Page 20

By Jack Joseph Smith

20 You shouldn't be-like-a-baby, and expect‘me to come and geb.you every days I'm net anbabys' And what’ are you deing sitting on. the floor? You could have-sat’ en the- ceuch you knew, I stood up and began walking-toward’ her: and I knew’ the whole-world: was listening, when:I said; ,I sab: om the floor, beoause-I wanted’ the reom te lock bigers ; At first. I was ‘happy, when she teld me-to go in the reom with the ether children and eat my lunch; but after I had passed through the reem and its: children and taken my packed lunch from the cloak room, .I became afraid with the inter Oe ccvas. mice in the oleak room I had ne times and new I was afraid she would come, My long: hall liad been seperate frem thems It gave-me distance; They had had to ceme te mes. That's phe way it was¢ It had been set, But now I must go te them, It was hard, but I was: afraid ‘ef her-callg I had te waik from the-cloak reom te Eom, fer if she or they came te me I would ‘cry, . When I stepped from the-cleak room Boe rumen-nere-trigt and‘ invelved’ with lunch, .and'she-wassbusy talking and’ smilging with everyones Later im the-day I nas-nasrag Uy I even stggledy when Mre.. Williams: said‘ it was:time to go homeg I wagcene of the last ones to be taken homey ,and’ although I had fun with the other children:in the tack ef the new-station wagom, I was-glad to leave-a-winter chilah 70 lose-oommunt gn ef heavy coats and climb, feet um what! touching the seat covers-clearner than’ snew, ,until my boots steed in the street slosh and I said, good by Miss Williemes

Original Scan

Page 20

AI Interpretation

GPT

Asked why he sits on the floor, the child says he wanted the room to look bigger, then struggles through lunch, cloakroom fear, and the return to group life before finally riding home relieved.

That line about making the room look bigger explains the whole hallway episode: space itself has become part of his defense and imagination. Once he has to cross back toward the others under her call, the hall loses its power and the ordinary school world turns frightening.

Claude

The kingly corridor collapses into shame when Michael is made to walk back through the room — his long hall had been separate, They had had to come to mes — and he eats lunch afraid of the interchangeable children.