To begin with Mad Dog was the centre of attention, but it wasn’t long after his friends had written on his plaster that they started forgetting him. They’d go down to the barge den without wondering if there was any way they could get him there too. Or go out to play football and never even ask if he wanted to come and watch. Just because he couldn’t walk properly, they assumed he wouldn’t be interested. It was the same at school. Mad Dog was sure that people didn’t mean to leave him out of things, but that was what happened. He was an invisible person, forgotten by everybody in their rush to get on with their busy lives. He took to spending his breaks and lunchtimes in the library, researching the word ‘WAOOC’ on the internet. Nothing came up, and it still made no sense. It just felt like a jumble of letters. The weeks seemed endless, dragging on and on. ‘When can I have my plaster off?’ Mad Dog would ask on an almost daily basis. ‘In six weeks’ time,’ Aunty said to begin with.
