Maya’s Quest

After two hours Mr. Byers noticed that Francisco hadn’t come back.  “Has anyone seen Francisco?” he asked the class.  

“You sent him out to take the lunch count,” said Maya.  “Even though it’s almost time to go home.”

“Never mind that,” said Mr. Byers.  “It’s almost time for another long, boring, difficult test.  I need him back here.  Go find him, Maya.”

Maya turned to leave.  “Oh, yeah,” said Mr. Byers.  “And go take this to the office for me.”  He handed her a nurse’s pass made out to…Mrs. Jackson???

“Uh, ok,” stammered Maya as she slowly walked out the door.  Man, was Mr. Byers losing it or what?

On the way to the office she peered into the Media Center.  Then she saw him.  He was scrunched in a bookshelf next to the dictionaries.  She ran around to the front entrance of the Media Center and rushed to the bookshelf.  “Francisco?”

“How did you find me?” he asked.  

“It wasn’t that hard,” Maya said.  “It’s kind of obvious seeing a kid crammed in a bookshelf next to the dictionaries.”  

“But nobody reads dictionaries,” Francisco said.  Then he stopped.  “But Casey does!”  He slapped himself on the head.  “Oh, Maya,” he cried as he held up the lunch envelope.  “What should I do?”

They both sat down to think.  After five or so minutes of thinking, Maya jumped up.  “I’ve got it,” she shouted.

“Shh,” whispered Mr. Overdorf.  

“We’ll just lie,” whispered Maya to Francisco.  “We’ll just say to Mr. Byers that we turned it in.  And when we see the lunch ladies we’ll say that Mr. Byers never gave it to us.  Nobody will ever figure this out.”

And that’s what they did.  Of course the lunch ladies weren’t happy with Mr. Byers for never turning in his lunch count and Mr. Byers wasn’t happy with the lunch ladies for losing his lunch count, but Francisco was safe.  Besides, lunch ladies don’t get funny money and Mr. Byers doesn’t need any lunch anyway.  He eats too much as it is.