Sitting in the writing class I teach I was having my students write a short story in under five minutes. Looking at the stopwatch, I gave them the 3-minute warning when there was a rumble through the building. Looking up, I said, "They must be doing some excavating at the local mine."
Mason raised his hand and when I called on him he said, "Mrs. Worthington, the mines are closed until the end of the month. I work in the office."
Smiling I said, "I am sure there is a reasonable explanation."
There was another rumble, and the building shook. I grabbed my desk and said, "Under your desks now."
The room was pitched into darkness. I heard screams from the students, and when the lights came back on a minute later, a quarter of my class was gone. Lily asked, "Where are they?"
The door to my classroom opened, and the principal came in. He saw the empty desks with books on top and asked, "How many are missing from in here?"
Doing a quick count I said, "Seven."
He nodded and grabbed his overhead walkie. He said, "Everyone, please stay where you are. I am coming around to see how many students are missing."
Nodding at him, I asked, "Was it just the school?"
He shook his head and said, "No. My wife works at the hospital, and patients are missing."
He got back on the walkie and said, "Students have full permission to use their cell phones and call loved ones. We are staying here for now until we speak with the authorities. Before you all panic, there are 1210 people in this town. We are trying to see how many are missing."
Students- Mason, Lily
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