Poetry and Short Stories

Nothing to Fear

"My name is Ted... "

The man stopped speaking, staring at the circle of strangers who watched
him with hungry eyes. He swallowed with difficulty, licked his lips and
attempted to continue.

"I... " he froze. His audience had changed from a sea of human faces,
to a pack of ravenous wolves. He blanched, sweat beading on his forehead
as he tried to steel his nerves.

"I'll be spending a few days with you," he finished lamely, unable to
force the well-prepared speech from his lips. His audience continued
to regard him silently and he wilted. Turning his back on the terror
which confronted him, he busied himself wiping chalk from the green
board.

"I hate substitutes," a small boy in the back of the first grade class-room
whispered to his friend.
"Yeah," his friend agreed. "I can't wait till Ms. McKinney comes back,
this guys a loser!"