Chapter 5 – Miss Granger
One day in class Mrs Sullivan announced, “Girls, I am going to go back home for the rest of the term, as some matters from home summon me to go back. Miss Granger, my friend’s daughter, will be teaching you for the time being. Please be good for Miss Granger, and work just as hard, or preferably even harder. I shall go tomorrow, and Miss Granger will come and meet you in the period after break.”
A new teacher! That would be fun! Miss Granger must be quite young, thought the girls. Mrs Sullivan is about 50, so her friend’s daughter must not be older than 30. Would Miss Granger be lively? Would she be a good teacher to play tricks on? Or would she be all prim and proper, like Mrs Sullivan?
In the period after break, the girls saw Miss Granger for the first time. She was very young, as the girls had thought. She had a round face and huge emerald eyes, which shone and twinkled lively at the class. Her nose was high and her mouth small. She had dark red curls, not yet brown, loose down to her waist. She was wearing a white top and a black skirt, and white shoes.
Mrs Sullivan smiled at her. “Well, my dear Henrietta! I hate to say it, but you’ll have to spare some of your lovely hair! These girls are sure to put a few gray hairs onto your head.”
Miss Henrietta Granger shook her head. “Oh no,” she said, in a clear, sweet voice. “I’m sure that they’re a nice batch.”
“Well, well, they are. They’re also very naughty, too. I’m sure that they’ll play a trick on you someday!” said Mrs Sullivan.
Miss Granger shook her hair back. “Well, a class always has to have a bit of fun! All work and no play make Jack a dull boy!”
“Right. You can sit in that empty desk there, beside Felecia. You can get used to the way they take their classes,” said Mrs Sullivan.
Miss Granger sat beside Felecia. “Hi,” said Miss Granger. “What’s your name again?”
“Felecia,” replied Felecia, embarrassed that she should have to sit by the new teacher.
“Nice to meet you! Now Felecia, how old are the girls in your grade?” enquired Miss Granger.
“Ten or eleven,” answered Felecia.
“And – do you girls play tennis? I like tennis very much, and wouldn’t mind a few games with you girls!” suggested Miss Granger.
“Well, we do play tennis. I’m not rejecting your offer, Miss Granger, please don’t be mistaken, but the mistresses, except the games mistress, don’t play tennis with the students, normally,” stammered Felecia, awkwardly.
“Then I should be the one to change tradition!” said Miss Granger. Her eye caught Gabriel, who was answering a question. “My word – is that a boy? I thought this was a girl’s school!”
“That’s our Gabriel,” said Harriet, who sat on the other side of Felecia. “He’s come here on an exchange program.”
“And what’s your name?” asked Miss Granger.
“Oh – I’m Harriet. Felecia and I are the vice head girls,” said Harriet.
“Right, right. Who is main head girl then?” said Miss Granger.
“I am,” said Bianca, turning around from the row in front. “I’m Bianca Helicon.”
“Hi, Bianca!” said Miss Granger, a twinkling smile on her youthful face.
“Miss Granger, would you mind helping me distribute these workbooks?” asked Mrs Sullivan.
“Oh! See you later, my dears,” said Miss Granger, scrambling up from her seat and waving at the girls.
Miss Granger was a lively teacher, and always sought to find a way of teaching that did not bore her students. Her classes were fun and full of educational games, movies, and activities.
One day, Miss Granger strangely looked very forlorn and distressed at breakfast time. Evelyn, who sat close to Miss Granger, asked, “Miss Granger, you look so sad. Is everything all right?”
Miss Granger moaned, “Oh, my dear Evelyn! Today I woke up and found a freckle on my nose. Doesn’t it look awful?”
Evelyn looked carefully at Miss Granger’s nose. Sure enough, on the tip of it, there was a small freckle, as tiny as a speck of sand, and very light colored, barely visible on Miss Granger’s pleasant tanned skin.
“If you didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t have noticed,” comforted Evelyn. “Really, Miss Granger, you don’t need to worry about it. It’s nothing serious.”
“But it makes me look so ugly! Don’t you think so, Evelyn?” groaned Miss Granger.
“No, you look as beautiful as can be! That freckle makes you look so much more natural. The freckle will fade away sooner or later,” said Evelyn.
“Thanks, Evelyn. You’re so kind. You don’t say what you really think about my looks. I do look terrible,” sighed Miss Granger.
“Oh, you can easily use make-up to cover up the freckle,” popped in Frances, who had overheard the conversation.
“I tried, I did! But the make-up makes me look so white, so like a…a vampire!” exclaimed Miss Granger.
“You could buy suncream, to avoid developing freckles. And you could buy some freckle remover too,” suggested Alexis, giggling.
“Where can you get these products?” asked Miss Granger, anxious and excited.
“Um…the pharmacy chain, Kalvag,” said Alice, joining into the conversation.
The classes that day taken by Miss Granger were not as lively as before, though freckles seemed to be entering conversations all the time in class discussion. There was an hour of free time before supper, and the girls and teachers could choose to go to the town or to amuse themselves inside the school.
Miss Granger decided to go to the town. She and Miss Kellie from the fourth grade went out for a walk. Miss Granger accompanied Miss Kellie to buy some stationery, and bought some herself. Five minutes before supper, Miss Kellie said to Miss Granger, “Miss Granger, we’d better go back. Those naughty little monkeys will have supper soon.”
“You go, Miss Kellie!” said Miss Granger. “I’ve got to buy some stuff still. It will be quite quick, and I’ll be back at school soon.”
“All right. See you at suppertime!” said Miss Kellie waving her hand.
Suppertime came. The students rushed to the dining hall, all forgetting that they had had an enormous tea already. They sat down at their tables.
The fifth grade talked and chattered, and none noticed the absence of Miss Granger – at first. The students assumed that she was just late.
Ten minutes went by – and no Miss Granger appeared! Evelyn was getting worried. She shook Alexis. “Alexis! Miss Granger still isn’t here!”
Alexis smiled. “Evelyn, I bet she’s just extra late this time.”
Another ten minutes – and still no Miss Granger! Evelyn was quite frantic. Quietly, she slipped off to the headmistress’s – Miss Caty’s – table.
“Oh, Miss Caty!” panted Evelyn. “Miss Granger is missing. She hasn’t come to dinner. I suppose you don’t know anything about her not being here?”
Miss Caty looked alarmed. “Evelyn, I don’t know anything about it! Are you sure Miss Granger isn’t here? Was she taken ill?”
Evelyn shook her head to both the questions. “How peculiar!” exclaimed Miss Caty. “Wait another five minutes, my dear, and if Miss Granger still does not come, inform me, and I shall send some people to search for her.”
And the time came when Evelyn did inform Miss Caty!
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