First Warning Signs of an Uproar
Timmy’s anxiety kept building up inside him as the bus was continuing its course. Earlier, he tried to convince himself it was only hisimagination. But that odor lingered there and before he knew it filled the entire bus. It was never overpowering but strange enough for him to make him squirm in the seat while shifting his focus on his studies. The smell was constantly there, hovering in the background. He kept looking to see if everyone else around felt the same but no one seemed to mind. It was like he knew the other kids were blind to the fact that he was sensing something, or maybe he was just being paranoid.
In that particular instance, Timmy started racing in his head, considering what might have caused such a peculiar smell. Was it a chemical within the bus itself? Or was the problem with the driver? Timmy was always cautious and in tune with his surroundings – attributes his parents had taught him at an early age. He thought of Mr. Jenkins, the bus driver, who usually kept smiling, calm, and dependable. There was something today that was different. Timmy looked up to the front, and he even noticed that Mr. Jenkins was somehow not himself, his back slumped, his head nodding from time to time, as if he’s trying to stay awake. That was so unlike Mr. Jenkins.
Timmy’s heart started racing as he realized that the two things—the strange smell and the unusual behavior of the driver—might be connected. He had heard stories before about people fainting or losing consciousness due to medical emergencies, and he wondered if that was what was happening to Mr. Jenkins. The more he thought about it, the more concerned he became. His instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong, and he felt an overwhelming urge. Something had to be done, and now. But he was just a kid—what could he do? That thought troubled him, but it did not stop him from thinking of what to do next.
