by Martha Hynson
Something Sweet
Macy found Flappy in a box of paper strips. “Hey! What are you doing in here?”
She picked her chicken up. Something pinkish was under her. Flappy had laid an egg! Macy picked it up. It was the biggest one ever.
“Cool egg!” said Jonah. That boy was zipping all around the room. “Have you seen Mr. Stretchy? He’s missing.” Jonah started digging through the box of paper strips. “Maybe he’s in here.”
Samantha skipped over and gave Flappy a pat. “I like your chicken, Macy. Can I hold her? I think the T.V. guy would love to film us.”
Then, Samantha saw the egg. “Hey, where did you get that?” She looked at Macy. Her hands were on her hips.
“Flappy just laid it.” Macy held the egg very carefully so it wouldn’t crack.
“You’re trying to trick me,” said Samantha. “You hid it over here to keep for yourself because it’s the best one.” Samantha grabbed the egg. “I’m taking it back to Mr. Betts’ table so somebody can color it.”
“It’s not cooked,” said Macy.
“Yes, it is,” Samantha said. “My mother cooked all the eggs last night. Mr. Betts asked her to. She is in charge of the whole school.”
“Why don’t you spin it?” asked Jonah. “See if it wobbles.”
“I don’t have to see if it wobbles. I know it’s cooked. Watch this.” Samantha held the egg up. Then she banged it on her head. The shell crunched on her pink bow. Yellow goo oozed between her fingers. It ran down her twirly dress. It dripped on one of her fuzzy pink socks.
Macy could hardly believe that sight. There really was something the same about her and Samantha just like Mrs. Tucker had said. That lady still had a lot of good ideas left in her.
“Now, I just have to sweeten Samantha up.” Macy meant to say those words in her head but they came right out her mouth.
Samantha’s eyes got big like she was surprised. Also, she was trying not to blink probably or else she might cry.
Right then Macy’s brain thought of something sweet for that girl. “Would you like to come to my house sometime?” Macy said those words very fast. “I’ll let you gather all the eggs and you can take them home.”
Samantha looked down at her feet. Her shoulders did a shrug.
“But don’t wear those.” Macy pointed at Samantha’s fuzzy pink socks. “They look very lovely, but they are bad news.”
Samantha giggled.
Macy giggled, too. Then she picked up some paper and wrote on it. “Here,” she said. “Take this to Mr. Betts. He will send you to Nurse White and she will clean you up in a jiffy. That woman is an expert.”
“Now you just need one more thing.” Macy tore a piece off the paper and stuck it to the egg on Samantha’s cheek. “That is called camouflage,” she said. “If you walk fast, probably nobody will notice that you are a mess.”
Samantha took the note to Mr. Betts. Macy went back to her center. Mama was telling a boy named Sam not to put a feather in his nose.
“But I’m trying to make myself sneeze,” he said. “We did a science experiment that showed us how to clean up snot with salt. Do you have any salt?”
Macy sat down. She needed a rest. No wonder teachers always looked tired. Bossing kids around was not all fun and games.
Bam! Something hit her back. “Ouch!”
A kindergarten kid laughed and pointed. Macy looked around. Mr.Stretchy was on the floor next to her. She picked up the blob and stretched him as far as she could. Then she let him fly.
He zoomed across the room. Macy sucked in her breath. The principal, Mrs. Catz, was standing by the door. The T.V. man was with her. Mr. Stretchy was headed right for that guy’s nose. Just in time, the principal held up one hand and caught that blue blob! Her long, purple fingernails curled around him. She put him in her pocket.
Macy looked at her own fingernails. She was going to let them grow long and paint them purple. She was going to save up lots and lots of tickets. She was tired of being the art teacher. She was going to be the principal!