Teacher's Pet

“And here kids,” said Mrs. Peters, as she turned towards the blackboard where a huge map of the world was hung, “ is the route the Spanish took to come to Central America…” She winced as a piece of calk hit her squarely in the small of her back. She needn’t have snapped her head back quickly. Shane made no effort to hide his crime as he openly grinned at her. Shane’s father sat on the board of the university and the school, and he thought this gave him diplomatic immunity of some kind.

“Will you approach my table, Shane?” she snapped.

He came up walking slowly, grinning at the kids around him. Coming to halt in front of her chair he sneered up insolently as if to say ‘What?’

“500 lines Shane or it will be detention. And it WILL be detention if you ever do that again. I shall not stand up to this insolence of yours.”

“Alright…” he drawled. “You don’t scare me….”

“And you shall hand them in at my house on Saturday by 5 in the evening” she continued as if he hadn’t uttered a word.
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He rang the doorbell. She opened the door and asked him to come in. It was weird seeing her in her causal attire, Shane thought. He was accustomed to the prim, neat teacher-attire on her.

“Sit on the couch Shane,” said Mrs. Peters. “Have you done with the lines?”

“Yes Ma’am”

“Good. Hand over the book and let me see them. Would you like something to drink?” she asked him.

“Yes, please ma’am.” It had been a long bicycle ride and he was thirsty.

She went into a room he presumed was the kitchen. He took a look around and gave a start when he realized that he was sitting next to a cocker spaniel that seemed to be staring right at him. As he stared back he realized it was a stuffed animal. He gave a sigh of relief. But those eyes seemed incredibly alive.

Mrs. Peters entered the room with some orange juice to find him staring at the dog.

“I see you’ve met Tom” she said. “ He died two years ago. I stuffed him because I couldn’t bear to be apart from him.”

“You did that?” he sounded incredible.”Its done really well.”

“Why…thank you so much Shane” she trilled. “Even Polly there is stuffed and so is Mrs. Bingles.”

Shane stared at the cat that was lying on the porch. The eyes were all he thought about. It was done too well to believe her.

“Won’t you meet Joel? My son…”she asked.

“You…you have a son? How old is he?” Shane asked.”And where does he study?”

“Had…he died of pneumonia a year ago” she said sadly, leading him up the stairs into a bedroom.

“But…but…but….” Shane stammered…as he stared at a boy about ten years old apparently fast asleep on the bed.

“I stuffed him too…”she said gravely. “ Its almost time for his lunch. Sit with him and I’ll be back.”

Though repulsed at the sight of the young boy lying dead and stuffed on the bed. Shane was drawn towards him by morbid fascination. He came closer to see the eyes but they were closed. Of course, he thought.

Suddenly the eyes opened and the chest heaved as Joel rose up and stared at Shane. Shane was too petrified to even say a word. Wordlessly Joel got of the bed and opened the cupboard. He took out a black football out of there. Shane saw that it had a pattern of skulls on it.

“Will you play with me?” he asked in a tinny voice….

Shane let out a yell and ran downstairs where Mrs. Peters sat fixing a lunch tray.

“Ma’am….your…your son just…just…” he spluttered out.

“Just what?” asked Mrs. Peters with no great concern with her back toward Shane.

Joel came down the staircase and lurched forward at Shane. “Mommy……!” he screamed.“Why won’t he play with me? Let us all play…” and he laughed his eerie tinny laugh.”

And as Mrs. Peters turned, Shane saw the flesh of her face hanging out into the dinner tray and her eyes popping out madly…..She opened her mouth and he saw yellow broken teeth as she boomed out…

“Of course he will, sweety, he’s my pet student….”she screamed. “Aren’t you, Shane?”
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“Wow” exclaimed Joel as he looked out of the window. “That Shane sure runs fast, mom!”

“Yes he does,” Mrs. Peters nodded her agreement as she peeled off the Halloween mask. “I think its coz we scared the devil out of him sweetums. Now get dressed and lets go return those stuffed animals next door.”