Dear Teacher, There is Something You Need to Know

Short-Story. A subtitute teacher won't heed the warnings of her young class

	"Dear teacher, there is something you need to know."

  There was a little scrap of paper on Ms Lynes' desk. She picked it up and read it. She turned it over and saw that it was from little Freddy in the second-last row of the class, next to the supply cupboard.
  She looked over to him, giving him a small smile. Freddy noticed her and the note in her hand. He gave a nervous, gap-toothed grin. He quickly rose from his seat and shuffled over to Ms Lynes' desk.
  "Freddy, what do you think I should know?" she whispered into Freddy's little ears. "Is it something about the school? Or about the other kids?"
  She was surprised that Freddy had managed to write the note so neatly, but had heard he was quite bright for his age. She smiled inwardly. She had always wanted to work with small children. She chose to be a primary school substitute teacher for the very reason. Her first day here as a teacher was at the mercy of the collection of young minds around the class.

  Freddy leaned close and whispered loudly. "There's a big monster in the cupboard. It wants to eat you up." He giggled at this, with an innocence only a child could have, giving a grin that exposed a lack of front teeth. 
  "It wants me tell you to open the door, but then it would eat you all up! I don't really like the monster. It makes noises when I draw pictures."
  Ms Lynes' snorted in surprise, suppressing a laugh. She had forgotten the old scare tactics she had used back in her day, hiding in the closet, or under the desk, shouting BOO! at the top of your voice, everyone laughs at the now white-faced teacher. She also had had her fun.
  She looked down at Freddy, face of earnest. She loved children.
  She told him that there was no monster in the cupboard, making noise and wanting to eat him up, it was all his imagination, the noise was just the pipes in the wall and the other children in their seats.
  He shook his head. He repeated that it only wanted to eat her. She did not feel like arguing with a child so early ito the lesson.
  "If I open the cupboard door, will the monster eat me?" A quick nod. "Only me?" Another quick nod. "How do you know?"
  "It ate the last one." 
  The statement was simple, but disturbed something inside Ms Lynes'. The previous teacher had just disappeared..."

  NO! Thinking like that was foolish, childish. The parents had probably made a weak excuse of a heart attack or something, and the children's imagination had just filled in the blanks. She made a mental note to look into what happen to the previous teacher, set the story straight.
  She looked intensely at little Freddy. His eyes where deep blue, and had a childish intelligence. She didn't think he thought he was lying.
  Ms Lynes' looked up to the class, scanning the faces for any pranksters, or kids giggling. They where all looking at her curiously, some looking a little afraid, most where whispering to each other. She rose from her desk and briskly walked to the supply cupboard. 
  She would show these kid's who's boss. She was not afraid of any cupboard, and no child inside could scare her either. She was older that that, more mature.
  She stood in front the cupboard, silently challenging them to move. She smiled. These kids almost had her believing. There was actually a faint noise coming from the cupboard.
  She looked over her shoulder to Freddy. He was a few desks away, biting his nails. He looked afraid, convinced there was a monster inside. There where a few children behind him, all watching Ms Lynes' and the cupboard. They all looked quite used to this whole game. They must do it to all their teachers.
  She announced that there was no monster, and that she would now show them that it was nothing.
  She threw the doors open, shouting 'AHA!' in triumph!

  After the crunching subsided, the children went back to their desks, and started talking. Freddy went back to his seat next to the cupboard. The new Teacher didn't look right when she smiled at the class this morning, and the monster in the cupboard had said it was hungry.
  Freddy just wished it would stop mumbling when he tried to draw pictures.

Author's Note

I wrote this a few years back, for a school project. I'm posting to get myself writing again and to start an online portfoilio

Reviews

[thenightqueen]

I really enjoyd this story, and it delievered. I appreciate when short stories catch my attention, frequently I just stop reading.

[Dusty]

I really enjoyed this. It has a certain charm to it that I don't think many stories such as this one has. I was honestly expecting a child to be hiding or something such as that so the twist at the end was very nice and delivered perfectly. Great work.

[Elizabeth]

After the crunching subsided... fabulous! I didn't see the twist coming at all. And I so much loved little Freddy. The last line is so great!