Third place in the Balmacewen Writing Competition.

Jack was an ordinary boy. He lived with his dad in an ordinary house on an ordinary street. It was just the two of them, Dad and him. Jack didn’t mind. Except sometimes, when he did. Like when his dad had no time for him, and he was completely ignored, or when he hurt himself and he needed to cry, but his dad sad crying was for wussies. But that was only sometimes. Overall though, Jack’s life was pretty ordinary.

And so he’d just begun to accept that his life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen…

It was Jack’s first day back at school. He glanced at the bookshelf. Jack’s dad never bought him any books. According to him, books were stupid, which was a shame, Jack loved to read.

“Jack Parker!”

That was Mrs Jones, Jack’s teacher. He walked to her desk.

“I would like you to take this Jack,” she said, motioning to a brown paper parcel on her desk.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

“Think of it as a present from me to you.” she said. “But don’t open it until you get home, and don’t let anyone else see it.” She winked at Jack, and he smiled back.

For the first time in his life, Jack couldn’t wait for the school day to end. He couldn’t wait to get home and see what was in that little brown package. But the day seemed to be going very slowly. Finally though, the home bell rung at the end of the day and Jack raced from the classroom. His house was only a few blocks from his school, so he walked home. After what seemed like forever, his house finally came into view. Jack raced up the front stairs, flung open the door and was soon lying on his bed with the package. His dad wasn’t home, he always seemed to be out.

For a few minutes, Jack just ran his hands over the smooth surface of the brown paper. His heart thudded wildly in his chest. Fear and excitement twisted together causing Jack to feel slightly sick. With one last gasp, Jack tore a strip of the paper from the package. A flash of brilliant colour met his eyes, causing another jolt of emotion. He couldn’t stand it any more. He ripped open the package and out fell…

A book.

And in that instant his whole life changed.

Jack couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. Slowly, as if it might hurt him, Jack reached for the book. It was called “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children”

Interesting.

Jack flicked through the pages and a phrase caught his eye:

“I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary, when extraordinary things began to happen…”

“Funny,” Jack thought, “that’s kinda how I’m feeling now.”

And so, Jack began to read. He loved it. He read and read and read. And when he was done, he read it again, and again, and again, until he had memorized the whole story. But forever after then, even when he was grown up and owned a whole bookshelf of books, he kept that one close to him, as a reminder of the kindness of a school teacher who helped make a little boy’s life just a little bit more extraordinary.

By Max Gaffaney