guy.” I said.

“Yes, what else?”

I stared down at my desk, I knew the answer would not be found by looking around the room. It would more likely be written on the walls than a little help from any of my classmates. A giggle came from the back of the class. Mr. Stotz heard it, and lifted his attention from me.

“Katherine, you think you know the answer, I presume?”

She looked embarrassed. “Yes I do, Mr. Stotz.”

“I'm glad you do. Before you enlighten us all, lets give Paul another moment to answer.” He looked at me. I looked out the window again. The ground looked wet and green. Just beyond the grass was a line of trees, tall and quiet like a line of frozen soldiers. Mr. Stotz took us into that forest last week, and after trying to climb a tree for a few minutes, fell the few feet back to the ground and landed awkwardly. “Man vs. Environment!” He exclaimed.

“Man vs. Environment!” I nearly shouted. Mr. Stotz looked startled, he had obviously given up on me answering and seemed to have been staring out the window as well.

“Good Paul, please explain.”

“I, well, the hunter, he had to crawl around in the mud and make traps and stuff. But the... environment wasn't always helpful, he almost got sucked into quicksand and he couldn't get off the island.” I was relieved. That ought to satisfy Mr. Stotz.

Only it didn't. He just kept looking at me, his attention didn't wander out the window this time.

“Oh, and he fell in the ocean in the beginning. He nearly died.”

“Good Paul, lets have one more.”

Shoot. “Um...” I looked outside again, it had been so helpful a moment before.

I remembered Mr. Stotz leaning his back against that tree he fell out of last week. “I'm no good at climbing trees.” He said. “I never climbed trees when I was young, I was always inside reading books. I wish I could climb this tree, but I just can't. I've never been able to, and now I never will. I'm too old to learn.” His weary eyes looked so sad. The class, in a half circle around the tree shifted about uncomfortably. I wanted to help him, to show him how to climb trees. I climbed trees a lot, I was always trying to get out of the house.

“Man vs. Self!” He exclaimed as he stood up.

“Man vs. Self!” I said.

“That's right, thank you Paul. You see, PROTAGONISTS NAME had to keep his wits about him when he was plodding around the forest. If he hadn't kept himself from being scared, he wouldn't have been able to make those traps, or get away from the General.” He walked slowly back to his desk. He took his beige jacket off the back of his chair and put it on. The rest of the class started to pack up their books, but I just watched him.

“Did you hear the bell ring?” His voice was piercing, and the class slowly withdrew their books again.

“Katherine:” Mr. Stotz began. “What is the theme of The Most Dangerous Game?” His eyes, happy, glinted dangerously themselves. She started thumbing through her notebook, searching for the answer. Mr. Stotz glanced behind him, at the clock at the front of the room. “Katherine, if you don't have the answer now, then you will begin class tomorrow by giving it to us.” She looked up at him sadly. Her black hair fell purposelessly across her face. Sitting straight up now, she towered above our classmates. I'd never seen her stand next to Mr. Stotz, but I suddenly realized she was taller than the stout man. The bell rang, there was a furious re-opening of book bags and the room filled with the sound of chairs scratching against the floor and books finding their homes. Mr. Stotz merely flipped his reader closed and tucked his few books beneath his arm, and was out the door before anyone else in the class.