Little Tom watched the snake slither past him, his eyes gleaming with curiousity and excitement. He noticed that the snake seemed to slow down when it approached him. He wanted it to stop.
"Stop," he whispered but was surprised to notice that it sounded more like a hiss. He was even more surprised to see that the snake actually stopped at his command.
"I can talk to snakes," he whispered to himself.
"Yeah right," Tom heard a sneering voice behind him and spun around to face a mean looking boy.
"What is it, Dennis?" Tom asked, his voice calm and dangerous.
"Oooo....I'm scared!" Dennis smirked. "What will you do, Tom? Ask your snake pal to bite me?" Dennis' companions burst out laughing.
"Should I?" the snake hissed and Tom was startled again. He shook his head slowly.
Dennis and his friends laughed harder. "You're a freak, Riddle," they taunted him.
The taunts didn't affect Tom. "I'm not a freak," he said to himself. "I'm not mad as Mrs Cook thinks. I'm special."
~*~
Mrs Cook looked out at the garden and saw Tom walking back inside the orphanage, muttering to himself. She rushed out.
"Hello Tom," she greeted him, eyeing him warily. "Don't you want to play outside with your friends?"
Tom looked at her squarely in the eyes and Mrs Cook flinched. She hated to admit that Tom intimidated her. Very much.
"I have no friends," he replied, his voice bare of any emotions.
Mrs Cook placed a nervous hand on Tom's shoulder but took it away almost instantly when Tom stared at her. She wanted to find a way to get rid of him. Other children complained about his thieving and bullying. Though she never witnessed either, she couldn't ignore the tell-tale but unusual signs of bullying. And when questioned, Tom denied it all.
"I know I can make bad things happen to people who are bad to me," he would say. "But I don't know how." And he would retreat back to his room.
Mrs Cook was not surprised at Tom's current claim about not having friends. No one wanted to be his friend. They were all frightened of him. Some of them displayed their fears openly whereas some others, like Mrs Cook herself, hid it behind a mask of indifference.
But the truth was: they were all scared of Tom Marvolo Riddle. And Tom knew it. And he liked being feared. It gave him a sense of authority over them. A feeling of power.
"Stop," he whispered but was surprised to notice that it sounded more like a hiss. He was even more surprised to see that the snake actually stopped at his command.
"I can talk to snakes," he whispered to himself.
"Yeah right," Tom heard a sneering voice behind him and spun around to face a mean looking boy.
"What is it, Dennis?" Tom asked, his voice calm and dangerous.
"Oooo....I'm scared!" Dennis smirked. "What will you do, Tom? Ask your snake pal to bite me?" Dennis' companions burst out laughing.
"Should I?" the snake hissed and Tom was startled again. He shook his head slowly.
Dennis and his friends laughed harder. "You're a freak, Riddle," they taunted him.
The taunts didn't affect Tom. "I'm not a freak," he said to himself. "I'm not mad as Mrs Cook thinks. I'm special."
~*~
Mrs Cook looked out at the garden and saw Tom walking back inside the orphanage, muttering to himself. She rushed out.
"Hello Tom," she greeted him, eyeing him warily. "Don't you want to play outside with your friends?"
Tom looked at her squarely in the eyes and Mrs Cook flinched. She hated to admit that Tom intimidated her. Very much.
"I have no friends," he replied, his voice bare of any emotions.
Mrs Cook placed a nervous hand on Tom's shoulder but took it away almost instantly when Tom stared at her. She wanted to find a way to get rid of him. Other children complained about his thieving and bullying. Though she never witnessed either, she couldn't ignore the tell-tale but unusual signs of bullying. And when questioned, Tom denied it all.
"I know I can make bad things happen to people who are bad to me," he would say. "But I don't know how." And he would retreat back to his room.
Mrs Cook was not surprised at Tom's current claim about not having friends. No one wanted to be his friend. They were all frightened of him. Some of them displayed their fears openly whereas some others, like Mrs Cook herself, hid it behind a mask of indifference.
But the truth was: they were all scared of Tom Marvolo Riddle. And Tom knew it. And he liked being feared. It gave him a sense of authority over them. A feeling of power.
Hmmmm. I can sense a twist in here. Could it be that Tom isn't really a bully but a victim of one? And that he only "makes bad things happen to people who are bad to him" out of self-preservation? Anger and hate hiked up until it broke open forcibly and violently, making him the person that he is.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Anna! Circumstances and surroundings play a huge role in shaping our personalities and clearly Tom wasn't all that fortunate on that front, what with his slacker father and dead mother, not to mention a completely deranged and ostracized childhood at the orphanage!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he subconsciously wanted to exact revenge on everything and everyone, just for screwing his life up and alienating him! Poor boy, no child deserves this, let alone one destined for a dark and evil fate, which actually was a product f this messed up childhood of his....
No one is born evil. Circumstances shape us up. Similarly, Tom wasn't born evil. The hostile atmosphere he faced in every step in his life made him what he became later in life.
ReplyDeleteBut if we really think about it,Harry didn't have a worthwhile childhood too. He was fed by the Dursleys with abuse, insult and neglect. His neighbours and classmates thought he was a lunatic and a problem child. The only only refuge and solace he had before he knew Hogwarts was his pitiful room under the stairs.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point, Anna!!! But, Harry had his mother's love in his blood as a protection. Tom didn't have that.
ReplyDeleteHarry was cared for, deep down his soul knew that he was loved with a love so deep that hatred couldn't penetrate it! Sadly, Tom wasn't as fortunate..... and the of course his malice kept multiplying with neglect, anger and a general antagonism towards his family and the world!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the fact that some people in the orphanage openly displayed their dislike for Tom didn't help matters.
ReplyDelete