Bedtime Story 938 words
“Miss B, can you tell me a story?”
The voice was barely a whisper, yet in the silent dormitory it felt like a roar.
Miss B paused at the threshold and turned. She recognized the voice immediately: Nathan. Quietly closing the open door, she walked softly to his bed.
“Aren’t you a little old for bedtime stories?” she asked, a small smile on her lips. In the near darkness, Miss B couldn’t make out Nathan’s face, unable to determine his expression. She sat at the edge of his bed and slowly reached a hand out until she found the boy’s hand under his blanket. She grasped it.
“Is something the matter?” she asked.
Nathan shook his head, then realized that Miss B likely couldn’t see him. “No, Miss B. I just like the sound of your voice. It’s comforting.”
The young woman was glad for the near-darkness as she unconsciously blushed at the compliment. “Well, okay, just a short one,” she whispered, her brain fumbling for ideas.
“Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess-”
“No, Miss B,” whispered Nathan. “Not a fairy tale. How about something more... grown-up?”
Miss B cocked her head in surprise. “Oh... well...” she stammered, “uh... okay... there once lived a kind and benevolent king. He ruled over a vast empire-”
Nathan squeezed her hand in protest, but Miss B continued. “Hush, just listen. This king was loved by his subjects and everyone was happy. He reigned for many years and the empire prospered.
“However, the king was not immortal and began to grow old. Worse, his wife passed away childless and he refused to remarry. Without an heir, the king knew that upon his death there would be much infighting for his throne. While he could name a successor (and there were many worthy candidates), the lack of royal bloodline would not legitimize their claim to the throne. Ruling by committee would only lead to inaction and power struggles.
“He decided to appoint a stranger to the throne. But not just any stranger. He would ask his citizens to send forth their young children to attend an academy, under the guise of private instruction. There, they would be instructed in politics, science, economics, martial arts, and anything else to train the perfect ruler. A young child growing up away from the influence and politics of the royal court would hopefully be untainted and empathetic enough to rule as the old king did.
“Calling on his most trusted advisors, the king started up his academy at a secret location. The children’s parents were told that it was an exclusive learning institution and not to expect contact with their offspring for many years. Every child was encouraged to form bonds with each other with minimal supervision. The children themselves had no idea what they were there for; they were told it was a school and to do well would ensure future success upon graduation.”
“What happened to those who failed?” whispered Nathan.
“Well, they were removed from the academy, and none of the students ever saw them again.”
“You didn’t answer the question," the boy insisted. "They couldn’t go home since it was a secret academy, and they can’t exactly be out in public lest they reveal the secrets.”
“You’re right. No one really knows. Perhaps they were exiled to the remote corners of the empire, or even... killed.” Nathan’s hand gripped Miss B’s at the mention of “killed”, but the boy remained silent. After a brief pause to ensure that Nathan would be okay, she continued with her story.
“After a few years, a hierarchy emerged. The strongest and smartest children began grouping up together to pick on the weaker ones. Some of the bullied tried to band together as well, but their efforts were continually thwarted by the others.
One of them, named Ryan, was the biggest student in the academy. A son of a wealthy family, he had a privileged upbringing and it showed in his high marks, especially in combat training. He committed many offences against his fellow students and even the odd teacher, yet he was never disciplined by the staff. The other students eventually realized that they would have to take matters into their own hands, and that a person like Ryan should never be allowed to obtain a position of power upon graduation, lest he continue his bullying ways in the outside world.
So they set a trap. Ryan and his henchpeople were smart enough to disrupt the plans as much as possible, but the rebels would not be deterred. When they executed their plan, Ryan’s entire gang was overwhelmed. The staff intervened before things got totally out of hand, but Ryan disappeared the next day. His leaderless gang continued on but none would ever factor into a royal candidate again, having lost the trust and respect of their peers.”
Nathan’s grip slackened, and Miss B gently extracted his hand from hers. As she slowly got up, Nathan murmured “so the lesson is to be nice?”
The young woman started. “Well, yes,” she replied. “A leader earns the respect of his peers. He doesn’t demand it. No one likes a bully or a braggart, even if they are physically or mentally strong. A loner never wins either.”
“How does your story end? Who becomes king?” whispered Nathan drowsily.
Miss B smiled, though she knew the boy couldn’t see it. “That’s for another time, Nathan. Good night.” Nathan was too tired to argue and drifted off to sleep.
She waited five minutes to ensure that the boy was asleep, then whispered “I hope it’s you.”
