Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom (Wayside School #4) - Louis Sachar Page 0,18

lift the mallet? What if he dropped it on his toe? What if he dropped it on Mr. Kidswatter’s toe? He could be expelled!

“Breathe,” said Jason from the desk next to him.

Stephen took a breath.

He stared at the clock.

What if someone left a skateboard on the stairs? Then he might trip over it on his way to the gong. If he broke his leg, Mr. Kidswatter would yell at him for being late!

“Breathe,” said Rondi from the desk on his other side.

Stephen took a breath.

He stared at the clock. Sometimes, it seemed the hands didn’t move at all. Other times, he’d blink, and it would be half an hour later.

Time didn’t always make sense at Wayside School.

For lunch, Miss Mush made pepper-only pizza. Stephen ate his slice, but did not remember eating it. His only clue was that he was very thirsty and his tongue and lips burned.

He returned to his seat in Mrs. Jewls’s class. He stared at the clock.

Jenny was late coming back from lunch. “Sorry, Mrs. Jewls,” she said. “I can’t find my skateboard.”

“Oh, no!” Stephen shouted.

“Are you all right, Stephen?” Mrs. Jewls asked him.

“Why did he have to pick me?” Stephen moaned.

“If you didn’t want to do it, why’d you raise your hand?” asked Mac.

“Everyone else had their hands raised,” Stephen explained. “I mean, I guess I was excited about it at the time, but now . . .”

“You have cold feet,” said Mrs. Jewls.

“Yes!” exclaimed Stephen. He wondered how Mrs. Jewls knew that. His feet felt like two blocks of ice. No wonder she was a teacher! But what did his frozen feet have to do with ringing the gong?

“Breathe,” said Mrs. Jewls.

Stephen took a breath.

Mrs. Jewls’s class always had music on Friday afternoons. “I’m sorry, we don’t have musical instruments today,” she announced. “They were sent out to be cleaned, and we haven’t gotten them back yet.”

What if the gong was being washed too? Would he have to bang it on a different day?

“Breathe,” said Kathy.

Stephen took a breath.

“So just use what you were born with!” said Mrs. Jewls. “And a one, and a two . . .”

Dana loudly blew her nose. Ron twiddled his lips. Mac puffed out his cheek and popped it with a flick of a finger. Calvin and Bebe whistled. Joe stood on his head and sang “Jingle Bells.”

Paul pulled Leslie’s pigtails. She shrieked, squealed, or squawked, depending on the pull.

“Stop the music!” Mrs. Jewls suddenly shouted, and the room became instantly quiet.

“Stephen, you’re late,” she told him. “I’m sorry. I was so carried away by the music, I didn’t notice the time.”

“Time?” said Stephen.

“Now, Stephen!” said Mrs. Jewls.

He remained frozen in his chair.

Mrs. Jewls asked Jason and Rondi to help.

They moved to either side of Stephen and slowly lifted him to a standing position. “It’s time, buddy,” said Jason.

“Time,” Stephen repeated.

He took one step, then stopped.

“Now the other leg,” said Rondi.

He took another step.

“You can do it, Stephen!” cheered Kathy.

“Bang that gong like no one ever banged it before!” called Joy.

Stephen walked across the room. He stepped out the door. Behind him, he heard the entire class shout together.

“Breathe!”

Stephen took a breath.

22

The Moment

Stephen was worrying his way down the stairs when suddenly he spotted Jenny’s skateboard, right in the middle of a step. He stepped over it.

Well, that was easy.

And just like that, his fears vanished. Not even the Cloud of Doom worried him.

He quickly hurried the rest of the way down. He didn’t want to be late. When he reached the second floor, he could see Louis below, wheeling the gong into place.

“Louis!” he shouted, and then jumped down the final eight steps. “Am I late?”

“You’re right on time,” said the yard teacher.

The gong was gigantic, almost twice as big as Stephen. He had never stood so close to it before. In the center was a small red dot.

The iron mallet hung from a hook. The mallet was longer than his arm, and thicker too.

“Have you been doing your push-downs?” Louis asked.

Stephen nodded. “I’m almost up to two,” he said confidently.

Mr. Kidswatter stepped out of his office. He took one look at Stephen and asked, “Who are you?”

“This is Stephen,” said Louis. “You chose him to bang the gong today?”

“Him? Why would I choose him?”

“Because you’re the best principal ever!!!” said Louis.

“Well, yes, that’s true,” said Mr. Kidswatter.

“I’ll do my best, sir,” said Stephen.

“That’s what worries me,” said the principal.

Louis handed Stephen two cotton balls.

As Stephen was stuffing them in his ears, Louis unhooked the mallet.

He held it