TKAM post 1 Scout

I sat on the rim of our tree house letting my feet dangle over the edge. I looked out at the houses. From up here I could see everything and everyone. I knew that if I told Atticus he would never let us sit up here again. He would pronounce that “, that would be rude to look in people’s houses”. The only reason Jem and I ever did it was to keep watch on the Radleys. We had wanted to make sure that we could keep an eye on them so that Boo Radley didn’t go out and kill more people. One time when I was really little I thought that I had heard Boo scratching at my window. That night I promised my self that I would sleep in the tree house, because we all knew that Boo couldn’t climb for apples. We Maycomb children had all heard the stories about Boo Radley. And we also knew to get in the house before nine o’clock because that’s the time that he got out every night.

At approximately eight o’nine I ran out side with a blanket and a torch and set up camp in the tree house. I had presently asked Jem to stay with me. But to my annoyance and disappointment he had declined. It always irked me when Jem didn’t agree to something. But I would still persevere without him. I tried to stay up and listen and watch for any signs of Boo but to my disappointment nothing happened and I fell asleep.

I woke to the sound of laughter and looked out of the hole like window in the tree house. There was a boy on the other side of the fence. He had blond perfect hair and blue, blue eyes. I jumped down from the tree house making sure that I landed correctly. This act looked amazing but anyone that knew me knew that I had been able to do it since I was nine. “Hey who are you?” I said walking over. He stood up and barley came up to my shoulder. I laughed, id never seen a boy so short before. “My name is Charles Baker Harris” he said and looked at me full in the face. No one did that to me. I was indigenous to the Maycomb country, so I was taller that almost all the boys my age and much stronger than them too. So when some little, blond, fancy named kid stands up to me you can understand how that would make me mad. Jem walked up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. I knew that, that meant stop and uncoiled my fists.

Later I learned that Charles Baker Harris was staying with our neighbor for a wile. It was really fun having someone new around and meeting Dill really brightened up my summer. We played games and he got to know most of everything in Maycomb, not that there was much to see but it was impressive all the same. But when the summer ended he had to go. No teary goodbyes, just a firm yet warm handshake. He had been a nice kid.

Next morning I got ready for my first day at school. I think that Atticus had paid him because he had condescended to take me to school. I got into my classroom and sat at the front. I was so excited to learn new things. That’s when our teacher came in. Miss Caroline, in my eyes, looked like a peppermint stick. Not that any of us had ever seen one let alone taste one we all knew that they smelled and tasted like. She had red hair white skin. She was obviously not native to Maycomb but she was eccentric all the same. She asked people to read and I being able to read raised my hand. I had known how to read as long as I can remember. But Miss Caroline did not think that was acceptable. That day she sent me home with a new found hatred towards school.

Next day went about the same. Miss Caroline got mad for me knowing how to read and she also got in a fight with Burris Ewel. Poor thing, I knew she was not a malevolent soul but sometimes she just annoyed me to death. I knew that when I was mad I became intimidating to the other kids so on my way home they all stayed away from me. The second I got home Atticus knew something was wrong. He took me out side and talked to me. That night we made a compromise. I had always known that not reading was impossible for me so making that compromise really brightened my day.