The Little Devils

The nights were now becoming long and dark, as the autumn term began and twelve year old blonde haired and dark brown eyed, Charles Piper, feeling restless, turned and twisted on the black coloured, metal bed, with only a white sheet between himself and the thin, blue blanket that was covering him. There were four other students sleeping in the room with him. All were fast asleep. Soon there was sound of snoring.
“Shut up, Thomas,” whispered Charles Piper, as he leaned out of his bed, picked up one of his slippers and flung it across the dormitory, “I can’t sleep with you snoring.”
But that didn’t stop his friend. Suddenly he jumped out of his bed, slipped on his dressing gown and one slipper, went and switched on the light.
“Switch those lights off,” came the moans and groans from other students.
Without saying anything, Charles found his slipper, switched off the lights and walked out of the dormitory. Being out of the dormitory after lights out and getting caught, would mean receiving a cane – popularly, known amongst the students as six of the best. But he didn’t care. He just couldn’t sleep and wanted to have some fun. Walking into the bathroom, the twelve year old walked upto his cupboard and took out his mug to get some water to drink.
“What are you doing out of bed?” asked a deep voice from behind.
With the mug to his mouth, the little boy froze for a moment.
“Taking some water, sir,” he replied, as turned around.
“Well get back to your dormitory soon,” replied the White haired house master, as he looked through his semi-circular glasses, “You should have done this before lights out!”
“Yes sir,” said Charles Piper, as he took some sip of water from the mug and began to walk back to the dormitory.
“Time to have some fun,” he whispered to himself, as he stopped outside a dormitory and slowly opened the door.
A moment later, young Charlie Piper, tip – toed in and splashed water everywhere and ran out, as students, soaked in cold water, woke up and chased him with pillows in their hands, into his dormitory.
“Help!” cried out the boy, as he tried to get into his bed only to be bashed with a pillow on his back and being pulled back, “We are being raided! Raid alert!”
A second later he was hit by another pillow then another and another.
“Charge!” yelled his dormitory mate, Presley Bradley, an American like a bugle, as he got up from his bed and saw what was happening to his friend.
Swinging his pillow over his head, the little American boy charged, as if he was in the Cavalry.
“Take that,” he said, as he threw his pillow around and swung it over his head, “and that.”
Soon pillows, with feathers, were flying all over.
“What is going on in here?” said the house master, as he entered and switched on the lights and saw feathers all over the wooden floor, “And what’s all this?”
The fighting stopped and all the students stood to attention in complete silence without a word.
“Well! I am waiting for an answer!” exclaimed the white haired house master, as he began to inspect the dormitory and saw blankets, sheets, beds tipped upside down and clothes on the floor with feathers from pillows.
There was no answer from any of the students.
“Since no one is bothered to answer,” said the house master, “I expect all of you to be outside my study immediately after breakfast. In the meantime, start clearing up this mess. I will be back in ten minutes, by which time, I expect this dormitory to be spotless.”
With that he left the dormitory and soon the blaming began and with that, the students from the other dormitory departed, leaving the others to clean up.
“It was all because of you Presley,” whispered one student.
“I did it to save Charlie,” whispered back the American boy, “he called for help.”
“I am sorry,” whispered Charles Piper, as he felt guilty that his friends were in trouble because of him, “I will own up!”
“It doesn’t matter who was responsible,” said the house master, as he walked in. He had been listening through the door, “You were all in it. Good night!”
With that the lights went off and the door was shut. The following morning, all the boys stood outside the house master’s study. Not one of them spoke. A minute later, the door opened and the house master, dressed in a black suit, ordered them all in.
“I am not going to cane any of you since the person responsible has owned up,” he told them, as he walked to his desk and sat down, “But it does not mean that you have all been let off! You will all have to have early lights out for a month. If this happens again, I will not hesitate to use the cane.”
He looked at them all in the eyes.
“Dismiss,” he ordered them.
The stampede to leave the study started.
“Yes sir,” they all said in unison and awaited for a response as they left the study in an orderly manner.