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All that was there was a dead rat.
“Well, I don’t allow dead rats in my classroom,” said Mrs. Jewls. She picked it up by the tail, put it in a plastic bag, and threw it away.
Mrs. Jewls didn’t allow dead rats in her class. Todd once brought in a dead rat for show-and-tell, and Mrs. Jewls made him throw that one away, too.
“I’m glad Sammy isn’t allowed in our classroom,” said Rondi. “I didn’t like him very much.”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Jewls, “we caught another one.”
Dead rats were always trying to sneak into Mrs. Jewls’s class. That was the third one she’d caught since September.
? Sideways Stories from Wayside School ?
15
Deedee
This story contains a problem and a solution.
Deedee was a mousey looking kid. Unlike most children at Wayside School, she liked recess better than spelling. As soon as the recess bell rang, she would jump up from her seat and run out the door.
There were big signs in Wayside School on every floor, “NO JUMPING DOWN THE STAIRS.”
Deedee never seemed to notice the signs. She jumped down the stairs. Some children took the stairs two at a time. Deedee took them ten at a time. That was on the way down. It was funny. She never seemed to be in quite the same hurry on the way back up.
There was another sign at Wayside School. “NO CUTTING ACROSS THE GRASS.” Deedee must not ever have seen that one, either. She cut across the grass and ran up to Louis, the yard teacher.
“I want a green ball,” Deedee said. The green balls were the best.
“I’m all out of green balls,” said Louis.
“Okay, then I want a red ball,” said Deedee. The red balls were just about as good as the green balls. They didn’t bounce as high, but actually, sometimes you don’t want a ball to bounce too high.
“I’m all out of red balls, too,” said Louis.
“Do you have anything left?” asked Deedee.
Deedee meant anything besides the yellow ball. There was one yellow ball at Wayside School and Louis was always trying to get rid of it. It didn’t bounce, and it never went the way it was kicked.
“Anything at all?” asked Deedee.
“Today is your lucky day,” said Louis. “I have one ball left, just for you; the one and only yellow ball!”
“No, thanks,” said Deedee.
“Aw, come on, take it,” said Louis.
“Why don’t you ever have any green or red balls?” asked Deedee.
“I do,” said Louis. “But the other children ask first. By the time you get out here, they’re all gone.”
“But that’s because I have to come all the way from the thirtieth story. How do you expect me to compete with the kids from the first or second?” she asked.
“That’s why I saved you the yellow ball,” said Louis. “Everybody wanted it, but I saved it just for you.”
“I bet,” said
Deedee.
