The School is Gone!

Andy loved the second grade. He loved his teacher, Mrs. Parks. He loved playing four-square at recess. He loved learning about dinosaurs and the solar system.

Every morning, Andy's mother dropped him off in front of his school on South Street. One cold, foggy morning, the traffic was so bad on South Street that she decided to drop him off on Morningside Lane, behind the school. "You'll make it to class on time if you don't dawdle," Andy's mother said. So he smiled as he waved goodbye to her, and he watched her drive away. But he was worried that he would not make it to class on time. He walked over to the gate and grasped the icy handle. It was stuck!

"Uh-oh," Andy mumbled under his breath. He looked around. There was no one in sight to help him open the gate. Bracing himself and using both hands, he pulled on the gate's handle as hard as he could. The handle loosened up, and the gate opened. "I did it!" he squealed.

After Andy closed the gate behind him, he looked in the direction of the school. He looked to his left. He looked to his right. But all he could see was fog. He pulled his coat up tightly around his neck, took a deep breath, and began the long walk across the field. He got to the spot where the slide had always been, but the slide was not there. "The slide is gone!" he cried. He walked a little more. He looked for the swings, but they were not where they had always been. "The swings are gone!" he cried again.

But Andy kept walking. He knew he was near the school when he reached the

blacktop. He was so eager to see the school, he tripped and landed on the ground with a thud. "Ahhh," he moaned, struggling to his feet. He rubbed his hands together to make them feel better. He rubbed his left knee, then his right knee.

Andy looked in the direction of the school once again. He had walked such a long

way, but he still couldn't see the school. Then a terrible thought popped into his head. "The school is gone!" he shrieked.

Andy got sad. No more games of four-square with Jennie, Angel and Dillon, he thought. No more reading about dinosaurs. No more watching videos on the solar system. Even though Andy was sad, he kept walking.

Then Andy thought he saw something up ahead. At first it looked like a ghost! He rubbed his eyes and looked again. He saw a beige woolen cap, a brown jacket and a pair black boots. "It's Jennie!" he exclaimed.

Andy picked up his pace. He would ask Jennie what had happened to the school. Then he saw the outline of a building. His heart skipped a beat. His school was still there after all! Andy waved to Jennie, and Jennie waved back. "Hi, Jennie," Andy said, trying to catch his breath. "There was so much fog, I couldn't see the school. I thought it was gone."

Jennie just giggled. "You're so silly."

"What happened to the slide and the swings?" Andy asked.

"They're putting in the new playground equipment today," Jennie answered. "They took the other stuff away last night. Don't you remember Mrs. Parks telling us about it yesterday?"

"I guess I forgot," Andy said, smiling. "Anyway, I'm glad the school is here. I'm glad you're here, too," he added. Then he hugged his friend, and they walked up the steps to their classroom together.

Learn more about this author, Janet Reimche.
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