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A lot of people died last summer. Mr. Merchant and Mr. Blower and Miss Draper and Mrs. Tiller and Mr. Messenger and Constable Butterman and the new policeman Sergeant Angel, who spoke at Gabriel's school and let him stand in the front row next to him when they took the official picture.
They were all accidents. Mr. Merchant was making dinner drunk and left the gas on and blew up his house, and Mr. Blower ran his car into the village sign and decapitated himself and Miss Draper, and Mr. Messenger had part of the church roof fall on him, and Mrs. Tiller accidentally fell on her garden shears, and Sergeant Angel slipped and fell in the model village, and then a month after everyone else, Constable Butterman was being careless with a gun and accidentally threw it up in the air and then pulled the trigger when he caught it, mid-air next to his head. That's why there was so much blood all over the windows, said Inspector Butterman. It was a terrible accident.
He said this to Gabriel, who was coming home from school when he found the police car and the blood near the castle. Gabriel listened and nodded and said yes, sir, I understand. Accidents happen very easily, the Inspector told him. This is why you must be courteous and diligent and hard-working and never rob or cheat or steal or swear and you must keep clean and tidy and wear your school uniform just like that, that's very good.
Yes sir, Gabriel said.
For instance, the Inspector said, when a flock of hoodies grabbed poor Mrs. Roper from the shop when she was looking peacefully out her window, why that was shameful behavior, and it's just too bad the cameras couldn't see exactly who had done it. Because goodness, running up and down the stairs and around the first floor like that, they could so easily have fallen down the stairs or out the window. You don't know who would have done such a thing, do you?
No, sir, I would never have friends like that, sir, Gabriel said.
Good boy. Good boy, the Inspector said.
There are even more cameras now than there were last summer. They move purposefully, tracking people as they walk down the road. Not everyone. Just people who dress flashy or weird or are selling something or wear hoodies. Gabriel doesn't wear a hoodie any more, not since last summer. He told his mum he wanted his hair cut short, too. The cameras especially watch schoolboys. There's a camera in the school lunch room, and one on every exit, and one in the lavatory. All the boys wash their hands carefully now. And there's a camera in every alley, on back garden posts. And monitors hired by the Neighborhood Watch Alliance, on bicycles, with walkie-talkies. They all report back to his grandfather. Gabriel's grandfather runs the cameras.
There was a lot of accidental damage to the village square, too, little dings and divots in the stone that looked like bullet holes but were actually weather-related due to the storms that Gabriel can't actually remember. That weather damage kept the village from winning Village of the Year last year. The Inspector is very, very disappointed, says Mrs. Paver the schoolmistress. They're all very, very disappointed. But this year will be different. The village is even nicer this year than last year.
There have been no accidents in the nine months since Danny Butterman died. But Gabriel saw a traveling flute player in the square one day, and he never came back, even though he made a decent amount of money. But Mrs. Roper from the shop didn't like him, and he was right outside her door, and she called the police, and he never came back. Also, Claude and his dad moved away very suddenly and Gabriel doesn't have their new number.
Today it's a lovely spring day and Gabriel is walking home with Aaron A. Aaronson. They're both in the church choir. Gabriel's granddad encouraged him to join. Aaron only speaks when spoken to, anymore, but he sings to God beautifully.
Aaron found Angel's body stuck on the church spire in the model village back in the summer when everyone died. The cameras follow them as they walk down the alley, talking about footie. Gabriel talks about footie and Aaron nods, anyway. Then Aaron shoves him hard behind a fence.
Mrs. Cartwright's little dog trots up. Aaron picks him up and holds him so he wags his tail. Aaron looks around, carefully, between the fence slats and into the house and up in the sky and in all the trees, and then he touches his mouth to Gabriel's ear and breathes:
"Sergeant Angel was already dead when they put him on the spire."
Gabriel knew that. But Aaron spoke it aloud, and he's never heard anyone speak what they all know aloud. Aaron pulls back and tears well up on his red lashes.
Gabriel mouths without speaking, how did he die? Aaron cocks his finger and mimes a gun. He jerks his finger four times. Four gunshot wounds.
Gabriel knew that too, that they shot the policeman. He and his mates Brian and Claude and David and Jamie and Chaz and Rob pulled Mrs. Roper out of the window and sat on her until the shouting and the shooting stopped. Then when that was done, Gabriel peeked out of the window and didn't see Angel; he saw the Inspector yelling at Danny Butterman in front of the pub, that's all. So they ran out the service door and scattered down the alley.
Aaron's face is wet. He's not making any sound as he cries. He wipes his face on the fluffy little dog. Gabriel can't say anything either--the whole town has eyes and ears, the rocks and stones and swans and all--but he touches Aaron on the forehead and then himself, and he zips his mouth shut.
Aaron nods. The little dog licks his face. In a moment he stops crying, and he lets the dog go, and they creep out into the empty alley. Oh; they're between camera zones by a hair. Clever Aaron.
Gabriel talks about what a lovely dog Mrs. Cartwright has and how smart he is and how well-trained, that he can sit up. Aaron nods.
A week later, Aaron A. Aaronson has a fatal bike accident. He fell into a stream, says Constable Thatcher. What a shame. But you must be careful, and it turns out he was one of them hoodies. She says this to Sergeant Fisher while Gabriel listens underneath the hedge.
Gabriel walks on his elbows backwards under the hedge until he can emerge behind a stone wall, and then he runs doubled over so they can't see him and report him to the Inspector for snooping. Then, when he's far enough away, he throws up and cries.
Aaron was in your year at school, did you know him? asks his grandfather.
Not much, sir, Gabriel says. We were in the choir together. We talked about football.
What a shame, his grandfather says.
All the NWA is there at Aaron's funeral.
Hello there, little man, Mr. Skinner says. He leans over. He smells like sausage.
Hello, sir, Gabriel says.
Pity about your chum. Turns out he was one of them hoodies, Mr. Skinner says.
Yes, sir, Gabriel says.
But of course you're not like that, Mr. Skinner says.
No, sir, Gabriel says.
Have a biscuit, Mr. Skinner says.
Gabriel takes a biscuit.
Soon you'll be old enough to come work for me, Mr. Skinner says. He ruffles Gabriel's hair.
Yes, sir, in a few years, sir, Gabriel says.
What a good boy you are. Just be sure you stay that way, Mr. Skinner says.
The next day at school, Mrs. Paver hands out graded papers. When she reaches the end, she still has one paper in her hand; it's Aaron's. She crumples it up and throws it away.
Gabriel got an A. He always gets an A now. When he looks at his fellow schoolmates, he sees short hair and tucked in shirts and shined shoes and no hoodies at all. They all need to be perfect. Two rows back, Brian looks horrified. He's never been very good in school. Gabriel bet he got a D or an F.
Pay attention, Mrs. Paver says.
Gabriel whirls around.
Especially you, Brian, no repeats of that shocking work, Mrs. Paver says.
Brian stifles a sniffle. Gabriel's eyes are locked forward.
A month later, Brian and his mum--who's been on the dole for six months and starting to cause talk--are in a fatal traffic accident.
What a shame, Sergeant Fisher says to Constable Thatcher. So many accidents.
the end.