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Sandy Stockings
Sandy Stockings has no friends. She has closed another unsuccessful chapter in her life and moved into her first year of middle school. In a world that hates sixth graders, no one seems to hate them more than her fellow sixth graders. Everyone seeks out someone weaker, and being small for her age, Sandy makes an ideal target. Her mismatched clothes (hand-me-downs from her neighbor's 8 sons) don't help her blend in. Since the death of her father and her mother's strange sleeping habits, Sandy has found peace in daydreams and doodling. Unfortunately, this habit has caused students and teachers alike to treat Sandy as dumb. After so many years of this treatment Sandy has adopted their opinion, not bothering to stay out of trouble. This year, however, is different. The chance to act in the school play stirs a feeling of hope inside her. Oddly enough, there is a strange book that seems hold the answer- not only to the play, but to her life as well. Mrs. Estelle Stockings Mrs. Estelle Stockings is an actress without a stage. The death of her husband has caused her life to take a detour that has up to this point only led to a pink bathrobe and her bedroom. She spends her days lost in the memories she keeps inside boxes and books. Though she loves her daughter, Sandy, she cannot find the strength to return to her motherly duties. Her only answer is to keep her husband's existence a secret, hiding his things in a small velvet bag with the rest of her memories. Ms. Carla Bridgewater Ms. Carla Bridgewater has lost too many great actors to athletics in her time as theater director for both the middle and high school. She teaches math to the sixth graders, but her passion is the stage. She hides her youth in dark wool suits and pulled back hair. Once close friends with Sandy's parents, she has maintained distance due to the events surrounding the death of Mr. Stockings. She subtly ties in her tension with Estelle in the presence of Sandy, causing Sandy to be both angered and confused. Still, Ms. Bridgewater does seem to hold some of the information Sandy seeks to put together the puzzle of her father and the strange book in her possession. Clyde Debrah's two great loves are fighting and football. He is an eighth grader and enjoys his position as top dog. As the youngest son of 8 boys he is a bit spoiled and resents giving away his old clothes to his neighbor, Sandy Stockings. He enjoys taunting Sandy, relying on her short temper for a fight whenever things at school are boring him. Never doing anything without plenty of people to watch, his usual companions Bret and Bud help back him up whenever he decides to pick on someone. Ms. Bridgewater has taken a particular liking to Clyde due to his incredible ability to suck up to authority. Asher Asher is a bee with a purpose. He is the central character in the book Sandy found. In the book he tells his story and how he developed a system of learning that not only changed his station in the hive, but also serves as a method for living a productive and happy life. Similar to Sandy, Asher too lived an unproductive life filled with bullies and teasing. Only through determination and his close adherence to the 3 B's did Asher reach his fullest potential. Both Felix and Barry (the highest ranked bee in the hive) help Asher to spread his message by allowing him to learn some of their natural abilities. Both were skeptical of Asher's plan, but eventually rally behind him in support. |
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