The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle

The kids look up at Mason in the hallway and laugh. They look up because he is the tallest kid in school. Mason avoids the cafeteria and goes to the SWOOF, or social work office. Ms. Blinny is the school social worker. She made the sign for the SWOOF, out of glitter and pink paint. She is messy, smiley, and kind. Mason feels safe with her. Mason walks into the office and breathes a sigh of relief: “I like the SWOOF. I am always welcome here” (7).

Mason lets himself into the SWOOF, and Ms. Blinny tells the office he is present. She sees Mason’s shirt and frowns. She tells Mason she doesn’t like the shirt because it is “derogatory” (9). Mason doesn’t know what that means, but he assumes it isn’t good. Ms. Blinny gets decorative duct tape out of her desk and covers the word “Stoopid” with the tape. Then she writes on top of it. The new message says “Think outside the” with a picture of a box. Mason doesn’t know what that phrase means, but Ms. Blinny explains: “Thinking outside the box is a skill. It means your mind is big and open, Mason. If you can think outside the box, you have no limits!” (10). Mason is proud that he can think this way. He memorizes this compliment. 

Mason talks about the story inside him, which Ms. Blinny believes he carries with him everywhere he goes. Lt. Baird is also interested in his story, more specifically, about the day he found Benny Kilmartin dead. Mason’s house is falling apart on the edge of town in what used to be an orchard full of apples. Now it is much smaller because Uncle Drum sold acres to housing developers. Despite being run-down, that house still feels like home to Mason, who sometimes tries to tidy it up. The story begins there, Mason claims, though he knows “Some people might think they already know my story. That’s just because they live around here” (13). Mason talks about his best friend Benny Kilmartin, who was like his brother. They had been friends since first grade. Benny had two dads, and Mason misses spending time with them. One day, Mason found Benny dead in the orchard at the bottom of the ladder to their tree fort. Mason has no idea how that ladder rung broke.

Thinking about Benny ruins Mason’s lunch. Ms. Blinny calls him over to show him an amazing new machine. At first, he is skeptical, but then, he is amazed. The program is called the Dragon, and it converts Mason’s speech into text. He can choose his font and color. Mason thinks about what a teacher told him once: “If you can talk, you can write” (18). Mason thinks about all the steps that get in the way of him writing down his story and realizes the Dragon could solve these problems for him. Ms. Blinny tells Mason this can be his new journal. 

Mason begins talking to the Dragon. He talks about his morning routine and seeing the men standing at the commuter lot waiting for work. He sees his Uncle Drum’s truck in the parking lot of the diner. Uncle Drum doesn’t do much since they sold most of the orchard. He just sits at the diner and eats corncakes all day.

Mason loves Uncle Drum because he took care of Mason when his daddy walked out and after his Mom and Grandpa died in the same year. After those deaths, the orchard had two bad crops in a row, and Uncle Drum panicked. He sold, despite Grandma wishing he wouldn’t. Now the house is falling apart, and Uncle Drum has no purpose. Mason knows his uncle is still a good man because Uncle Drum brought Shayleen home to stay, even though she annoys him. Mason stops writing and realizes the SWOOF office has filled up with kids. He turns off the Dragon. He feels an energy inside him: “I have a lot more to say. More to write” (23). 

When Mason looks up, a small boy is stuck in the big couch in the SWOOF. He says hi. Mason is skeptical at first, but realizes the greeting is genuine: “Like, you belong here as much as I belong here, and you’ll get no trouble from me” (25). The boy is Calvin Chumsky. He rides Mason’s bus. He offers Mason two pretzels, which Mason accepts. Calvin chuckles at the boys’ shared silly last names.