Echo in the Night

Echo in the Night

"Hey, Winnie." Ms. Pat tiptoed through the door of her Punctuation Inc. classroom with Winnie, famous Comma Queen, close behind. "You can study for your writing class in here. It's empty and Becca brought her dogs in to eat up the jelly beans and chocolate. I'd advise you to sit in Song Bird's desk there. No one throws anything at her; she's such a sweetheart."

"Hey, Pat." Winnie's voice rose barely above a whisper. "Where do you think they are? This is downright spooky."

"I hope they're working on their assignment; bless their hearts. I really made the exercise for Lesson One long. I mean looonnnggg. They may not ever speak to me again."

"Aww, Pat, you know they complain every session about my first lesson in Comma Sense. 'What won't kill them will make them stronger.' That's what my mama always told me. Out here in Texas, you have to be strong to survive. Besides, I read over your lessons myself, and I think they're great."

"I'm glad you think so. Hey, they can take some comfort in knowing the assignments are just as hard to grade, and I have eleven to grade!"

"How many have you graded so far?"

"Do you want me to count the one I'm working on now?"

"Sure, that's fine. How many does that make?"

"I'm halfway through with this one."

"And? You're halfway through with one, so how many does that make all together?"

"One half."

Winnie rolled her eyes and put her schoolbag beside Song Bird's desk. "I'll get my writing lessons out and keep you company. You better get busy grading those papers, or you'll be here until Fall Term."

"Noooooo!" Pat's cry echoed through the halls of New Horizons. Her sobs could be heard by frightened students even in the top floors of the dormitories.

Pat Nelson
May 22, 2012