The first day Nickel came to our school, I still couldn’t understand, did he trek to school? Why doesn’t he have to wait for the rain to subside before he started coming? As he stood at the corner of our classroom shivering, I watched to see how sharp his features were. He has a straight over-pointing nose and a bulgy tennis like eyeball giving him more of an image look than a human. His red T-shirt and jean trouser clung to his body on the wetness. His appearance was a total destruction. I wondered if it wasn’t the same amount of rain that I saw when my mum was driving me to school or did he go to the go the mountain to make the rain himself and then was beaten nonsense by the rain before he could reach the earth as was told in a story I read about the Rain maker. Our English teacher; Mr. Franklin turned from the board and noticed the funny image. It was a little awkward for our teacher to introduce him in that state, so, he smiled and said.
“Hey boy, you must be Nickel, the new boy in our class.”
He nodded and our teacher took him aside from our view to the back where the locker is, he gave him a short and polo from the stock kept for emergency. The attire showed more of Nickel’s features; his small body and tiny legs.
We continued the lesson. In the midst of the lesson, our teacher began to ask questions like he always do, pointing at us one after the other. And sometimes he would ask funny questions that are way too out-of-the-subject causing us to either laugh or get stroked with confusion. Then he made a comment, I was surprised to see him use that as a question.
“If you were an orange, being that you are 8 to 9 years old now, will you be the tree or the fruit?”
We all laughed because the question sounded more funny than quizzical. At that moment, he pointed and looked at me.
“You, Sam, answer it.”
I was tongue tied as I stood up. I paused and couldn’t move, just standing there and looking at the board.
“Are you there?” he bellowed.
Then I answered, “I wouldn’t know because am not an orange.”
The class laughed out again except Nickel the new boy. I also noticed he didn’t laugh the first the time.
Our teacher turned to him and said, “Nickel have you been shivering?”
The question threw Nickel out of balance. He stood up and said, “No”.
“Oh yes you are. Now spell shivering so you can be free of it”.
“Am not shivering he answered again. If I’m I know how to stop it”.
His voice sounded so coarse and undaunted like his words. We laughed out hysterically. Nickel turned from the first seat where he was to look at us, then pointed to us and said, “They are shivering.” We became silent at his angry face and accusing hand.
During the class break that day, we went for lunch. At the hall, I didn’t find Nickel anywhere. I was so curious I wanted to sit at the same table with him or at a table beside his, just somewhere I could watch and see the way he eat. I carried my food and paced round the room searching until I found him sitting on a table right at the middle of the hall. My three classmates Tim, Bryan and Ahmed had made their way to sit with him before I could. I thought he would be shy as a new comer and stay at a corner, but No, he didn’t. I think it made me like him or rather more curious about him. I found an empty seat close by and sat down. I think the most exciting thing about Nickel is his petty head and bulgy-ball eyes. He was busy eating and talking at the same time. I was so keen to get the gist. I saw the boys sitting beside him laughing hysterically at his speech. That moment I wished I was at his table. I was still watching with keen interest. I have taken up to three spoons of the noodle in from of me. I think I saw the boys freeze in bewilderment at something Nickel said. I froze; my whole being was at attention as he opened his mouth to speak again. And I heard him clearly then, that word that I will never forget in my entire life.
“Yes, I can turn someone into a rat, it’s so easy…”
The word came out effortlessly out of his mouth and he was a little bit loud. The boys busted out their laughter again and then paused shortly in bewilderment as if seeing meaning in his words only then. Nickel was watching them in annoyance, then he shouted, that shrieking, reverberating noise that ran through my drums buzzing day after day. And when he stopped, he said, “I hate it when people laugh at me, it makes me feel small. He said it so arrogantly as if he doesn’t know he is really small. Everyone in the room was alarmed. Everyone was bewildered and annoyed at him. One girl and a boy stood up to relate their anger at the same time.
“Are you insane!” The girl shouted.
“You little devil!” The boy shouted also.
Nickel heated his fist angrily at the table, causing it to break into pieces. What amazing power! Every one imagine and stood up in awe.
“You have incurred my wrath, now I will turn you into a rat. He waved his hand at the two and they changed into a rat running madly across the hall. Everyone screamed and the hall became noisy, pupils running and scattering everywhere looking for the fastest escape route. Nickel was laughing out so loud. I was stone cold, I didn’t move, just stood there looking at him before I fainted and collapsed on the floor and that was all I could remember.
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