The Bradbury Chronicles

The Loop of Mooney

         “Mad Mooney has lost his mind.”

         “Hmm. Interesting.”

         He snapped the notebook shut, removed his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose before meeting the defiant stare of the sulking boy before him.

         “Are you responsible for the twin message written on the gym wall, Master Thomas?”

         “No, sir,” the teen muttered. “I didn’t do it.”

         “Then who did?”

         “How should I know? Every time something happens, you blame me!”

         Mooney sighed. “Can’t be helped, can it? Your reputation precedes you—and this is your notebook, your handwriting.”

         “I was only copying what was written. I thought it was funny.”

         “Indeed.”

         Mooney’s lips thinned. “Five-page reflective essay or a week’s detention. Your choice.”

         Thomas exploded in protest—shouting about how unfair it was, accusing Mooney of being crazy—before storming out. When the echo of his footsteps faded, Mooney brewed himself tea, satisfied that justice had been served.

         A knock interrupted him.

         “Master Thomas is here,” his secretary announced.

         Mooney smiled. “Send him in.”

         He reached for the notebook as the scruffy fifteen-year-old shuffled into the room.

         “Mad Mooney has lost his mind.”

         “Hmm. Interesting.”

         He snapped the notebook shut again, removed his glasses, rubbed his nose, and stared at the defiant boy before him.

         “Are you responsible for the twin message written on the gym wall, Master Thomas?”

–––

         Dr. Melville stared at the patient’s notebook, the words ‘I didn’t do it’ scrawled endlessly across its pages.

         “…was a high-school teacher over twenty years ago,” the nurse read softly. “Now lives alone. People see him wandering the streets, scrubbing graffiti and muttering, ‘I didn’t do it’ beneath his breath. No one really knows the reason for it, though some speculate he could still be harbouring some guilt over a former student’s suicide…”




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Word Count: 293
Prompt: Write a story that includes the line: “I didn’t do it.”
Written For: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"