Wolfie and the Schoolyard Mystery, Part 1: The First Friend

A soft sob came from the corner of the school garden. Caleb sat alone on a wooden bench, his small shoulders trembling as he tried to hold back his tears. Then Wolfie arrived.

A soft sob came from the corner of the school garden. Caleb sat alone on one corner of a wooden bench, his small shoulders trembling as he tried to hold back his tears.

Around him, children were running across the field, laughing and playing during recess. Some were chasing one another, while others were happily sharing snacks and making new friends.

But Caleb sat quietly by himself.

His oversized school bag looked almost as big as he was. He hugged it tightly against his chest as tears rolled down his cheeks.

He missed home. He missed Mum. Most of all, he missed Grandma.

For as long as he could remember, Grandma had always been by his side. She would hold his hand, pack his favourite snacks, and tell him everything would be alright.

But now she wasn't here.

It was only the second week of Primary One, yet to Caleb, it felt like he had been away from home forever.

"Caleb, are you okay?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Caleb slowly lifted his head.

Through his blurry, tear-filled eyes, he saw a boy standing before him.

It was Joshua.

Joshua was about the same age as Caleb, but the two boys could not have been more different.

While Caleb was skinny and timid, Joshua seemed full of energy and confidence. His short black hair was neatly combed, though a few stubborn strands stuck up at the front. His school uniform was slightly crumpled from running around during recess, and his socks had slipped halfway down his ankles.

When Joshua smiled, Caleb noticed a gap right in the middle of his front teeth. One of his baby teeth had recently fallen out, making his grin look funny and friendly at the same time.

Behind a pair of round spectacles were bright, curious eyes that sparkled with kindness.

Joshua looked like the sort of boy who was always getting into adventures.

Looking at Caleb's tear-stained face, Joshua's cheerful smile faded.

Without saying a word, he sat down beside him.

"Are you okay?" he asked again gently.

Instead of answering, Caleb pointed towards his knees.

Joshua leaned forward.

Both knees were covered with scratches.

"Ouch..."

Joshua frowned.

He wasn't unfamiliar with scrapes and bruises.

In fact, his own legs were covered with tiny scars from climbing trees, riding bicycles, chasing insects and all sorts of little adventures.

To Joshua, a scraped knee was almost a badge of honour.

"You fell?" he asked.

Caleb nodded.

"Someone pushed me."

Joshua's eyebrows shot up.

"Someone pushed you? Who?"

Caleb shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Why did he push you?"

Caleb hugged his school bag tighter.

"He wanted my Transformer lunch box."

"Your lunch box?"

Caleb nodded.

"It's my favourite one. Grandma gave it to me before school started."

The moment he mentioned Grandma, his lips began to tremble.

"I told him no..."

His voice grew softer.

"And... and I miss Grandma..."

The tears that had been building up inside him finally burst out.

"WAAAHHHHH!"

Caleb started crying loudly.

Joshua immediately panicked.

"H-Hey! Don't cry!"

He looked left. He looked right. He searched his pockets for tissues.

Nothing.

"Oh no..."

Just then, someone nearby heard the commotion.

Teacher Laura was taking her usual walk around the school garden with Wolfie, the school's fluffy husky mascot.

Wolfie's ears perked up immediately.

Something wasn't right.

The husky lifted his nose. Sniff... sniff... sniff... His bright brown eyes narrowed.

A child was upset. Very upset.

Wolfie switched into what Teacher Laura jokingly called his Husky Detective Mode.

Without warning, he started marching purposefully towards the source of the crying.

"Wolfie?" Teacher Laura blinked. "Where are you going?"

Wolfie ignored her. A mystery needed solving. And Detective Wolfie was already on the case.

Moments later, Wolfie arrived in front of the two boys.

The husky sat down and tilted his head. "Woof?"

Caleb stopped crying for a moment. His eyes widened. "A doggy..."

Wolfie slowly moved closer and gently rested his fluffy head on Caleb's lap.

Caleb hesitated. Then he carefully stroked Wolfie's soft fur.

To his surprise, he immediately felt a little better.

"See?" said Teacher Laura as she arrived beside them. "Wolfie always knows when someone is sad."

Wolfie wagged his tail proudly.

Teacher Laura crouched beside Caleb and examined his knees. "Oh dear. Those look painful."

She carefully cleaned his wounds and placed small plasters over the scratches. "There."

Caleb sniffed. "Thank you, Teacher."

Teacher Laura smiled. Then she looked at Joshua. "And thank you, Joshua."

Joshua blinked. "For what?"

"For staying with your friend."

Joshua glanced at Caleb. For some reason, hearing Teacher Laura call Caleb his friend made him smile.

Before he knew it, the words slipped out naturally. "He's my friend."

Caleb looked up. Friend. Nobody had called him that before. A small smile appeared on his face.

Teacher Laura chuckled. "Well then, friends should eat together."

Joshua immediately opened his lunch box. Inside were two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches neatly cut into triangles, and a small bottle of Milo.

"My mum made these this morning," Joshua said proudly.

Caleb opened his own lunch box. Inside were a few chicken nuggets, some apple slices and a small packet of raisins.

Joshua grinned. "Wanna trade?"

Caleb blinked. "Really?"

"Of course!" Joshua passed him one of the sandwiches.

Caleb took a bite. His eyes immediately lit up. "It's good!"

Joshua laughed. "I know! My mum makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

The two boys sat together on the bench, happily sharing their lunch while Wolfie sat nearby, staring intensely at the nuggets.

The husky's eyes followed every single nugget that moved from Caleb's lunch box towards his mouth.

Teacher Laura folded her arms. "Wolfie."

Wolfie immediately looked away, as though he hadn't been staring at the nuggets at all.

Teacher Laura shook her head. "You've already had your lunch."

Wolfie sighed dramatically and rested his chin on his paws. The boys burst out laughing.

For the first time since school started, Caleb didn't feel lonely anymore. And for the first time since school started, he felt like he had made a real friend.

As the afternoon bell rang, the two boys picked up their bags and walked back to class together.

Neither of them knew it then, but this friendship would one day be tested in ways they could never imagine.

For today, however, none of that mattered. Today was simply the day Caleb met his first friend.

Or so he thought.

As Joshua and Caleb walked back towards their classroom, neither boy noticed a figure standing at the far end of the corridor.

A much older student leaned against the wall with his arms folded. He was tall. Broad. And not particularly pleasant-looking.

His eyes followed the two boys as they walked away laughing together. Beside him, a few younger students quickly moved out of his way. Nobody wanted to get too close to him.

The older boy smirked. "New friends, huh?"

He watched them disappear around the corner. Then he slowly pushed himself off the wall and walked away.

From across the school garden, Wolfie suddenly stopped walking. The husky's ears twitched. He turned and stared towards the empty corridor.

For a moment, a strange feeling settled in his chest. As though trouble was coming.

And somewhere in the distance, a bully named Benny smiled.

To be continued...