Closed What A Wonderful Day

Theodore was not a hateful boy, but from this day forward, he would despise the Mandrakes with all his heart and soul. It happened in Miss McLouglin's Herbology class. Before him stood a pot, a wailing mandrake, and a new pot to transplant it into. Theodore had studied the procedure, but it wasn't clear enough. When he tried to replant the mandrake, it began to shake and wiggle. It scared him. He let the poor mandrake fall to the ground, and as he bounced away from the table, he pulled down the clay pot on top of him. So his classmates were long gone, and he was given the task of cleaning up the mess. This would explain why Theodore was covered in dirt. He had it on his shirt, his trousers, and even on his face. He even managed to get some of it in his hair, making him look like he had decided to take a bath in the mud.

As he walked around the school grounds, he stubbornly kept his eyes on the ground. He refused to look anyone in the eye. He walked briskly, resisting the temptation to sprint and seek refuge behind the walls as soon as possible. He was angry at himself and his clumsiness. Why was it that everyone else had no trouble at all transplanting a plant from one pot to another? Why was he the only one who had smashed it to the ground? Should he have tried harder, and spent more time with the books? Would that have helped? Would Miss McLouglin remember what had happened?

It wasn't that hard to get lost in thought. So it wasn't until he lifted his head to see a row of trees in front of him that he realized he lost his path. He'd never seen them before in his life, nor the passageways hidden behind them. He whirled around. There was no one in sight. He swore under his breath and looked around again. Should he go back and try to find his way again? Or should he enter the corridors that were already here, even though he had no idea where they would lead him?