Tom lived with his mum and dad in a small village in England. Tom was very, very fat, and he grew fatter every day. Because he was so fat the other boys and girls called him Jumbo. Tom was twelve years old and he was bullied at school. Boys would punch his large tummy and call him nasty hurtful names. This made Tom unhappy and, when he was alone, he would cry.
Tom had a problem: he would only eat pies, sausages, cakes and fizzy drinks.
His mum would try to make him eat sensible food, but when she offered him fruit, vegetables, and fish dishes, Tom would thump the table angrily and say, "I want pies and sausages! Give me pies and sausages!"
Trying hard to teach her son, mummy gave Tom a big bowl of porridge, some oat biscuits and a glass of water.
Tom in a bad mood threw the porridge on the ground and stomped out of the room shouting, "You know I only eat pies and sausages!"
After a while his mum, and later his dad, stopped trying to make their son eat correct food. Instead they would give him money to go to the shops and buy pies, sausages, cakes and fizzy drinks.
One Saturday Tom was waddling along the road, on his way to the pie shop, when a very old man called out to him, "Hello, Jumbo Tom. Where are you going?"
"How do you know my name? I don't know you mister."
"Well, Tom for many years I have tried to help people solve their problems. Somehow the name of the person floats into my head. That is why I know your name, and it's my duty to help you."
"Go away! I don't have a problem, and I don't need your help."
"Are you going to spend money buying pies you silly fat boy."
"Yes, I am, and anyway it's none of your business."
"Why don't you come to my house? I have lots of pies and cakes that you can eat for free."
Tom was tempted, "OK, I'll come with you, but don't try any funny business."
The old man led Tom into a nearby house.
Once inside, the old man told Tom, "Come into this room, I think you will like what you see."
Tom's eyes opened wide in wonderment, because on a table were rows and rows of pies, string after string of sausages, and loads of cakes and fizzy drinks.
As Tom approached the table, three strange things happened. All the food disappeared, the old man vanished, and the entrance door grew narrower, and narrower making it impossible for Tom to squeeze through and escape.
"What dirty tricks are you up to, old man. Let me out of here or I'll call the police."
His captor suddenly appeared.
"I'm sorry boy, but you're going to be my guest for some time. The toilet is over there and that single bed is for you to sleep in."
Tom ran to the door and tried to force it open, but to no avail.
A desperate, worried Tom shouted, "Let me out of here or I'll biff you."
Tom rushed towards his enemy intending to force him into freeing him, but as soon as he got close, his jailer disappeared. Depressed, Tom sat down on the bed and started to cry. The old man returned.
"No need to cry Tom, I won't harm you. Go over to that long mirror and look into it."
Reluctantly, Tom went over and looked in the mirror. He saw the figure of a slim, handsome, young man looking back at him.
"Who's this stuck up jerk I'm looking at?"
"It's you Tom, or how you will look before you can go home."
"Don't be daft! that's impossible."
"It's not easy, but it's possible. I know some exercises created in China two-thousand-years ago. You will do these gymnastics for four hours every day, you will skip for two hours every day and you will run on the spot until you collapse with exhaustion, and you will only eat the food I give you.
"I refuse to be bothered with this silly nonsense. I ask you one more time I want to go home, my mum will be worried about me."
"You don't have a choice Tom, you have to stay here, with me, until your're ready to go. Think how proud your mum will be when her handsome son returns to her.
Days past and Tom lost all sense of time. The old man put him through a strenuous routine of Chinese exercises, skipping, and running on the spot, until Tom collapsed exhausted.
Then one day the old man said, "You're ready Tom, it's time for you to go home. Goodbye I'll miss you."
The door opened wide and Tom drifted, out of the house, into the sunshine.
The first rays of the morning sun found Tom's mum sitting by the hospital bed. It had been two months since the old man had crashed his car into Tom. The accident caused the old man to fall asleep. The fat boy had sustained only minor injuries except for a bump on the head that had resulted in the mysterious dream state of a coma. A sudden movement, from the bed, alerted the watching mum. Tom opened his eyes and muttered something.
Rushing out of the room the excited woman shouted, "Doctor! doctor! My son has returned! My son has returned to me."
Tom had returned and soon he was allowed to go home. To his mum and dad's joy their son was now a trim, good-looking boy; he resembled the reflection of the handsome boy he had seen in the mirror. The happy family looked forward to the future, but one thing was certain, Tom would no longer eat pies, sausages, cakes, and drink fizzy drinks.
Philip's Army is now available in Paperback and Kindle formats.
ISBN-10: 1479242624
ISBN-13: 978-1479242627
Chapter One The War Council can be read for free here.
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