Mr. Barleigh kept the floors clean at the primary school. He swept. He mopped. He picked up trash.
Mr. Barleigh moved at one pace. It wasn’t slow, really. It wasn’t fast, certainly. It was an amble.
Mr. Barleigh was tall and thin. He had minimal hair, peppery-grayish. His uniform shirt was loose, as were his pants, but his suspenders kept everything in order. He had suspenders in a variety of colors and patterns. The children were always interested to see which suspenders he had on.
Mr. Barleigh knew every student’s name and greeted them by name every day.
Mr. Barleigh carved turtles out of little bits of wood and he gave one to each student. “We can learn a lot from turtles,” he would say, “but the two most important things are ‘Move at your own pace’ and ‘Be comfortable in your own shell.'”
Mr. Barleigh smiled when one of the 2nd grade teachers used his turtle sayings for a bulletin board. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, “but there’s so much wisdom in those words!”
Mr. Barleigh always ate his lunch in the cafeteria, sitting with a different group of children every day.
One day, Mr. Barleigh didn’t come to work. Teachers and students alike were concerned. The police officer who went to his house found that he had died in his sleep. He also found that every bit of wallspace in his house was covered with school photos and drawings from children.
This is my submission to the Unicorn Challenge. The rules for the challenge are simple — no more than 250 words and use the photo as a prompt.
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 
I’m hoping Mr. Barleigh is a real person. We need more people like that.
Unfortunately Mr. Barleigh is made up — but he is loosely based on a custodian in my high school. He knew all our names. He joked and kidded with us all the time. We dedicated our yearbook to him my senior year.
I think about him sometimes and how his innocent behavior would been seen in a different way in today’s world. He could get labeled a creeper.
Oh! That was so lovely .. .I have the same question …was Mr Barleigh a real person? 💜💜
Yeah, Sallye, I think I’d have had something nefarious in a box under the bed, otherwise he’d be too sweet to be wholesome
lol. dude!*
*wouldn’t be the first time, aye?
Like Violet said, we need more people like Mr. Barleigh in the world. A beautiful story, Sally!
I love Mr. Barleigh!
Aw, thanks. Me, too.
A very heartwarming story Sally
Thanks, Sadje.
You’re welcome
There’s something warm and comforting about Mr Barleigh, but a bit sad and lonely too.
It’s a beautifully written tale.
Although yes, I take what you mean about how Mr Barleigh might be interpreted in our cynical age.
Innocence and trust have both been badly bruised.
“Cynical age” — now there‘s an understatement!
Thanks, Jenne. That’s exactly how I see him. I’m glad you saw it too.
Awwww. We had a bus driver that was sort of like that. He always made sure the youngest were settled and if someone wasn’t on the bus home, he went to find them. We all loved him – he was everyone’s grandfather!
Sounds like he touched a lot of lives. Beautiful story, Sally! 💞💞💞
This is lovely, Sally ….. it really is.
We had a janitor in my school like Mr. Barleigh
Maybe it’s my penchant for the twist at the end;
I was expecting sweet Mr. Barleigh to be a pervert.
Ah — you and CEAyr. After creating him, I just couldn’t make him evil though.
I can understand that ….. sort of!