‘œWhat’™s your name?’
‘œAnsi.’  What’™s yours?’
‘œMaynard.’
‘œWhat a funny name.’  Play conkers?’
‘œ’˜Course.’
‘œ’˜Cummon then.’  I got one -‘  the knight.’  Beats all.’  Beat yours too.’
‘œNo he won’™t.’  I got one I call Gallahad.’  Got twenty four with ‘˜im.’  Bet I’™ll get your knight.’
‘œCummon then.’
I wound Gallahad’™s string carefully around my finger with the horse-chestnut dangling freely. It was early autumn, the start of the school year, when the brown nuts were at their hardest and best.’  Now and then my conker touched my bare knee as it swung freely. Squinting critically and carefully at Ansi’™s knight I willed Gallahad to win.’  The knight looked’  dryer and more brittle than mine.’  He held it chest high at arm’™s length and it was swinging in a slow circle.’ ‘  I concentrated with all the mind that an eight year old can muster, then swung Gallahad around my head and shoulder in a strong, anti-clock swing.
Gallahad struck Ansi’™s conker full on.’ ‘  Head to head.’  The knight shattered to smithereens, exploding into a hundred fragments while Ansi’™s astonished look turned first to disbelief and then dismay.’  One of the pieces struck my cheek but the sting was sweet.’  Gallahad had another to his credit and I shouted in exultation – ‘œtwenty five!’’  But my victory call was short lived and I myself was surprised when, almost against my will my jubilation dwindled, then died when I saw the look on Ansi’™s face.’  He was the first acquaintance I had made at my new school and I did not relish the idea that I would have made my first enemy.
‘œCheer up Ansi, you’™ll get another hero.’  Know what?’ ‘  I got to know a great tree with millions on it. I’™ll show you where. We’™ll look for another together.’’  Ansi’™s look changed considerably and he even managed a crooked smile.
‘œOkay, then.’  After school?’
‘œYeh.’  Sure.’  Why not. Where d’™you live?’
‘œFountain street.’
‘œHey,’  I live there, too!’
‘œ What number?’
‘œThree.’
‘œWe’™re seven.’  So you are the people that just moved in?’
‘œYeh, I answered.’  From Wickham.’  My dad’™s got a new job.’  Manager of a branch,’ I said feeling quite a reflection of the importance of the position and the impression such a statement ought to ma ke.
‘œOh,’ was all Ansi said. ‘œ
We met at first break and, feeling very new in my strange surroundings, I was glad when Ansi, noisy among a small group of other experts at noise-making said to me as if I was one of them , ‘œMayni,’ – the abreviation’  came naturally -‘wanna play goaly?’
As I recall our first meeting so long ago now, the details of it come to me clearly and in sharp focus like a summer photograph on that brilliant autumn day.’  After school we had gone together as buddies would.’  We crossed the North circular and I led Ansi to a field devided by hedge-rows to a dip and another field, at the end of which stood this enormous, solitary, horse-chestnut tree.
‘œYou are new here, how d’™ you know of this tree?’  Even my dad doesn’™t know of it.’
My dad was born in these parts and the first thing he did when we were unpacked was to take me for a walk here. ‘˜I want to show you a conker tree’™, he said to me, ‘˜where I collected when I was a kid like you.’™ It is a secret and you must promise not to tell anyone.’’  I promised.
‘œWhy’™d you show it to me Mayni?’
‘œCause I think we are friends, and friends shouldn’™t have secrets.’  Isn’™t that so?’
‘œYeh.’  I guess!’  Gee thanks. Just look at this one.’  What a beaut! ‘œ
There had been something about Ansi that had been open and dependable from the moment we met.’  An instinct, I think, that only the young detect instantly.’  From then on we were inseparables. His friends were mine.’  Mine his.’  But’  Ansi and I were something more than friends.
I was often glad of this. Being new and only in class two, the inevitable bully swaggered over to me and dropped a pencil.’  ‘œPick it up!’ His voice was nasty.
‘œYou pick it up!’’  I was astonished at Ansi’™s bravado as he came over.’  ‘œWe’™re together.’  If you take ‘˜im on, you take me on too.’
The scuffle was short- lived. I aimed my shoe at the boy’™s shin.’  It struck hard while Ansi’™s wild swing hit him with a thump on the side of his neck.’  The bully must have decided then that the struggle just wasn’™t worth the results and walked off in a huff. No doubt the short bout hurt but he pretended that he had other important things to do.’  My ear was burning and I had a strong pain in the arm, but it had been worth it.’  I looked at Ansi who was smiling broadly: ‘œThanks – pal. Two against one is fair when the one is a bully, eh?
‘œSure. Damn sure.’
Over the next six years we became and remained like brothers sharing’  one another’™s delights and pains.’  Between us there were no secrets.
Though Ansi had a tendency to be thought of as fat, his build was more stocky than due to any excess of fat.’  As we grew older, he remained a little stubby but was very strong.’  I tended to grow lanky and remained thin.’  I was more meditative and somewhat of an introvert,’  while Ansi’  was outgoing and boisterous.
It was toward the end of my fourteenth year that trouble began.’  Of course it had to do with girls, or rather a girl.’  To the mind of a early teenager, Gloria was a walking dream.’  One day, just as we happened to pass her’  by I plucked up all the courage I had.’  I whistled, adding, ‘œSweet, wanna meet?’
She turned and briefly smiled but then, catching herself in a change of mind, with a haughty toss of her silky blond curls turned and continued on her way.’  Ansi and I laughed but I was smarting and blushing under a feeling of shame.’  Ansi, turning to me said bluntly.’  ‘œThat girl’™s gonna come between us, Mayni.’
‘œNothing can do that, Ansi, you know that.’’  But it was something that I had never given a thought to and his words, somehow, had a prophetic ring to them.’  They caused a little confusion in my mind but I, though troubled a little, said nothing more and in silence we continued’  on our way home.
Gloria’™s image kept following me about.’  I couldn’™t get her out of my mind.’  I would wait for her sometimes, casually at the street corner hoping she would make an appearance and if she did, follow her surreptitiously.’  By tailing I not only discovered where Gloria lived but that on certain afternoons she would take her dog for a walk in the park.’  The dog, a Doberman, was good reason for me to keep my distance.’  A few times I followed her to the park but, being shy, I would keep out of sight, satisfied just to catch glimpses of her lithe, lovely body and, to me, more than attractive face.
It was on one such occasion, that she, seeing no-one in the park but herself, released the dog to romp a little on his own.’  I made a quick detour behind, coming back to the pathway a little beyond where she was walking. Then, as casually as I was able, I strolled toward her.’ ‘  As I approached my brain was searching frantically for some phrase that would not sound strange and out of place.’  I stopped while yet a few paces in front of her.
‘œWe’™ve met before, you know,’ I said trying to sound casual but hearing my heart- beat in my ear drums.’  Her face, however was not responding as I had hoped, and, endeavouring to control my disappointment, decided to continue on as if my failure to win her over, was of little consequence.’  I had just passed when a sound she made me turn. To my horror I saw a black streak come racing over the crest of a small rise, fangs bared, straight at me.’  I stopped in my tracks and my blood froze.’  I felt sure that my end had come.’  The look in the dog’™s blood-shot eyes was fury itself.
Then, of a sudden, all hell broke loose.’  From behind Gloria, a figure I recognised at once as Ansi’™s rushed from behind a bush and placed itself between myself and the dog.’  He carried a very heavy stick.’ ‘  Feet apart he waited then rushed the savage dog, jabbing the heavy stick into the dog’™s gaping mouth.’  The weight of the dog, however,’  was too much for my friend and he fell backwards striking his head on the asphalted pathway.’  The dog, on its part, let out a yelp of pain, turned then turned again,’  prepared to attack once more.’  Just then another word from a pale Gloria stopped the animal in its tracks.’  The growling beast sidled up to her as if she held over it some magical power.
‘œYou’™ll be hearing from the police for this!’, I heard Ansi say while rubbing his head and glaring at the girl. His look reminded me of that of the Doberman as he charged me.’  As for me, my mind was doing cartwheels trying to bring confusion, the events of the last few minutes.
In the meantime Gloria had re-leashed the dog.’  With the animal wheezing, snorting and making terrible whining noises, she began a fast walk towards the gate while the Doberman kept looking back as if dying to attack again in spite of the pain it was in.
‘œHow come you are here, Ansi?,’ I was finally able to mutter in stumbling speech but with a great relief coming over me.
‘œI expected you to land in trouble with Gloria and her Doberman so I prepared a heavy stick and followed you.
You kept a secret from me Mayni but I kept one from you.’