Sideways Stories from Wayside School (Wayside School 1)

Dameon raced back up the stairs. But first he stopped to take a drink of water.

“What’s it about, Mrs. Jewls?” asked Dameon.

“Turtles,” said Mrs. Jewls.

Dameon rushed back down the stairs to tell Louis.

“Turtles,” said Dameon.

“No, thanks,” said Louis. “I don’t like turtles. They are too slow.”

Dameon lowered his head and slowly walked up the thirty flights of stairs. His legs were sore, he could hardly breathe, and his side ached.

By the time he got to Mrs. Jewls’s class, the movie was over.

“All right, class,” said Mrs. Jewls. “I want everybody to take out a piece of paper and a pencil and write something about turtles.”

Dameon had missed the movie, but he still could have written something about turtles: “Turtles are too slow.” But now he couldn’t find his pencil. It just wasn’t his day.

“What’s the matter, Dameon?” asked Mrs. Jewls.

“I can’t find my pencil,” said Dameon.

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“Class, Dameon’s pencil is missing,” Mrs. Jewls announced. “What did it look like, Dameon?” she asked.

“It was long and yellow,” said Dameon. “It had a black point at one end and a red eraser at the other.”

“I found it,” said Todd, “here, by the blackboard.”

“Yes, that’s it,” said Dameon.

“No, there it is, in the corner by the waste basket,” said “Crabapple.”

“Hmmm, maybe that’s it,” said Dameon.

“Here it is,” said John. “It’s been in my desk the whole time.”

“No, here it is in my hand,” said Joe.

“I found it,” said Rondi.

§

“Here it is,” said Allison.

“I have it,” laughed D.J.

“I found it,” said Myron.

“Which one is yours, Dameon?” asked Mrs. Jewls.

Dameon studied each pencil. “They all look like mine,” he said.

Fortunately, at that moment, Louis walked into the classroom. He handed Dameon a pencil.

“You dropped this when you were telling me about the movie,” said Louis.