JUST A GAME

This story is inspired by Myron’s experience as class president in Chapter 8 of Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a brief look at what the eighth chapter is about.

CHAPTER 8. MYRON — SUMMARY

Myron becomes class president and is disappointed to learn that his only responsibility is turning the lights on in the morning and off at the end of the school day. That afternoon, after classes, Myron saves Dana’s dog by rushing the injured puppy to the vet after it’s hit by a car. The next morning, he visits the dog before school, which makes him a little late. As soon as he arrives, Mrs. Jewls informs him that he will be replaced by Stephen for failing to turn on the lights that morning.

At lunch, Myron walked to the far corner of the playground and sat on a bench in the shade of a tall tree. He had just bitten into his sandwich when he heard footsteps behind him.

“Do you mind if we join you?” a voice called.

Myron turned and saw Arlo and Silas. He knew them well: excellent basketball players, great guys, and always laughing about something.

“Sure,” Myron said, scooting over to make room.

They unwrapped their sandwiches. Arlo gulped noisily and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “We know what happened,” he said.

Myron blinked. “What do you mean?”

Silas pointed toward the school building with his giant sandwich. “We know Mrs. Jewls replaced you with Stephen,” he said, shaking his head. “Totally unfair.”

“But how did you hear that?” Myron asked.

Arlo grinned. “News travels fast at Wayside School. Faster than the elevator, even.”

They both laughed.

“But it’s actually good news,” Arlo continued. “Because we’re looking for someone like you. We think you’d make a great class president.”

Myron started coughing and nearly choked on his sandwich.

Silas immediately pulled a bottle of water from his pocket (Myron didn’t even want to know how it fit in there) and handed it to him. “Here.”

After a few gulps, Myron croaked, “Say that again?”

“We’d like you to be our class president,” Arlo repeated. “We need someone mindful and dedicated. Someone like you.”

“But I’m not in your class!” Myron exclaimed. “I’m in Mrs. Jewls’s class on the thirtieth floor.”

Silas patted him on the back. “We don’t need a classroom president. We need a recess president. Someone who can help us organize games so we don’t waste half of recess finding balls or arguing about turns.”

Myron frowned. “Is that what a class president is supposed to do?”

“For us, yes,” Arlo said. “So, what do you say? Do you want to give it a try?”

Myron’s eyebrows shot up. “Right now?”

“Sure,” Silas said, pointing across the field. “Everyone’s waiting.”

Myron squinted. A group of kids from Mr. King’s class were jumping and waving at him.

“Okay,” he muttered, standing. “I guess I can try.”

It turned out to be the best recess ever. Mr. King’s class had only managed to secure two balls, but Myron organized basketball teams, kickball teams, and a rotation for tetherball, hopscotch, and tag. By the end of recess, everyone had played at least two games and had the time of their lives.

Myron couldn’t wait for the next recess.

“I told you you’re the best class president in the history of Wayside School,” Arlo said, high fiving him.

“You didn’t actually say that,” Myron laughed. “But thanks. And thank you for the opportunity.”

“We thank you,” Silas said, patting him on the back. “See you in an hour.”

The next class was a blur. Myron checked the clock every thirty seconds. He couldn’t even remember what Mrs. Jewls was teaching.

When the bell rang, he dashed out the door and down the stairs. Outside, he scanned the playground for Mr. King’s students.

“Over here, Myron!” someone called.

It was Todd, holding a red ball Louis had just given him.

“Oh, hi Todd,” Myron said. “Do you need extra players?”

Todd shook his head. “We’ve got enough. But you can cheer for us until someone gets tired.”

Myron hesitated. “Sure. But I need to check something first.”

He ran after Louis, who was carrying jump ropes and hula hoops back to the sports gear room.

“Louis! Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Louis said. “Hold these first.”

He dumped the ropes and hoops into Myron’s arms, then picked up the yellow ball and a stack of frisbees.

“Walk with me,” Louis said. “Tell me everything.”

Myron explained it all, from Mrs. Jewls appointing him class president, to being replaced, to organizing recess for Mr. King’s class.

They dropped the equipment onto the racks and stepped outside again. Louis watched the children running and laughing across the yard.

“I like Arlo and Silas,” he said. “And I’m sure their class had a wonderful time with you.”

“Yes, but now Todd expects me to spend time with his team,” Myron said. “If I keep helping Mr. King’s class, I feel like I’m betraying my own classmates.”

Louis chuckled. “But you’re not really their class president, are you?”

“What do you mean? You saw me organizing everything, didn’t you?”

“This is the playground, Myron,” Louis said, spreading his arms wide. “If you lead Mr. King’s students only at recess, you’re just pretending to be their class president.”

Myron’s face lit up. “So, I’m not betraying anyone because it’s just a game.”

“Exactly.”

“Smart,” Myron said. “But why does it feel like you just proved that white is black?”

Louis smiled. “Because you care, Myron. That’s why. Now go do what feels right.”

Myron ran toward Arlo and Silas, who were waiting for him on the field. The students in Mr. King’s class cheered as he approached.

MISS ZARVES

This story explores the possibility that Calvin might meet Miss Zarves, who supposedly teaches the class on the nineteenth story. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at what Chapter 7 in Sideways Stories from Wayside School is all about.

CHAPTER 7. CALVIN — SUMMARY

Mrs. Jewls asks Calvin to deliver a note to Miss Zarves, who teaches the class on the nineteenth story. The strange thing is that the nineteenth story doesn’t exist. The builder accidentally skipped that floor, which means Miss Zarves has no classroom. Calvin wanders around Wayside School searching for a nonexistent teacher, only to return to the thirtieth story and discover that Mrs. Jewls never intended to meet Miss Zarves in the first place.

When school finally ended that day, Calvin felt worn out. He had spent hours looking for Miss Zarves, even though he knew she didn’t exist. His legs were tired, his head was tired, and even his tired was tired.

He stood in line for the school bus with the other kids. They were laughing and telling jokes, but Calvin didn’t feel like laughing. He just wanted to go home and rest his fried up brain.

The bus always surprised everyone because it came from behind the building. You couldn’t see it until it was already there. There was a traffic mirror across the street that showed the road around the corner, but everything in it looked a little strange, like the world was pretending to be itself.

Calvin peeked at the mirror and saw a tiny bus crawling along the road. But before he could blink, the real bus rolled up right in front of him. The doors whooshed open.

Calvin climbed on first, plopped into the seat behind the driver, and fell asleep right away. His mother always told him not to nap on the school bus, but today he felt like a wrung out sponge.

When Calvin got home, his mother noticed something was off. Usually, he was sharp and quick. On bad days he was cranky. But today he was slow and foggy, like a cloud that forgot how to float.

“Are you okay, Calvin?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly. He didn’t like it when adults worried about him. He dropped his backpack in the hallway. “I think I’ll go to bed early.”

But going to bed early didn’t help. Calvin tossed, turned, flopped, rolled, and twisted. He woke up again and again. He barely slept at all.

Finally, just before morning, he drifted into a peaceful dream.

In the dream, he met Miss Zarves. She was very pretty and very nice, maybe even nicer than Mrs. Jewls, which was impossible, because Mrs. Jewls was the nicest teacher in the world.

Miss Zarves taught the class on the nineteenth story. And in Calvin’s dream, Wayside School was normal. The eighteenth story came first, then the nineteenth, then the twentieth. Everything was neat and modern. There were big elevators everywhere, so nobody had to climb stairs to go to recess.

Calvin stood inside one of the elevators while Miss Zarves waved goodbye. He felt sad. He didn’t want to leave.

“Calvin, are you okay?” His mother shook him awake. “You were moaning in your sleep.”

Calvin rubbed his eyes. He felt like he hadn’t slept at all. “What did I say?”

“You said you didn’t want to go,” she answered. She touched his forehead. “I think you have a fever. Maybe you should stay home today.”

“I’m fine,” Calvin said again. He really, really hated it when adults worried about him. “I’ll wash my face.”

But washing his face didn’t fix anything.

He took the first bus to school, so early that even the sun wasn’t sure it wanted to be awake yet. He tried to skip up the stairs but ran out of breath almost immediately. He stopped to rest beside a big round mirror on the wall. It was there so kids wouldn’t bump into each other on the narrow stairs.

Calvin stared into the mirror. It looked just like the traffic mirror outside. And just like that one, it made everything look a little unreal.

On the right side of the mirror was the normal staircase.

On the left side was something else.

“What if I take the stairs on the left?” Calvin wondered. “What will happen?”

He stepped onto the left staircase and climbed. At the top, he almost bumped into a pair of big double doors. A sign above them said 19.

Calvin squeezed through the doors and found a long hallway with elevators on both sides. At the very end was a classroom door.

He knocked.

“Come in,” said a warm voice.

Calvin stepped inside. Miss Zarves sat at her desk, writing in a little notebook. She looked just like the teacher from his dream.

“You’re early today,” she said. Then she looked up. “Oh! You’re not one of my students, are you?”

“My name is Calvin,” he said. “I’m in Mrs. Jewls’s class. She teaches the class on the thirtieth story.”

“The thirtieth story?” Miss Zarves gasped. “Everybody knows the thirtieth story was never built.”

“It wasn’t?” Calvin blinked.

“No,” she said. “The builder said he was very sorry.”

Calvin frowned. “Hold on. I come from the real Wayside School.”

“The real Wayside School?” Miss Zarves laughed.

“Yes! In the real Wayside School, the nineteenth story was never built, and you don’t exist. And Mrs. Jewls teaches the class on the thirtieth story.”

Miss Zarves squinted at him. “But that doesn’t make sense. If the nineteenth story was never built, then your school only has twenty-nine stories. Are you sure Mrs. Jewls is real?”

“Of course she’s real!” Calvin cried. “And so am I! I’ll prove it to you!”

He dashed out of the classroom and ran to the elevator. He was going to check Mrs. Jewls’s mailbox in the administration office.

He pressed the button. When he turned around, Miss Zarves was standing outside the elevator.

“I promise you this is the real Wayside School,” she said. “Maybe you should stay here.”

Calvin shook his head. “I have to go.”

Miss Zarves nodded and waved goodbye. Calvin didn’t wave back. He felt sad about leaving, but he didn’t have a choice.

The doors slid shut.

ISLAND

This story offers an explanation for why everyone in Mrs. Jewls’s class believes Bebe is such a talented artist. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at Chapter 6 in Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

CHAPTER 6. BEBE — SUMMARY

Calvin and Bebe sit next to each other. Since Calvin believes Bebe is far better at drawing than he is, he spends art class helping her create as many pictures as possible instead of drawing anything himself. By the end of the lesson, however, Mrs. Jewls explains that art isn’t measured by how many pictures you make, but by how beautiful they are. Hearing this, Bebe throws all her drawings into the trash and heads home, where she completely overhauls her style by practicing very slowly.

It was almost the end of recess when Louis burst out of the school building and hurried toward the kickball field.

“Todd!” he called. “I need a quick favor!”

Todd dropped the ball and jogged over. “Sure, Louis. Anything.”

“Miss Mush just got a giant delivery of vegetables,” Louis explained. “She wants me to help carry the crates upstairs. Could you guys gather all the balls and take them to the sports gear room for me?”

Todd nodded. “We can do that. But who’s going to lock the door after we’re done?”

“Don’t worry,” Louis said. “It closes automatically. Just put the balls on the racks and leave. And don’t play with the equipment.”

He thanked Todd and dashed back inside. The bell rang just as he disappeared up the stairs.

“Alright, everyone,” Todd said. “Let’s see if we can carry the balls without dropping any.”

Mrs. Jewls’s class worked together, wobbling up the stairs with armfuls of basketballs, soccer balls, and kickballs. Luckily, not a single one escaped.

Todd sighed with relief as he looked around the sports gear room. Everything was on the racks, and they still had time to get to class.

Then the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

“Oh no,” Todd groaned.

“What?” Calvin asked. “Did we lose a ball?”

“No,” Todd said. “The door locks automatically. We’re stuck until Louis comes back.”

“Maybe some of us are still outside,” Bebe suggested. “They can tell Mrs. Jewls.”

Todd counted. Twenty seven students. All inside.

“Nope,” he muttered. “Louis is the only one who knows where we are.”

Stephen immediately began pounding on the door. “HELLO? ANYBODY?”

“Nobody can hear you,” Todd said. “Everyone’s in class.”

“There has to be something we can do!” Stephen insisted.

“The best thing we can do is not panic,” Todd said. “So, stop pounding.”

“How can I not panic?” Stephen cried. “We’re twenty seven people crammed in a room!”

Todd shrugged. “It’s the same as being in Mrs. Jewls’s class. And the best cure for panic is a game.”

“Excellent!” Terrence shouted. “Let’s kick the balls around until the walls turn purple!”

“No,” Todd snapped. “Louis said no touching the equipment. We’ll play ISLAND.”

Terrence wrinkled his nose. “ISLAND? What’s that?”

“It’s a party game,” Todd explained. “We pretend we’re stranded on a desert island. Everyone has to add something to the escape plan. We can’t escape until everything we need is drawn or painted.”

“But we don’t have paper,” Bebe pointed out.

Todd gestured toward a cupboard. “Let’s check there.”

“Hey, you said we can’t touch anything,” Terrence warned.

“We can’t touch equipment,” Todd corrected. He opened the cupboard. The shelves were crammed with stacks of paper and piles of pencils. And there were enough sharpeners to supply an army.

“I’m drawing an airplane,” Calvin announced. “Fastest way off the island.”

“Good luck,” Bebe laughed. “First we need food.”

She quickly sketched bananas and handed one to everyone.

“These bananas look weird,” Stephen muttered.

“But they’re delicious, aren’t they?” Bebe teased. “Come on, Stephen. We have to move fast.”

“Relax,” Terrence said. “Calvin’s already drawing the airplane.”

“Drawing an airplane will take forever,” Bebe replied. “We should build a boat. I’ll draw axes so we can chop wood. Everyone else, palm trees!”

The class watched in awe as Bebe filled the pages with axes, palm trees, a sturdy boat, oars, and even a rescue flag. They were just being rescued by a coast guard ship when the door opened.

“There you are!” Louis exclaimed. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“We were about to escape,” Todd said. “Thanks to Bebe’s amazing skills.”

“Calvin!” Louis called. “Aren’t you coming?”

Calvin was still hunched in a corner, scribbling furiously. “I can’t leave yet,” he mumbled. “My airplane isn’t finished.”

Todd helped him up and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. Bebe already rescued us. She really is the best draw in the whole world.”

TIMING TROUBLES

This story focuses on Todd, the hero of Chapter 5 in Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a quick look at what the fifth chapter is about.

CHAPTER 5. TODD — SUMMARY

Todd always thinks before he speaks, which makes him a little slower than the other students and causes him to fall behind in his workbook activities. However, he’s the one who ends up saving the day when two robbers suddenly enter the classroom. Todd hands them Joy’s workbook and tells them that knowledge is more valuable than money, an idea so surprising that it sends the robbers running.

Todd used to think before he spoke. Always. And this caused a couple of problems.

At recess, Todd was getting ready to play kickball with his friends when Terrence suddenly appeared. “May I check the ball?” he asked.

“Sure,” Todd said, handing it over.

Terrence grabbed the ball  and kicked it over the wall.

Todd stared at him, stunned. “Did you just ruin our game?”

Terrence laughed. “Better scram, little lamb,” he said, and wandered off to bully someone else.

Todd was determined to teach Terrence a lesson. But he couldn’t decide whether to shout, “Off you hop, cheeky pup!” or “Just buzz off, silly moth!” 

So, he spent the next three periods silently rehearsing both lines, trying to figure out which one was more devastating. By the time he finally delivered his comeback, Terrence was already on a different bus heading home.

The next day, Mrs. Jewls asked, “What’s the capital of France?”

Todd knew the answer. But he wanted to make sure he used the correct spelling and pronunciation. By the time he raised his hand, the class had already moved on to dinosaurs.

Mrs. Jewls had just asked where T Rex lived when she noticed Todd’s hand. “Paris,” he announced when she called on him. The whole class cracked up.

Louis noticed something odd about Todd, but he couldn’t figure out what. The children were chasing each other on the playground when someone shouted, “Heads up!”

Everyone dove out of the way. Everyone except Todd, who stood perfectly still, observing the ball’s orbit and trying to calculate its speed.

It hit him in the neck.

“Ouch,” he said.

“What are you doing, Todd?” Louis asked. “Why are you so slow?”

“I’m not slow,” Todd replied. “I just always think before I react.”

“Everyone thinks before they react,” Louis said. “But you look like you’re not reacting at all. What’s going on?”

Todd sighed. “Last Sunday was my birthday. Everyone was waiting for me to blow out the candles, but I couldn’t decide whether to wish for a dog or a gaming console. The candles melted all over the cake.”

“What did you pick eventually?” Louis asked.

“Nothing,” Todd said. “The fire alarm went off and we all ran outside.”

Louis nodded. “Okay. I know what you should do. Speak before you think.”

Todd frowned. “But that’s impossible. People don’t speak before they think.”

“People don’t have your problem,” Louis explained. “You need the opposite approach. Speak now, think later. It’ll fit you like a glove.”

Todd considered this, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll try.”

From that day on, Todd stopped thinking before speaking, and the results were wonderful. He greeted people on time, laughed at jokes while they were still funny, and answered Mrs. Jewls’s questions before the class moved on to the next chapter.

There was only one problem: Mrs. Jewls kept catching Todd talking in class. Every day she wrote his name on the blackboard, put a check next to it, and circled it. As punishment, she sent him home early on the kindergarten bus, where Todd was surrounded by noisy little kids.

They never thought before they spoke.

HAIR DRIVE

The following story focuses on Joe, the main character in Chapter 3 of Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a quick look at what the third chapter is about.

CHAPTER 3. JOE — SUMMARY

There seems to be a strange connection between Joe’s inability to count and his curly hair. When Mrs. Jewls discovers that Joe doesn’t know how many hairs he has, or even how to count properly, she keeps him in during recess to practice. But by the end of recess, Joe still can’t count correctly, which makes him sad. Mrs. Jewls reassures him that one day he’ll simply wake up and know how to count. The chapter ends happily: the next morning, Joe suddenly becomes good at math and is finally able to count all his curly hairs.

Joe had curly hair. All the other boys in Mrs. Jewls's class had straight hair. A couple of girls had wavy or curly hair too, but Joe was the only boy whose hair looked like an explosion in the slinky factory.

Every morning, Joe spent more than half an hour trying to tame it. He stood in front of the tall mirror on his closet door, armed with a big comb and two hairbrushes, hoping to look neat and tidy like his best friend John. But no matter how hard he tried, his hair always ended up looking like the back of a stray sheep.

When Joe got to school, he met John on the stairs.

"Hi, Joe," John said. "Did you comb your hair this morning?"

Joe tried to run a hand through his curls. It got stuck in a knot right on his forehead. "I woke up late today," he lied. "I barely had time for breakfast."

At lunchtime, Joe headed to the cafeteria. They had just finished math, and his brain was still a jumble of numbers and fractions.

"Hey, Joe!" John called. He was already sitting with Myron and Todd. "Over here!"

Joe sat down and opened his lunch bag. "I brought my own lunch," he said. "I just came for a glass of milk from Miss Mush."

"Me too," John laughed. 

Todd pointed at Louis, who was having lunch at a nearby table. "Louis is the only one eating Miss Mush's special today. He's already finished a whole bottle of ketchup."

Louis waved at them. "Boys, how would you like a free haircut?"

"Are you a barber too, Louis?" Myron asked.

Louis shook his head. "There's a barber downstairs giving free haircuts today. I"m trying to finish lunch fast so I can get mine."

Joe didn't feel excited. Barbers always had trouble cutting his hair. But John, Todd, and Myron were curious. They gulped down their food and ran downstairs. Joe followed them quietly.

Outside, behind the basketball court, they found a colorful pickup truck with a small trailer attached. A big sign read:

HAIR DRIVE - THE NEWEST BARBERSHOP IN TOWN.

FREE HAIRCUTS TODAY!

Just then, Louis stepped out of the trailer. He looked so neat and handsome that the boys almost didn't recognize him.

"Hey, Louis," Todd called. "You look like you're going to your own wedding!"

Louis grinned, ran a hand through his hair and hurried off to fetch the green and red balls.

"Should we get our hair cut?" John asked.

"I don't know," Joe said. "My hair doesn't work in regular barbershops."

"I just want a trim," Myron said. "My hair already looks perfect."

He was right.

"Welcome, boys!" the barber said. He was tall, with a sharp haircut and a mustache twice as perfect as Louis's. "Who's first?"

"Me!" Todd shouted.

Todd and Myron were done quickly because they only needed a little trimming. When John sat in the chair, the barber studied his hair for a minute.

"What if we switch your part to the other side?" he suggested. "It'll make your look ten years younger."

"I don't want to look like a baby!" John protested.

"You know what I mean," the barber chuckled.

A few snips later, John looked like he had stepped out of a gift box.

"Thank you!" he said, admiring himself in the mirror.

"Now it's your turn," the barber said, turning to Joe.

Joe shook his head. "I can't. My hair is curly. It's almost impossible to cut."

"What are you talking about?" the barber laughed, pointing at his own head. "I have curly hair too. Do you like my haircut?"

Joe nodded. "It looks perfect."

"So it's not impossible," the barber concluded.

"Do you cut your own hair?" John asked.

"My wife does," the barber said. "She's a barber too. Pretty good, right?"

Joe hesitated. "Okay," he sighed. "I just want a trim."

"Your hair needs a lot of trimming," the barber joked. He gestured to the chair. "Hop in."

Joe sat down. The barber grabbed a metal can, sprayed a handful of shiny foam, and worked it through Joe's curls. He brushed, snipped, clipped, and shaped with two different pairs of scissors. Joe closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he gasped.

"Wow! I don't know how you did that. I have the thickest hair in the whole class."

"I know," the barber said. "I counted fifty-five thousand and six hairs on your head."

Joe nodded. "And they're all curly."

MONKEYS

This story explores Mrs. Jewls’s fear of cute children in Chapter 2 of Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a quick look at what the second chapter is about.

CHAPTER 2. MRS. JEWLS — SUMMARY

A new teacher arrives on the thirtieth story of Wayside School, but she is terribly afraid of cute children. Her fears seem confirmed when she enters the classroom and sees what she believes to be a room full of monkeys. For what feels like a very long time, the students try to convince her that they are children, not monkeys. When Mrs. Jewls finally realizes the truth, she announces that they have a lot of work to do and tells them to get ready for a test.

Mrs. Jewls was both a nice teacher and a kind person. In fact, she was one of the kindest adults you could meet. Ever since she was a little girl, she had loved helping people and animals alike. In her spare time, she often searched for solutions to the problems of anyone who needed her.

One summer, while students and teachers were on vacation, Mrs. Jewls received an email from Aunt Martha. Aunt Martha ran an animal shelter in Orlando, Florida, and she needed help right away.

The next morning, Mrs. Jewls caught the first plane to Orlando, took a taxi from the airport, and arrived at Aunt Martha's house at noon. She was shocked to find her aunt still in bed, with one leg in a plaster cast.

"Aunt Martha, what happened?" Mrs. Jewls cried.

Aunt Martha moaned, sat up slowly, and rubbed her eyes. "Could you please bring me a glass of water?" she whispered. Her voice was dry and raspy. "I haven't drunk anything since I came home from the hospital."

Mrs. Jewls rushed to the kitchen and returned with a mug of water. Aunt Martha gulped it down in no time. 

"May I have another, please?" she asked.

Mrs. Jewls brought a large pitcher and set it on the bedside table. After drinking some more, Aunt Martha explained that she had broken her leg while feeding the monkeys the morning before. 

"But Aunt Martha," Mrs. Jewls exclaimed, "you're an old woman. You shouldn't be working so hard anymore!"

"I have no choice," Aunt Martha sighed. "All my caretakers left because we don't have much money."

"Then why do you keep so many animals?" Mrs. Jewls asked.

"I don't keep many animals," Aunt Martha protested. "The Animal Police came last year and took all the rhinos, the jaguars, and the hippos."

"I didn't know there were rhinos, jaguars, and hippos in America," Mrs. Jewls muttered.

"People keep all kinds of pets," Aunt Martha chuckled. "But when the animals grow too big, they abandon them. Somebody has to take care of them."

"But you said the Animals Police took them all," Mrs. Jewls said.

"They took everything except the monkeys," Aunt Martha explained. "They're very cute. I love them like my own children."

"Who looked after the monkeys while you were in the hospital?" Mrs. Jewls asked.

"Nobody," Aunt Martha admitted. "Could you go feed them for me?"

The shelter was behind the house. Aunt Martha gave Mrs. Jewls the keys and explained where the food was and exactly what she needed to do.

As soon as Mrs. Jewls opened the gate, all the monkeys began screaming like crazy, jumping, and slamming themselves against the tall fence. She worked hard to feed them, bring them water, and clean the enclosure. By the time she finished, it was already dark. She took a shower, ate a bowl of cereal, and went straight to bed.

For the next five weeks, she cared for Aunt Martha and ran the entire shelter by herself. One rainy morning, while carrying food to the monkeys, she slipped on the wet stairs and fell. When Aunt Martha looked out the back window, she saw Mrs. Jewls lying unconscious. She called an ambulance.

When Mrs. Jewls opened her eyes, sunlight was streaming through a large window. A chair and small table stood beside her bed. It was a hospital room, but it felt warm and cozy.

The door opened, and a man in a white coat stepped inside. "My name is Doctor Rossi," he said. "How are you feeling, Mrs. Jewls?"

Mrs. Jewls pointed toward the window. "It was raining this morning. How is the sun shining so brightly now?"

Dr. Rossi laughed. "That was three days ago. You've been asleep for a long time."

"Did I break my leg?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. You were exhausted."

"Oh my goodness!" Mrs. Jewls gasped. "Who's taking care of Aunt Martha?"

"Aunt Martha has moved to a nursing home," Dr. Rossi explained. "She realized she's too old to look after the animals."

"And the monkeys?"

"They're safe," he said. "The Animal Police took them. But you need to stop worrying about everyone else and take care of yourself. You shouldn't have worked so hard alone."

"But the monkeys were so cute!" Mrs. Jewls protested.

"The problem is your brain, Mrs. Jewls," Dr. Rossi remarked. "Or maybe your heart. You're too nice. From now on, you must not teach cute children anymore. Otherwise, you might end up back in the hospital."

"But I can go back to school, can't I?" she asked.

"Of course," Dr. Rossi said. "You may teach any kind of students, except cute ones. Are we clear?"

Mrs. Jewls nodded.

But when she went to Wayside School, she learned that the children on the thirtieth story were very cute. Panic rose in her chest. She hurried up the huge staircase to the top floor, knocked on the classroom door, and stepped inside.

The room was full of monkeys.

JUMP

This is another story connected to Chapter 1 of Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a quick look at the first chapter again.

CHAPTER 1. MRS. GORF — SUMMARY

Mrs. Gorf teaches the class on the thirtieth story of Wayside School, but instead of helping her students learn, she uses her strange magical powers to turn them into apples, one by one. She lines the apples up on her desk, where they sit silently, unable to do anything. When every child has been transformed and Mrs. Gorf is preparing to leave the school forever, Todd suddenly realizes how they might force her to change them back.

For several days now, Mrs. Gorf had been turning the students in her class into apples. Joe was the first kid to become an apple. John and Todd followed almost immediately, and Stephen changed soon after. He was terrified.

Every child who was transformed felt the same way. At first, they were so scared they couldn't think straight. Then the fear sank into sandness: a heavy, hopeless feeling. They were stuck, helpless, and unable to do anything about it.

Todd felt that way too. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He was frightened, upset, and miserable. His whole life had been taken away, and he had no idea how to get it back. Then one night, while the other apples were asleep, Todd noticed something strange. His whole body felt numb, like he couldn't feel anything at all, but somehow it hurt to stay still. So, he tried to move. Just a little.

POP. He made a tiny hop.

Todd froze. Then, amazed, he tried again. This time he jumped so high he landed back on the desk with a loud thud. He stayed perfectly still, afraid he'd wake the others.

But inside, he was thrilled. The apples weren't completely powerless after all. And that's when he came up with a plan.

When morning came, Todd waited for the others to wake up. As soon as they stirred, he cleared his throat.

"A-hem. Guys!"

"Oh my gosh, Todd!" Stephen screamed. "You scared me! My heart almost jumped out of my chest!"

"What chest, Stephen?" Todd muttered. "We're apples. And we need to do something about it."

"Relax, Todd," Joe whispered. "Some people are trying to sleep."

"Trying to sleep?" Todd snapped. "Wake up, Joe. We're in trouble."

"Trouble?" Joe repeated. "What kind of trouble? Stop it, Todd. No one's in trouble."

"No one's in trouble?" Todd said. "Joe, look at yourself. You're an apple."

"I know," Joe laughed. "I've been an apple for three days. Best three days of my life."

Todd stared at him. "Are you crazy? What do you mean?"

Joe yawned. "What do I mean?" He was very sleepy.

"Yes, Joe!" Todd shouted. "What do you mean by the best three days of your life?"

"Well, we don't have to study," Joe said. "No homework either. We're  on vacation."

"Oh my gosh, Joe," Todd groaned. 

"Who doesn't like vacation?" Joe asked.

"We're not on vacation!" Todd roared. "We're stuck on Mrs. Gorf's desk on the thirtieth story of Wayside School!"

"I know Todd," Joe said. "I'm not stupid."

"No one said you're stupid," Todd replied.

Joe pointed behind him. "Maurecia and Joy think I'm stupid."

"Joe's right," Maurecia admitted. "But I'll stop saying that. I promise."

"Okay, nobody's stupid," Todd proclaimed. "But that's not the problem. We have something bigger to worry about."

"Don't worry, Todd," Joe said. "I count twenty-four apples on this desk. That means only three kids are left in the classroom."

Todd blinked. "Yeah, so?"

"She'll turn them into apples today," Joe said. "Then she'll have to turn us back into children."

"No, she won't!" Todd blurted. "Mrs. Gorf hates children. She hates being a teacher too!"

Maurecia nodded. "Todd's right. Mrs. Gorf is crazy. Once everyone is an apple, she'll grab her bag and go home."

"She's a monster!" Todd declared. "She'll fly back to her lair and we'll never see her again."

"Oh my gosh!" Stephen screamed. "I don't want to be an apple forever. I'm scared!"

"We're all scared," Todd said. "But we have to act before she leaves. Nobody else knows how to wiggle their ears."

"I know how to stick out my tongue," Joe chuckled.

"Everyone can do that," Todd said. "But you can't stick your tongue now, can you? You're an apple!"

"That's why people think you're stupid, Joe," Joy muttered.

"See, Todd?" Joe complained. "She's doing it again!"

"That's because we're in trouble and you keep talking about silly things," Todd said. "We may never become children again."

"Then we're doomed," Joe whispered. "We can't do anything, can we?"

"Actually, we can," Todd said. "We can jump and hit her in the face."

"Really?" Eric Bacon asked. he loved jumping, even though he wasn't very good at it. "Who's going to do that?"

"We all are," Todd said. "I'll jump first. But one apple isn't enough."

"Of course not," Kathy agreed. "Maybe the three Erics should go next. They're all fat. That'll hurt a lot."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Kathy?" Eric Bacon shouted. "I'm the skinniest boy in class!"

Kathy laughed. "But you're the biggest apple on the desk. You're fat now, aren't you?"

"Guys, stop fighting," Todd pleaded. "We need to focus on Mrs. Gorf. She's the enemy."

"I'm ready," Stephen said. 

"I'm ready too," Joe added. "Let's do this."

"Okay," Todd said. "The sun's up. She'll be here any minute. When I bop her in the face, I want all of you to follow. Got it?"

Everyone cheered.