The train on platform 16 is calling at....
By Jezza Bear
I went to a very posh private school from the age of 11 years old. I had to journey out of the Magic Forest and travel some 12 miles to school each day. I had to leave home at 7.15am to get to school for 8.40am. If I got a later train I could just get into the school gate and into class by 8.55am......just. If you got caught coming in late you either got lines or a detention. I didn't like detentions as we had to stay behind at school and I wouldn't get home before 6.30pm and would have missed my tea.
Mr Peacock was my form teacher and also the PE Teacher and we all feared him greatly. He had an old tennis shoe called Big Bertha and if you did anything wrong he used to hit us with it. We used to show each other our Big Bertha "wounds" because it was so painful you could sometimes see the word Dunlop written backwards on your backside after you were hit.
I must not be distracted from this story any more but I just feel you must get the background to the story and realise why I was so worried.
It was Monday morning and I had got on my normal train from the Magic Forest railway station. On normal days all the kids who travelled on my line to school got off at a station half way up the line so that we could get the connection together. We felt this was safer because there was tough school between there and school and we felt we could protect ourselves better in a pack. I got off at the station as per normal and was met by all the other guys, all carrying their football (soccer) kit, I had my cricket kit..........I had forgotten that the football season finished the week after. If I didn't turn up to school with my football kit, Mr Peacock was sure to give be a beating with Big Bertha. I gave my school bag to Fred Fox who promised me he would get it to school. I ran off and managed to get on a train that was just leaving back to the Magic Forest station. I reckoned that if I was shrewed I could get back home, get my football kit and get an alternative train via a station called London Bridge which could take me to my school ( I could do this as long as the ticket inspector didn't catch me).
Within 20 minutes I was back home with my correct sports kit ( Ma Bear had left for work) and I ran back to the Magic Forest station...Wise Old Ollie Owl saw me but didn't say anything. When I got back to the station, luckily the London Bridge train was just coming in, my plan was working like a dream. I got to London Bridge and it was still only 8.30am, I reckon I could get to school before registration. I saw a guard and asked him when the next train was for my school. He said " If you are quick son, the train on platform 16 is about to leave" I started running, I was on platform 2 and had a fair distance to run. I could hear the tannoy blasting " The train on platform 16 is calling at.... The train on platform 16 is about to depart" I saw the signs for platform 16and ran down the stairs, the train was sitting on my right and I ran to it, it was beginning to move off , I jumped the board and opened a door and got in, the guard was furious, peeping his whistle and shouting at me to get off, I ignored him, I was on my way to school and I was going to get there before registration, no Big Bertha for me Haa Ha.
The train continued on its journey until about 5 minutes in when it stopped, not a problem I thought, trains often do this. Well 1 minute went, then 2, then 5, then 8...I was getting worried, nobody else was on the train to ask!!!!!! I then heard some banging and scratching and I was beginning to get scared...who was this? The door swung open and I heard this terrible singing... I popped my head up above the seat and was met by this awful shrill scream "Aaaaahhh, ooh my gawd love, you nearly scared the life out of me, what are you doing here, we're in the siding!" It was the cleaner.
It transpires that platform 16 is to the left and back towards the entrance on London Bridge and I had got on the train at Platform 14. I was now about 5 miles away from my school and completely lost. All I had was my bun money for elevenses, I couldn't afford another ticket. The cleaner took me off the train and walked me to the next station where she distracted the ticket inspector with a cheeky joke, winked at me and I ran out of the station before he could see me. Looking back at it I think he knew, but I was everso scared at the time.
From this point onwards I was lost, I went to some shops and they told me some directions and I went on until I finally found a station, I asked the newspaper seller if it went to my school and he said "Yes" I told him my problem and all the things I had done wrong that day and he spoke to the station manager. The station manager looked at me and said that I could go on the train and tell the ticket inspector at my station that "Sid said it was all right"
I had to wait 20 minutes for the train and when it came I jumped on and got off at my school station. The ticket inspector was there and he winked at me and said "You must be Sid's friend" I blushed terribly.
Anyway, I eventually got to school and turned up to my classroom, I was so scared to find out what my punishment was....it was 10.15am. When I knocked on the door, I entered and Mr Peacock stopped immediately lowered his glasses, frowned and said "Aaaah Jezza Bear, how are you? How is the tooth, Fred Fox said you had to have an emergency dental appointment" I said truthfully "The tooth is fine sir. " "Good, good, well sit down, you'll be pleased to hear that PE is cancelled today, problem with the drainage....open page 62 of your book......."
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!
