By: Rukshani Weerasooriya
Age: 15

Spencer always spilt food down his clothes at the wrong time. This time he was at a church fellowship lunch, dressed in his Sunday best, sitting opposite a very 'charming' twelve year old girl, who was at least six inches taller than he was.

"Mom" he whined. His mother continued chatting to the pastor's wife.

"Mom" he let out yet another pathetic whine.

She didn't turn around.

"MOM" he said louder.

"What is it Spencer? You can see that I'm talking to Mrs. Coal. Now wha…… SPENCER! "

There was no escape. He was soon caught by the shirt and dragged to the nearest washroom, where he had to remove his shirt and have it cleaned. "Mom, what will I wear now that my shirt's all wet?" he asked his mother who was frantically scrubbing the gravy on the new white shirt she had bought for him just a day ago. "I'm going to have to leave this shirt out in the sun to dry so you'll have to do without one for a while." Spencer stood dumbfounded. "Without a shirt? Today? Here? Now?" he said hardly realizing that he had shot four senseless questions at his mother all at the same time.

"Spencer, you're only ten and you're a boy," she said, looking at her son's face, which had by now turned quite pale.

"But mom, did you see who I was sitting opposite?" he asked, giving his mother the most angelic look. "It was Sara, Mrs. Coal's niece."

"It doesn't matter who was sitting in front of you, there are only fifteen people here today who would have the 'privilege' of seeing you bare bodied. It really wouldn't hurt to be without your shirt for a while, just until it dries" she said looking him straight in the eye.

"But mom, would you go out there without a shirt?" he asked, getting slightly cheeky. "Just because I'm a boy I'm expected to walk up there half naked! Children's rights have been violated in the very house of God" he told his mother, convincing himself and himself alone.

In a few minutes a bare bodied, whaling ten-year-old was dragged out of the washroom and placed at the table. Various 'awe's' and 'ooh's' by all the adults reached his ears from every direction. "Spencer, all the other kids have gone out to play." His mother said. He looked at her, blankly, as if to say 'And would you like me to tell Captain Planet about that?' "Aren't you going to join them?" she nagged on. He just stared back at her. "Now don't think I'm so easily fooled young man, if you don't go I'm going to have to drag you out myself" she said loosing her cool by then.

Spencer stood hidden behind a tree in the playground at the back of the church, just a few yards away from the other kids who were playing about. "Go on Spencer, don't be chicken" his mother yelled from behind. "Oh thanks mom, you're words are always a comfort" he said under his breath, for no one had spotted him until she had yelled.

Now every eye was turned on this pale young stud who wished he were a molehill at that point.

"Oh, isn't that cute, Spencer actually has a chest" teased his fourteen-year-old, big brother from just across.

"Shut up Caleb" Spencer yelled in a huff, walking to the garden seat and sitting down, all set to sulk for the rest of his life. The playground was silent for a while. The girls nudged each other and some boys called him names.

"That's it, I'm leaving this town" he said, stomping his way, up to the gate. He opened it and without a backward glance, walked down the road. Everyone thought he was going to return in five minutes saying that a tree had fallen across the road and he couldn't go past the top of the lane, as he always said, when he 'ran away'.

Two hours past by and all the kids assumed Spencer had returned through one of the side doors and was sulking alone in a corner, hoping for some attention. Caleb was stretched out on the grass with Joey and his sister Sara, the girl Spencer admired.

"Caleb, it's time to go, pick your stuff up and bring it to the car" said his mother walking up to where he was. "And where's your brother? He'd be glad to know his shirt is completely dry now."

"Spencer is inside…. I think," said Caleb in a dreamy voice. If only he knew that his little brother had his eyes on the same girl.

"Caleb, you know he's not there. I would have seen him if he were. Now where is he? You're the big brother you were supposed to look out for him" she scolded.

"Spencer 'ran away' Mrs. Carson. We thought he had come back and was sitting around with you" Sara said, as she got up from the grass and straightened her hair. They looked at each other. Panic-struck!

Caleb was yelled at, until he said he would tell all the kids to go out in groups and look for Spencer where ever they could, until they got some professional help.

"If only I hadn't stripped him of his shirt… he may not have run away then" said his mother, with regret written all over her. She was a strong woman and it took a lot to bring her to tears, but she started to cry in her son's arms all of a sudden.

"We'll have to make an overseas call to your father if he's not found today" she said wiping her tears. Search parties were activated all over the town. Mrs. Carson and Caleb combed all his little haunts, but nobody thought of going home and checking the living room to see if a little bare bodied boy was sitting there eating ice cream and peanuts while watching Discovery Channel.