As I made it to school safely, I was almost afraid of going inside the building. It seemed I was already late. And missed homeroom. But I knew I wouldn't get too much into trouble, if I make up for the homework from my teacher later after school.
I took a deep breath. Then, I walked into middle school, bravely. The halls were empty and quiet. Everybody was already in their classrooms, studying with their teachers. I had to explain what I was doing in the hallways without a pass.
Maybe if I report to the principal's office and explain that something weird happened to the time clocks last night, he'd forgive my tardiness today. I didn't want to draw any attention to myself. Suddenly, I stopped when I heard some voices struggling with each other in the men's restroom.
I ducked behind the hall and peered around the corner. I saw a couple of young boy's coming out of the boy's bathroom. They were playfully horsing around with each other. As they went back to their classroom.
It was quiet again. Back alone in the neatly clean hallways, I started walking to the science lab in Mr. Holymolly's classroom by the school cafeteria. I'd figure if I had a grown-up to give me an explanation, everything would make sense.
My heart was pounding. I kept half-expecting a teacher to pop their heads out of their classroom to check on me. To stop me from pretending like I was cutting class. What could I tell them if they didn't think anything was wrong with time in Supernaturalville?
I finally made it toward Mr. Holymolly's science lab a few minutes later. The lights were turned off. I slowly peeked my head through the classroom window. Mr. Holymolly and a few of his students gathered around the digestion table. I almost got sick to my stomach and turned to look away.
Mr. Holymolly was teaching his students to dissect a live, poisonous black tarantula. A couple of girls squirmed as Mr. Holymolly was poking at the spider's hairy legs. Pulling them off the killer spider's legs, and putting them in a glass container.
I slowly opened the science lab doors. Looking up from his goggles, Mr. Holymolly wasn't happy to see me. He walked away from his science lab table, and excused his students. Who were poking with curiosity at the dead spider. Like they were expecting it to come back to life again.
"Mr. Kirk Hopscotch," said Mr. Holymolly with a frown. He walked over to the science lab doors and folded his arms in front of his chest. And grinned at me. "I'm disappointed in you today, son. Why weren't you in the homeroom this morning? Everybody had to study about bug infestation and what makes them so dangerous and ugly looking," Mr. Holymolly said.
I nodded and understood my science teacher. "Something happened to my clock alarm radio last night," I confessed. I didn't know if he'd fall for it. Or believe me anything about the time freezing up on us. But I was desperate to know if he experienced anything wrong with the clocks in his house this morning.
Mr. Holymolly, my science teacher, just snorted with disgust in his response. "You expect me to believe something like that, Mr. Hopscotch?" he asked, wiping his wet, slimy hands on a dishtowel he wore around his shoulder.
"I don't think I believe it myself," I confessed to my teacher. "But I would like an explanation with what's up with time freezing in Supernaturalville," I said, honestly. "I can't go on every day knowing time isn't going to be on schedule anymore," I continued, trying not to take my eyes off my science teacher.
Suddenly, there were screams coming from one of the science students over by the dissecting table. "Excuse me, Mr. Hopscotch," said Mr. Holymolly. He frantically ran over to the lab table, where the kids were found huddled on top of the black bar chairs next to the dissecting table, like something unexplainable had happened.
Turning to watch the children squirm in their chairs, Mr. Holymolly gathered around his anxious students. They were trying to defend themselves from some of the bugs they were experimenting with.
"Children, calm down!" Mr. Holymolly demanded, angrily. "What is going on?" he asked, looking suspiciously at the empty critter container on the science dissecting lab table. "Don't tell me dead bugs suddenly came back to life on their own? To make our lives even more difficult?" he asked, looking around the floors.
A couple of students screamed. They pointed as they witnessed the black tarantula they were dissecting on crawl beside where Mr. Holymolly kept their containers of deadly critters together. The students jumped when they saw the big, oversized dead spider knock over a couple of containers with live snakes and other poisonous spiders in it.
"Everybody get out!" Mr. Holymolly demanded, angrily. "School is dismissed for today!" he continued, turning on the lights to the science lab. Grabbing a can of bug spray under the cabinet, the students remained screaming on top of their tall chairs at the dissecting table. Where they watch the mad, jumping spiders crawl over the countertop.
After watching my science teacher grab hold of a clear plastic container from the lab table next to the startled children, Mr. Holymolly quickly trapped the deadly tarantula in the container. As it was about to jump on him with its fangs ready to strike the teacher's open neck.
Climbing down the tall bar chairs at the lab table, the group of concerned, frightened students hurried out of the classroom. A couple of innocent girls stared at some of the spiders crawling on the floor after them. They squealed at them, as Mr. Holymolly quickly stepped on the spiders with his big, brown boots he wore. And then spraying them with bug spray.
The girls and boys in his class turned and screamed out of the classroom. There was nothing I could do, but watch helplessly as Mr. Holymolly tries to defend himself and everybody in his class.
I couldn't believe this couldn't get any worse. I didn't know if I should help my poor, defenseless teacher. Or just get out there, while I could still make it alive? I watched with disbelief as the huge boa constrictor slowly started slithering its way toward me.
Before I could watch any further, somebody grabbed hold of me by my shoulder. And pulled me out into the hallway. I gasped and turned around to see my best friend, Albert Alexander! He quickly closed the science lab door on Mr. Holymolly. We watched as the spiders, frogs, and other poisonous amphibian creatures attacked our helpless science teacher. He couldn't fight them all!
"We have to help him, dude!" I yelled at my best friend, Albert. "He's going to die if we don't save him from his bug collection!" I continued, looking in shock at what was going on in there. Mr. Holymolly finally jumped on top of the dissecting table as the Mexican jumping spiders continued after the science teacher.
But my best friend, Albert Alexander, wasn't going to let me do anything about it. Finally, after hearing Mr. Holymolly's screams, he slips and falls off his lab chair he was standing on. And collapsed on the floor next to the dissecting lab table. Where Albert and I turned away quickly from the classroom door window.
"It's too late for him, now, buddy!" Albert screamed. "Those bugs have more venom in their poison for one bug bite to take out everybody!" Albert yelled at me. "We'll tell the principal after it, tomorrow, okay? We have to get out of here before the bugs find out we're still around," he explained.
I finally turned away from the science lab doors. After hearing the biology teacher let out another final scream of surprise attack! Running out of the school front doors, Albert and I collapsed on the front green lawn. With sudden relief to get away from the danger we experienced in our school.
We laughed and rolled in the dirty green grass lawn of the school. Where other students who were a part of Mr. Holymolly's science lab watched us suspiciously as they walked away from us. Going their own separate ways home.
"I think I'm going to be sick," I groaned and stared at the bright, cloudy blue sky. I started to sit up, when suddenly somebody's foot was placed on my chest. I groaned and fell back down next to my best friend, Albert. I turned and looked up to see who it was…
It was the principal, Mr. Monster, pinning me down with his black combat boots. "I'm very disappointed in you two, Albert Alexander and Kirk Hopscotch," Mr. Monster, the big, beefy, strong principal sneered down at us.
"It was an accident," Albert started to say, defending me. "There was nothing we could do to help our dear science friend teacher," Albert continued, trying to explain. Mr. Monster helped my friend and me to our feet.
The principal dusted the wet grass stains off my school uniform jacket. "Something has to be done about your careless mistakes. You have both made this school look bad," Mr. Monster said, angrily. "Or I promise you, what happened today will count against your school report score." Mr. Monster was not happy with us.
"I'm sorry for our behavior, Mr. Monster," I apologized, getting up to my feet. "It won't happen again," I promised. The look on Mr. Monster seemed very confusing and not very believable. I turned and looked at my best friend, Albert. He nodded as if he was reading my thoughts. "If it makes you feel better, you can send us detention for a week. Whatever punishments you may think would be necessary. We will do our best to stay safe," I continued.
Suddenly, we turned to the sound of screaming coming from the school. We watched as students ran out of the school building. We watched cautiously as we saw a couple of school jocks holding a couple of garden snakes in their hands. And teasing some of the football cheerleaders in their cheerleading outfits.
As one of the meanspirited jocks quickly wrapped it around the screaming curly blonde's skinny neck hair and laughed.