A Saint Patrick's Day Mystery for Kids

The Substitute Teacher

Janet pushed open the school doors, making her way through the halls to her sixth grade classroom. Bobby, one of her classmates, smiled as she entered."You're gonna have bad luck all day, Janet," he said, giving her arm a slight pinch.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?"

Linda, another of Janet's classmates, approached with a grin. "You're not wearing green. Me and Bobby's wearing green. Everybody's wearing green."

David, one of Janet's best friends, reached forward and pinched her arm. It's St. Patrick's day. You're gonna get pinched and have bad luck all day for not wearing green."

"That's stupid," Janet said, rubbing her pinched arm. "I don't believe in that."

"And why don't ya, Lassie?"

The students turned sharply towards a very short man in a green suit, wearing a small derby.

Janet stepped back in surprise. "Who are you? Where'd you come from?"

"McDougall here," he said with a tilt of his head. "I'll be instructin' ya fer the day."

Bobby, the class bully, laughed softly. "You're the substitute teacher?"

"Aye, laddie boy, that I am. Now if you'll be so kind as to have a seat, we can proceed.

As the students seated themselves, Janet tapped her ink pen idly on her desktop and eyed the strange man curiously, believing their regular teacher was playing a Saint Patrick's Day joke on the class.

Papers rustled as the class settled down to start the day. McDougall picked up the sponge to erase the blackboard and it turned from gray to green. Bobby shouted, "How'd you do that?"

Turning from the blackboard, McDougall gave Bobby a sideways glance. "Are ya forgettin' what the day is, lad?"

"It's Saint Patrick's Day. So what?"

McDougall turned back to the board without responding, picking up a piece of chalk, which also turned green. David leaned towards Bobby and whispered, "Did you see that?"

With his back to the class, McDougall said, "David, would you approach the blackboard, please?"

"Me?"

"Yur the only David in the room, laddie."

"How do you know my name?"

"It's Saint Patty's Day, of course. Come forward, please."