Alice and the Fly by James Rice Read Free Book Online Page A

winked. By the time I realised I was meant to laugh it was too late.
    Then she asked if I had ‘someone’. I wasn’t sure how to answer, so I didn’t.
    ‘You know, like a girl,’ she said. ‘A girl you like? Or likes you? It’s important, you know, to have someone. Even a boy …’
    I stared at the carpet.
    ‘You need someone you can confide in. Someone you can love. It’s important to find a home for your love. Do you understand? These books are a start, but you’ll need people, too. We all need people.’
    Now I’m back home. Miss Hayes’ books are stacked in the corner of my bedroom. They’re adding an uncomfortable level of clutter to my room. I might stash them away, at the bottom of my wardrobe. I can always pretend I’ve read them.

 
     
     
TRANSCRIPT
    Extract of interview between Detective Sergeant Terrence Mansell (TM) and Gregory Hall’s teacher, Miss Rachel Hayes (RH).
    TM: Thanks for coming in.
    RH: That’s OK.
    TM: I presume you know why you’re here.
    RH: I’ve read the newspapers. I don’t exactly know the details.
    TM: I can’t discuss details anyway.
    RH: Right.
    TM: All I’m after here is some basic information.
    RH: Mm-hm.
    TM: Stuff on your relationship with Greg.
    RH: OK.
    TM: So, tell me about your relationship with Greg.
    RH: Well, I’m his teacher.
    TM: What subject?
    RH: English.
    TM: And you also spent time together outside of school?
    RH: You know, it’d be easier all round if you didn’t make me answer questions you already know the answers to.
    TM: I’m just trying to establish the facts here.
    RH: You know the facts. You know I saw Greg outside of school. That’s why I’m here. That’s why you’ve brought me in.
    TM: To be honest, Miss Hayes, it’d actually be easier if you just answered the questions. Then I can tick them off my list. Then you can go home.
    RH: Fine, yes, I saw Greg. After school. Every Tuesday.
    TM: Why?
    RH: The idea was that he could discuss any problems he was having. In school, at home. Whatever. But he stopped coming. A few weeks ago.
    TM: Why was that?
    RH: I don’t know exactly. There was the stuff with my fiancé, I don’t know if that might have scared him off.
    TM: Right.
    RH: A lot of people were … different after that. It’s stupid, though, really. I mean, with Greg. It had no bearing on our meetings.
    TM: When did these ‘meetings’ first start?
    RH: A few months ago. October, I think.
    TM: And you knew about his condition?
    RH: Yes.
    TM: And that he was on medication?
    RH: Yes. Well, I learnt about everything, you know, the phobia and everything, from the school nurse beforehand. I found out about the pills in class, actually, when one of the other pupils stole them from his school bag. Showed them to everyone.
    TM: That must have made things difficult for him.
    RH: To be honest we never really talked about any of that, the bullying. There was a fair bit of bullying, it’s true, but I didn’t want to fixate on that.
    TM: What did you talk about?
    RH: Not much, really. He wasn’t one for baring his soul.
    TM: Right.
    RH: I tried all kinds of approaches but it made no difference.
    TM: What did you try?
    RH: Well, I’d ask him questions. Tell him things, about me, about my life. I wanted to just make some sort of connection, you know? I gave him some books once, some of my fiancé’s. Of course that’s probably the last we’ll see of them.
    TM: But you never made this ‘connection’?
    RH: He was unreachable.
    TM: Disconnected.
    RH: Right.
    TM: What was it exactly that made you want to set up these meetings?
    RH: What do you mean?
    TM: Well, why did you want a connection? What did you hope to get out of it?
    RH: I just wanted to help him. I thought he was intelligent. Misunderstood. I thought eventually he’d open up. Obviously at this point I didn’t know, you know, what he was capable of.
    TM: It had nothing to do with your own personal history?
    RH: No. I mean … what’s that got to do with anything?
    TM: Just a