While adventures were being had in the countryside beyond the borders of the Snook, Guido Gronk remained in his parents’ run-down house. It was close to the local park and he could see the trees from his bedroom window. But Gronk detested the outdoors. He did not like grass or trees, and did not care for rain or sunshine. He liked to stay indoors where he could be warm and dry. Indoor activities were his thing. Gronk considered himself a civilised young man. He had pretensions of social climbing and trained for elevation from Outsider to the grand status of Poshey.
To this end, Gronk focussed his spare time on learning to play the violin. He scratched away at the strings, determined to be good enough to show off at the school talent contest one day. Fractured notes tore out of his open window and made people walking through the park grimace. But Gronk was on a quest to be better than everyone else in the Snook and glared at the uncultured ignoramuses.
Gronk also practiced enunciation to change his accent. He read aloud from tatty library books and stretched his vowels to imitate Posheys in the Snook. He played classical music and daydreamed as he gazed out of his bedroom window. Gronk knew his family line was long overdue a status upgrade. One day he would be the most popular and respected Poshey. And he would live in a big house on the other side of the Snook. Wealth would be his thing. And then fine clothes and eating in expensive restaurants would come easy. Of that he was sure. His present circumstance of being an Outsider with no money was but a temporary blip. He would soon be in a position to look down on everyone else. Gronk smiled and waved his arms around, just like the well-to-do orchestra conductors he watched on TV.
Copyright © 2021 Callum Stanford. All rights reserved.
