Mon copain Marc

In September, I'm leaving Primary to go up to the Comprehensive. We don't know yet whether Mark will be able to come too. Mark's my friend, my friend who looks like no other friend in the world. He's autistic.

We've been inseparable since Infants school.

I can see it now. I was knee-high to a grasshopper. That was five years ago...

"Hello, Mark, my name's Miss Goody."

This sparked off a storm of kicks and punches, Mark looked like a windmill gone mad, his arms and legs swinging through the air. His mouth was wide open, but he didn't scream. It was just as if someone had turned the sound off.

That day, I was very frightened of Mark!