Author's Note: Hello, all. I think there should be an actual Holes
section. I suggested one, but so far no word. This is my first Holes fic,
and I think there is a shocking lack of stories in the middle-of-book time
frame. All of them (with the exception of I think one) are either about
Holes 2 or a girl coming to Camp Greenlake. I think that is just sad.
There is also a frightening lack of no Stanley-centred fics. So here's an
angsty, slightly AU Holes ficcy with the main character being Stanley
Yelnats.
I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Holes.
Timeframe: This story takes place just before Zero runs away.
~*~
Stanley Yelnats pushed the shovel up over his shoulder as he walked back from digging his hole. He placed it back in the little shed labelled 'library' and went to go have a shower. Mr. Sir slammed the shed doors shut and clamped on a padlock, glaring all the while at Stanley.
After a much needed, and altogether too short shower, Stanley dragged himself to the clubhouse. Zero's reading lessons had stopped this week because some boys from C-tent were threatening to tell on them for Stanley only digging half a hole. So they had decided to wait a week, just to be safe.
Stanley sat on a deflated chair and picked at the foam coming through the hole. Zero came and sat beside him on the large chair.
"D-O-G." Stanley said quietly. There was nothing stopping him from practicing with Zero.
Zero thought for a while. Than he looked up at Stanley.
"That's easy. Dog." He said.
Stanley nodded.
"Alright, I'll ask some harder ones than." He paused. "S-H-O-V-E-L"
Zero was quiet for longer with that one. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair as he concentrated.
"Showve.... Shovel!" He said, a bit triumphantly. Stanley laughed.
"Soon I'm going to run out of words! Alright, C-A-M-P."
Zero thought again.
"Cam. Camp." Stanley nodded. He fell back on the chair. "Oomph. Zero, I'm getting outta shape with only digging half a hole. Digging a full one is killing me!"
"You never were in shape." Zero said quietly. "You always were a slow digger."
Stanley snorted. "Coming from the living mole." Zero smiled faintly.
"Hey! Caveman!" X-Ray shouted from where him, Squid and Armpit were playing pool on the trashed green surface.
Stanley waved back, but Zero said nothing. They hadn't greeted him.
~*~
Stanley stared across the desert. Dirt was blowing up in the early- morning darkness.
"Gotta beat the sun." Zigzag muttered from ahead of him, his shovel over his shoulder.
"It's better than digging in the hot sun." Squid replied from beside him. He had his baseball cap on and his orange suit top hanging around his waist.
Stanley kicked at a dirt pile he passed, some sand getting in his boot. He grasped his shovel behind his back as he walked, ignoring the thump of the wooden shaft against the back of his legs. Zero walked beside him, his shovel up on the back of his neck; his hat pulled low over his eyes.
"Dig here." Mr. Sir grunted finally as the holes were becoming more spread out. Stanley just nodded, and shoved the tip of his shovel hard into the hard surface of the dirt. He pushed down on the top with his foot for leverage, and pulled up clumps of hard-packed soil.
"Hey Mom." He heard X-Ray say after a while. Stanley turned around and saw Mr. Pendanski walking around the growing piles of dirt. The older man had sunscreen on his nose and a whistle around his neck.
"It ain't time for lunch yet, what's with the visit?" Magnet asked he wiped sweat of his forehead. The sun was not quite just above them yet, the signal for lunch.
Mr. Pendaski smiled a fake smile at Squid.
"I'm just coming around and seeing how you're doing."
'Right.' Thought Stanley. There had to be some other reason why the councillor would suddenly decide to walk through a desert in the hot sun to see kids building character.
"You've never come around before lunch before." Armpit said.
"I have come before, Theodore, you just haven't noticed."
From the raised eyebrows and disbelieving looks from the boys Stanley guessed he was lying. He certainly hadn't just randomly come around since he had been there.
With a shrug, Stanley went back to digging his holes. Zero was right; he was a slow digger. He didn't want to be the last one out here again, although he probably would be anyway.
Lunch came and went. Stanley now had a full water bottle, or as full as Mr. Sir would fill it. He still hated Stanley for being the reason he got the side of his face raked by the Warden. Stanley guessed that would never change, but one could hope.
Slowly, one by one the D-Tent boys finished their holes and left. Stanley finally finished his hole and climbed out the side. Grabbing his shovel he trudged back to camp.
When he arrived at camp, he was surprised to see the D-Tent boys lined up in front of their tent getting yelled at by Mr. Sir. Their shovels all lay in a large pile behind him and the boys hadn't had showers. Although it was hard to tell at Camp Greenlake. Stanley felt bad for Zero. If he had been standing here since he finished his hole, he must have been standing here for hours. Same as for the other boys, but not quite as long. Stanley quietly shoved his shovel in with the others and stood beside Zero. Mr. Sir didn't seem to notice him.
"This ain't a girl scout camp!" Mr. Sir's voice carried over the dirt. Stanley wondered if there was actually a point to the verbal tirade or Mr. Sir was just in the mood to yell.
"Alright, all you girls here?"
Interesting, thought Stanley, he says it isn't a girl scouts camp then calls us girls.
Apparently having done a head count of the boys in D-Tent, Mr. Sir continued.
"There's a problem here. One of these shovels," He suddenly reached behind him and pulled up a shovel. The shovel marginally smaller than the others. X-Ray's shovel. "Is shorter than the others. Some slacker hasn't been doin' his share o' the work."
The boys were quiet. X-Ray was calm as always, peering at Mr. Sir through his dirty glasses.
"Who uses this shovel?" Mr. Sir asked, finally getting to the point. His drawl seemed a bit more pronounced today than on previous occasions. He pulled his cowboy hat lower on his head, squinting at the boys lined up in front of him.
There was silence. None of the boys volunteered any information. Especially not X-Ray, who's shovel it was. Mr. Sir's gaze was drifting towards boy with glasses; it was common knowledge he was the leader in D- Tent. Especially if Zigzag was right, and the Warden did have microphones and cameras.
"It's mine." Stanley suddenly said. All the boys turned to look at him, and Mr. Sir narrowed his eyes. It was also common knowledge that Mr. Sir hated Caveman. "I always use that shovel. I-I didn't know it was shorter."
Mr. Sir walked right up to Stanley and glared down at him. Stanley could see the other boys behind his back, all looking surprised he had spoken up. Suddenly, the Texan reached forward and grabbed Stanley by the front of his orange suit.
"Come with me." He spat between clenched teeth, and dragged him towards his office. Stanley suddenly smelt the strong smell of liqueur on his breath. The man was stumbling slightly as he walked. Mr. Sir was drunk.
To Be Continued...
~*~
Author's Notes: Duh, duh, DUHNNN!!!! Mwahahaha! I think I'm the only one who knows what's going to happen (but I'm willing to hear your guesses!), but lets just say it's not going to be easy for poor Caveman.
REVIEW!!!!!!! Please?
Later days,
~Eh, Man
*
P.S. : Does anyone actually read this section? Is anyone reading this story? Please, review! If you don't have time, or just generally don't like reviewing just drop a name or a line saying your actually reading this and I should keep going! Please! At most it takes a total of a minute to jot down a few things!
I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Holes.
Timeframe: This story takes place just before Zero runs away.
~*~
Stanley Yelnats pushed the shovel up over his shoulder as he walked back from digging his hole. He placed it back in the little shed labelled 'library' and went to go have a shower. Mr. Sir slammed the shed doors shut and clamped on a padlock, glaring all the while at Stanley.
After a much needed, and altogether too short shower, Stanley dragged himself to the clubhouse. Zero's reading lessons had stopped this week because some boys from C-tent were threatening to tell on them for Stanley only digging half a hole. So they had decided to wait a week, just to be safe.
Stanley sat on a deflated chair and picked at the foam coming through the hole. Zero came and sat beside him on the large chair.
"D-O-G." Stanley said quietly. There was nothing stopping him from practicing with Zero.
Zero thought for a while. Than he looked up at Stanley.
"That's easy. Dog." He said.
Stanley nodded.
"Alright, I'll ask some harder ones than." He paused. "S-H-O-V-E-L"
Zero was quiet for longer with that one. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair as he concentrated.
"Showve.... Shovel!" He said, a bit triumphantly. Stanley laughed.
"Soon I'm going to run out of words! Alright, C-A-M-P."
Zero thought again.
"Cam. Camp." Stanley nodded. He fell back on the chair. "Oomph. Zero, I'm getting outta shape with only digging half a hole. Digging a full one is killing me!"
"You never were in shape." Zero said quietly. "You always were a slow digger."
Stanley snorted. "Coming from the living mole." Zero smiled faintly.
"Hey! Caveman!" X-Ray shouted from where him, Squid and Armpit were playing pool on the trashed green surface.
Stanley waved back, but Zero said nothing. They hadn't greeted him.
~*~
Stanley stared across the desert. Dirt was blowing up in the early- morning darkness.
"Gotta beat the sun." Zigzag muttered from ahead of him, his shovel over his shoulder.
"It's better than digging in the hot sun." Squid replied from beside him. He had his baseball cap on and his orange suit top hanging around his waist.
Stanley kicked at a dirt pile he passed, some sand getting in his boot. He grasped his shovel behind his back as he walked, ignoring the thump of the wooden shaft against the back of his legs. Zero walked beside him, his shovel up on the back of his neck; his hat pulled low over his eyes.
"Dig here." Mr. Sir grunted finally as the holes were becoming more spread out. Stanley just nodded, and shoved the tip of his shovel hard into the hard surface of the dirt. He pushed down on the top with his foot for leverage, and pulled up clumps of hard-packed soil.
"Hey Mom." He heard X-Ray say after a while. Stanley turned around and saw Mr. Pendanski walking around the growing piles of dirt. The older man had sunscreen on his nose and a whistle around his neck.
"It ain't time for lunch yet, what's with the visit?" Magnet asked he wiped sweat of his forehead. The sun was not quite just above them yet, the signal for lunch.
Mr. Pendaski smiled a fake smile at Squid.
"I'm just coming around and seeing how you're doing."
'Right.' Thought Stanley. There had to be some other reason why the councillor would suddenly decide to walk through a desert in the hot sun to see kids building character.
"You've never come around before lunch before." Armpit said.
"I have come before, Theodore, you just haven't noticed."
From the raised eyebrows and disbelieving looks from the boys Stanley guessed he was lying. He certainly hadn't just randomly come around since he had been there.
With a shrug, Stanley went back to digging his holes. Zero was right; he was a slow digger. He didn't want to be the last one out here again, although he probably would be anyway.
Lunch came and went. Stanley now had a full water bottle, or as full as Mr. Sir would fill it. He still hated Stanley for being the reason he got the side of his face raked by the Warden. Stanley guessed that would never change, but one could hope.
Slowly, one by one the D-Tent boys finished their holes and left. Stanley finally finished his hole and climbed out the side. Grabbing his shovel he trudged back to camp.
When he arrived at camp, he was surprised to see the D-Tent boys lined up in front of their tent getting yelled at by Mr. Sir. Their shovels all lay in a large pile behind him and the boys hadn't had showers. Although it was hard to tell at Camp Greenlake. Stanley felt bad for Zero. If he had been standing here since he finished his hole, he must have been standing here for hours. Same as for the other boys, but not quite as long. Stanley quietly shoved his shovel in with the others and stood beside Zero. Mr. Sir didn't seem to notice him.
"This ain't a girl scout camp!" Mr. Sir's voice carried over the dirt. Stanley wondered if there was actually a point to the verbal tirade or Mr. Sir was just in the mood to yell.
"Alright, all you girls here?"
Interesting, thought Stanley, he says it isn't a girl scouts camp then calls us girls.
Apparently having done a head count of the boys in D-Tent, Mr. Sir continued.
"There's a problem here. One of these shovels," He suddenly reached behind him and pulled up a shovel. The shovel marginally smaller than the others. X-Ray's shovel. "Is shorter than the others. Some slacker hasn't been doin' his share o' the work."
The boys were quiet. X-Ray was calm as always, peering at Mr. Sir through his dirty glasses.
"Who uses this shovel?" Mr. Sir asked, finally getting to the point. His drawl seemed a bit more pronounced today than on previous occasions. He pulled his cowboy hat lower on his head, squinting at the boys lined up in front of him.
There was silence. None of the boys volunteered any information. Especially not X-Ray, who's shovel it was. Mr. Sir's gaze was drifting towards boy with glasses; it was common knowledge he was the leader in D- Tent. Especially if Zigzag was right, and the Warden did have microphones and cameras.
"It's mine." Stanley suddenly said. All the boys turned to look at him, and Mr. Sir narrowed his eyes. It was also common knowledge that Mr. Sir hated Caveman. "I always use that shovel. I-I didn't know it was shorter."
Mr. Sir walked right up to Stanley and glared down at him. Stanley could see the other boys behind his back, all looking surprised he had spoken up. Suddenly, the Texan reached forward and grabbed Stanley by the front of his orange suit.
"Come with me." He spat between clenched teeth, and dragged him towards his office. Stanley suddenly smelt the strong smell of liqueur on his breath. The man was stumbling slightly as he walked. Mr. Sir was drunk.
To Be Continued...
~*~
Author's Notes: Duh, duh, DUHNNN!!!! Mwahahaha! I think I'm the only one who knows what's going to happen (but I'm willing to hear your guesses!), but lets just say it's not going to be easy for poor Caveman.
REVIEW!!!!!!! Please?
Later days,
~Eh, Man
*
P.S. : Does anyone actually read this section? Is anyone reading this story? Please, review! If you don't have time, or just generally don't like reviewing just drop a name or a line saying your actually reading this and I should keep going! Please! At most it takes a total of a minute to jot down a few things!