~ A Building Miracle ~

• Shelby Ting
• Short Story
• 2023

As the bell rang, students spilled out of their classrooms. While heading towards the playground, everyone’s faces filled with horror. Instantly, every student started murmuring quietly. Someone even fainted! A duty teacher stomped over to the ever-growing crowd and gasped loudly. The playground had vanished overnight! Like VAMOOSE! There was only a patch of dirt where the kids should be playing!!! Loudly, Principle Janelle made an announcement to go to the assembly hall for an emergency meeting. Everyone scurried to the hall, not wanting to get into trouble. As everyone squashed through the large door, every one of the 7 985 students and 29 teachers fell silent.

“I see you have discovered the playground has disappeared. I have just realised.” Principle Janelle addressed the school. “Tomorrow, everyone shall bring materials to make the new play area. Everyone may go home early today because of it.”

Every one cheered. The students filed out of the hall feeing a little more calm than before the meeting.

***

The next day, students came to school with wood, old playground equipment and more.
For the next week, the teachers and students only worked on completing the new playground. To everyone, it was the best week of their lives, they say. Meanwhile, a mini detective club searched for the answer of this question: Who stole their beloved playground? The next week, both teams were ready to show the results. The playground was nailed to the floor and the detectives in training told everyone it was… Principle Janelle! Principle Janelle confessed that she did it and she also told the school it was so the school could learn the virtue of teamwork. So, the school once was poor and unfriendly, it now is rich with learning and kind. Some of the older students were interviewed by reporters and here is what some of them said.
“ After that drama, the school is acting friendlier to the monkeys than before.”
“OO OOH AH AH OOOOOO AAAH OO OO OO OO OO OO OO!”
“This playground is better Han the last one.”
“I love this school!”
For the next few decades, the school remained happy and cheerful until one day, the colour from the school got taken away by the Evil Witch of Doom.