Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Favoritism (02/28/05)
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TITLE: The Principal: A Parable | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dave Wagner
03/03/05 -
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Reilly sat, shoulders slumped, in the small plastic chair in front of the principal’s massive desk. He was in this chair so often that some kids had taken to calling it ‘Reilly’s Seat.’
“You ‘had to do it,’ eh?” Principal Evans adjusted his glasses, and looked down at the offending 6th grade boy.
“We were playing dodgeball. When you play dodgeball, sometimes you get hit in the head.” Reilly tapped right foot against the chair leg subconsciously.
“Jason says you were trying to hit him in the head.”
“He’s just mad cuz he got beaned,” Reilly said, crossing his arms and looking down at his feet.
“Sixteen times, Reilly. You beaned him in the head sixteen times.”
A smile moved across Reilly’s face, as he recalled that wonderfully amusing sound that the dodgeball made every time it bounced off that momma’s boy Jason’s head.
“You find this amusing?” Principal Evans stood, palms remaining on the desk top.
“Well…no, I guess not.” He glanced up, then quickly back down again, doing his best to act innocent.
“It isn’t funny. Getting hit in the head can be serious, Reilly. Someone could really get hurt.”
At this point, Reilly tuned the Principal out, replaying the scenes in his head, wishing that the playground had surveillance cameras, so he could get a copy of the video. BONK. What a sound! And that one time when the ball bounced straight up in the air off the rebound, a good eight feet! And convincing Jason to stay and keep playing after each bean was masterful, telling him if he quit he was an even bigger sissy than everyone already thought.
Reilly looked up, tuning back into the conversation.
“…and this is getting old, young man.” Principal Evans walked out of the office for a moment, and returned carrying the dodgeball. He set it on his desk in front of him, and placed his hands back where they were before, palms down, on either side.
Reilly smiled again, recognizing his partner in crime, as it were.
“I think I’ll be creative with your punishment this time, Reilly.” Principal Evans lifted the ball in one hand, the other hand still on the desk. “I think I will bean you in the head with this ball a few times. See how you like it. What do you say?”
Reilly held his smile for a moment, and then it melted away. He looked from the ball, to Principal Evans’ stern face, and back again. Could he be serious? He can’t do that, can he? Reilly glanced around the room, nervously, then looked back at Principal Evans, who was tossing the ball up a bit and catching it in the same hand.
“I think a couple good whacks with this ball and maybe you won’t think it’s funny anymore.”
“You...you can’t do that.”
“I’m the Principal. I can do whatever I want. I make the rules. And the newest rule is that you reap what you sow.” He grabbed the ball, and quickly pulled it back, as if to throw it.
Reilly recoiled in his chair, covering his head with his arms.
Principal Evans burst out laughing. The ball dropped to the floor, and Principal Evans sat back into his big leather chair, snickering and dabbing at his eyes.
Reilly looked up. “Dad! That’s not funny!”
Principal Evens stood again, shoulders still shaking. “You should have seen your face. Come on, admit it. I got you good with that one.”
“Well, a little, maybe.” He sat back and exhaled, puffing out his cheeks.
“Look, Reilly, you gotta knock off the nonsense, son. How will it look for me to have to expel my own son?”
“C’mon Dad…Jason is a loser; he deserved it.”
“Well, some day, you’re going to mess with the wrong person, and get your butt kicked. Now shoo.”
Reilly stood smiling, and walked toward the door. “Got it, Dad. Seeya.”
As he left, he kicked the dodgeball against the wall, causing a picture frame to come crashing to the floor. “Sorry Dad. Bye.”
Principal Evans sat back in his chair, smiling. “Ah, kids.”
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Priceless story.
I was trying to illustrate the way many people seem to approach their relationships with God, as far as: we are His children, and often act as though we can get away with any kind of behavior we want to, because He will "forgive us anyway," and though there may be the threat of punishment (reap what you sow), it won't really amount to anything but a slap on the wrist, if that.
My hope was that people would read it, think "man, I wish that little turd would have got some sort of punishment," and then perhaps do a little self-reflection, as far as the attitude we have toward our relationship with God, especially in regards to the compromises we make with sin and sinful behavior.
Well, it was worth a shot....
What I think you did do was draw a character that hits true of people; they do the deed because they enjoy the deed and are expert at rationalizing their behavior. That is definitely the defining character in human nature that keeps repeating itself. The principal's part, if I wanted him to change places with how we think of God, would have had to have had a hint of sadness at the end. People often think like that, oh, yeah, well, it made God sad, I feel a "little" bad but it's okay, he let me off this time.
So yeah, I get it and regardless it was characters you wanted to dislike! Made me want to write the come backs!
But if you ask me, I have a feeling you might have been Reilly as a child, only because of your critiques. Haha. (Read the thread, had to comment.)
By the way, although you've been called harsh, mean, cruel, etc.(: I have learned from the critiques' you've left on my submissions.(:
Like the comment two comments up from this, that said the "parable" was a swing and a miss because the characters lacked wit...well, I see the point, and yes, it's true...if I'd spent more time on it then perhaps I could have added more depth to it. My first impulse is to say "you're wrong", then my next is to say "well, I've never tried writing a parable before, so it's not bad for a first try, right?" But boil it all down, and the comment is right. I could have done a lot more with it, and will keep that in mind next time. I'm happy with both my submission and the critique of it.
Onward and upward.
Oh, and no, I wasn't like Reilly at all, quite the opposite. I was shy, introverted, and basically scared of people.