Not ten
minutes, not five minutes, but three minutes! A very surprised King Dragon, who
had been asleep in a vault for ten years finds himself on a football field in front
of Miss Grey, a class of children, his wife, his sons and all the dragons of
his town. “Yikes!” he said, or something like that – he had said it so loud
that it sounded like a plane’s sonic boom. The birds flew out of the trees and
the school’s windows rattled.
Theo’s mother
rushed up and threw her arms around her husband. “You are safe, she whispered.
“You are safe.”
And everyone:
Miss Grey, Theo, Room Nine, the town of Dragons were so teary-eyed and turning
to look at each other in delight that they stopped their wishing and ‘pop.’
Miss Grey, Theo and the class were once again alone on the football field. The
class rolled around the ground in laughter. “We did it!” “Did you see how many
dragons there were?” “The poor king, he had no colour from being locked away
for so long.” “I thought all kings had a crown?” said Marie. “Whow your dad is
huge,” Matthew says to Theo and squeezes his hand. Miss Grey is wiping tears
from her eyes yet laughing too. She claps her hands, “I think an early lunch
would be a good idea,” she calls out. “It is time to return to the classroom.”
Theo is not
really enjoying his lunch, even though he loves jelly and icecream. “Miss, I do
want to stay for this last day, but my heart also wants to go and be with my
father.”
Theo, I
understand and of course you want to be with your family. Class, class, stop a
moment. Theo needs to go back home, but first he wants to say goodbye and I have
a couple of things I want to give him before he goes. First she hands him his
school report in its envelope and then a shiny silver cup. It is engraved with
the words, Class Nine. The Most Improved Student. And underneath in beautiful
script writing was written, Theodore Acidophilus Junior.
Theo gave Miss
Grey a very cold, shiny oval red stone. And then somehow, though everyone was a
bit upset, he managed to thank Miss Grey for being his teacher and the class
for being his friends and the class sang ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ and
Theo added Hip Hip Hooray at the end in his deep grumble voice and was gone.
Miss Grey, to
stop the children being sad about Theo leaving, hurried the children to finish
tidying away from having lunch and do their chores before packing their
schoolbags for one last time of being in Room Nine.
The parents
were already arriving in the school hall and soon the children would join them
for the Prize Giving. Then the summer holidays would start.
It was so hard
to sit still and listen to Mr Thoroughgood and his long speech. Then it was
time for the Chairman of the Board of Directors to hand out certificates, cups
and prizes for all the good schoolwork the pupils had done and everyone clapped
and clapped. And then Mr Thoroughgood stood up again. “There is just one more
thing,” he said.
The whole
school did a little sigh. Would Prize Giving never end?”
I have a
special certificate for everyone in Room Nine. On Parent Day, with the help of
a clown, who I know was Matthew’s uncle over visiting from Greece
Miss Grey and
Room Nine suddenly felt very sad. They wished that Theo could be with them and be
hearing the headmaster saying this.
Mr Thoroughgood
continued, “And together with the Parent Committee and the School Directors we
have decided on two Red Pin Oaks. They will be planted alongside the painting
of the dragon on the school hall wall.
There was a lot
more clapping. After a moment Mr Thoroughgood had his hand up to stop the
clapping – “And one more thing. We have also decided that the painting of the red
dragon that appeared on the school hall wall, so mysteriously, is to now be the
School Mascot. From now on our football and basketball teams will be known as
the Red Dragons. Miss Grey would you come up here please and accept Room Nine’s
certificates.
There was lots
of cheering and so much clapping that Room Nine’s hands hurt. Miss Grey went up
onto the stage and collected all the certificates and as she was returning to
her seat who did she standing in the doorway at the back and giving a little
wave? It was Theo with his Dad.
For the first
time that year she forgot to think quickly. “I am so glad you could be here
Theodore Acidophilus Junior, “she called.
Everyone turned
around, but was not sure who she was talking to, except for Room Nine who were
also smiling and waving.
Mr Thoroughgood
is quietly pleased that Miss Grey is leaving the school to go and teach over in
Australia
*
In the car on
the way home, Matthew’s mother turns to him and asks, “what did the headmaster
mean by saying that an uncle of yours was over from Greece
“Do you mean Mr
Theodore Acidophilus Junior? replies Matthew. “I think it was a teacher-only
joke.” And Matthew and Arion start giggling.
...
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