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Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery
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Author:  Advent Drabblers [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:48 am ]
Post subject:  Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Article from 'The Single Teacher' magazine...

Ladies, do you despair of ever catching your own doctor? Do you watch all your friends and colleagues as they have life threatening accidents and wonder when your turn will come? Are you always the bridesmaid and never the recovering patient? Well never fear, your turn will come. This article will show you new ways of hooking your prey, with a detailed example and suggestions for further expansion on the idea.

Previously it has been traditional for school teachers to find their partners by taking advantage of random accidents and illnesses, however ploys like this have two major drawbacks. Firstly these things are by their very nature, random. They cannot be relied on or planned for. Secondly no one ever looks their best when suffering from pleuropnumoniabronchitisblackplaguegingivitishangnail.

So, do we have a solution, of course we do. Here at The Single Teacher Magazine, we do our best to come up with innovative means of solving all your problems. Our experts have come up with a new way of catching your very own doctor, the “accidental” injury to a pupil. The speech marks are important as these “accidents” need careful planning. Timing is a consideration, it is best to arrange for half-term as you can then ensure that most of your younger, more attractive colleagues, (the competition) are engaged on other activities rather then being engaged to your doctor.

It is best to choose a new pupil, or a physically unattractive girl. If these can be combined into a ugly, mysterious newcomer then so much the better. The main imperative to be followed here is to ensure that the girl is seen to be either to blame; or conversely to be a heroine rescuing a younger girl. The latter often works better as it generally means fewer explanations. The suggested way of doing this would be to place a cute animal of a juniors choice in an obviously dangerous place, and when said junior is stopped from falling into said danger by an older pupil (hopefully one that you wish to injure) give the older pupil a push down the stairs.

If you have a young colleague then it is important you act immediately. Ensure you take charge and order her to look after the other pupils while you go and look concerned about your pupil. The White and ashen look is considered quite attractive at this stage and will attract the right sort of over protective doctor. A trip to the hospital after bravely reassuring your pupil's friends by eating cake should seal the deal for you.

There are some variations you can try to this plan if you think it is needed, or if it has laready been put into practise by a quicker mistress in your school. For instance you could place heedless juniors and middles near slippy paths and lilly ponds where someone is bound to run, slip and get a wetting. The possibilities are only as limited as your own imaginations, the supply of pupils and the credulity of your headmistress.

Author:  PaulineS [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Has"The Single Teachers" magazine been talking to a Chalet School mistress for examples???

Quote:
The possibilities are only as limited as your own imaginations, the supply of pupils and the credulity of your headmistress.



I do not see Hilda as easy to fool!!!

Author:  Lesley [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Perhaps she took a 'backhander' from those mistresses wanting to use the ploy. :lol:

Lovely Carolyn

Author:  Advent Drabblers [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Linda Lee Danvers, otherwise known as Supergirl, lounged back in the chair by the bedside of Dorcas Brown, smiling at her friend.

"What on Earth were you doing to get your collarbone broken," she asked. "You! You could have saved yourself the fall with no effort at all!"

"Oh yes? And in similar circumstances, you'd have flown I suppose!" came the prompt reply from the bed, where Dorcas lay propped up with pillows, her arm in a sling.

Linda had the grace to look a little abashed. "Well no," she conceded. "But at least I'd have made the landing softer! You know you could have caught a thread to one of the banisters. Who'd have seen it?"

"The cleaner! And spiders don't usually have threads as long as that one would have had to be."

The problem for Dorcas had started during her time in the United States, when she had visited Peter Parker and become infected with the same radioactivity that had given Spider-man his powers. Since then she had managed to keep her abilities a secret, even from her own family. The superhero community had found out when she had used her abilities to save someone from falling from the top of a dam, and she had received support and friendship from the group. Her costume was with her at school, hidden from Matey's eagle eyes

"What exactly happened?" asked Linda.

"We'd been to see Eunice's latest flick, and were coming out of the cinema and heading for the cafe. Our seats were upstairs in the circle, as the school has some funny notion that sitting with the rest of the people will give us some unknown infections! Don't ask me what! I don't know! Anyway, just as we got to the top of the stairs the cinema cat came wandering across the concourse below. One of the kids is cat mad, and tried to dive after it, down the stairs! I managed to catch her, but lost my own footing and fell. I don't remember much else till I woke up here. I nearly did stop myself, but that would have ruined everything. Bad enough if they'd guessed about Eunice, without this on top!"

"About you being Spider-girl as well? It is better to keep such things quiet I'll admit!" said Linda with a grin. "I suppose that's why you changed your hairstyle? Is that the remains of a fringe I see under the bandage?"

"I had to do something since I couldn't get out of going to the flick! And the fringe was the easiest thing I could think of. It made me look totally different. What mummy's going to say, I don't know! She hates the things."

"I wouldn't worry too much. They've had to cut a lot of it off from what I can see. I don't think they'll notice a thing."

Both girls looked up at the sound of footsteps coming down the ward.

"That's Miss Wilson, the Acting Head," said Dorcas.

"OK, I'll be off then. See you soon." Linda rose to her feet and strolled away up the ward, smiling a greeting to Miss Wilson, who smiled back with a puzzled look on her face. Dorcas grinned to herself before saying a cheerful "Hello" to the mistress.

Author:  abbeybufo [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Love it! :lol:

Author:  Lisa [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Hee hee! Two wonderful stories! I do love the magazine advice!

Author:  Lesley [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Now that's a proper mystery! :lol:

Author:  Susan [ Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Wonderful advice from the magazine - does it onlyt apply to teachers?

Dorcas as Spider-girl - could see that happening. Wonder what would happen if she went on a 'mission' as Matey arrived on the scene?

Author:  Advent Drabblers [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Whoops, bit late tonight - sorry about that!


'Look, it wasn't my fault - it really wasn't. How was I to know that that young girl would be all heroic and end up falling down the stairs? I hear she's alright now, isn't she? I mean, broken collar bone - not something I've ever come across before - my family mainly have broken legs, at least, they are the injuries they seem to recover from. What was that? Oh, how did it happen? Well I'd been having a nap in the manager's office - I was out most of the night on patrol so felt I deserved the break. Then he suddenly returned and, quite without any cause, became somewhat rude and insulting - I mean is it my fault that his chair was covered in hair? And I honestly couldn't understand his problem about the small gift I had brought for him - if he didn't want it, fine, but why make such a fuss? I mean I thought I was being kind, he obviously hasn't a great deal of experience in securing his own food, he has terrible claws. I just felt a little sorry for him, that's all. Anyway, he obviously didn't want my company so I left - and I gave him a very offended look I can tell you. One that will haunt him in his dreams.

So, when I left his office I had to decide where to go next and I thought, I know - I'll go upstairs, sometimes the people that go there are very generous and besides, I knew of a couple of pigeons that were nesting in the roof and wanted to find out if the babies were ready to leave the nest yet - just idle curiosity, nothing else. I'd almost got to the top of the stairs when the doors opened and a stream of people filied out - well I knew not to place myself in their way - people very rarely look down at their feet do they? So I stayed on the stairs hoping, when they had all passed, that I'd be able to get into the seats and discover what had been dropped to the ground - don't know about you but I simply love the taste of popcorn, that and squashed choc-ice. Then, all of a sudden a young child, still a kitten really, comes running toward me - normally this wouldn't be a problem, I love children and, though I say it myself, I'm very good with them. But this little one hadn't realised that I was on the stairs and was so intent on reaching me that she tripped...well I yowled, I was so sure she was going to fall down the stairs - then, from out of nowhere this older child, almost grown I'd say though it's different to judge, I don't think she'd had her first litter yet, she appeared and literally pushed the baby against the railings. The child was able to hold them and save herself but that other one, the older one, she wasn't so lucky, she fell down the stairs hitting her head and breaking her collar bone - poor girl.

So anyway, there was absolute chaos when she fell and I shot down the stairs like a scalded human. By the time things calmed down again most people had dispersed and I managed to get back out into the foyer just as the ambulance appeared and a doctor examined the girl. I must admit I was surprised at the doctor and the teacher - I mean there was none of the normal yowling and growls that normally is associated with love at first sight - but it was there - I've seen enough liasons to recognise it. Been part of quite a number too.'

Author:  Elle [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Brilliant! I hooted with laughter through that!

Author:  Cath V-P [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Brilliant - I loved the cat's last lines. And Dorcas as Spider-Girl. And the encouraging tone of the magazine article.

Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Thanks Ads three very different views,

Author:  Alison H [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

:lol: :lol:

Author:  abbeybufo [ Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Another brilliant 'take' - the more amusing as it isn't a book I'm very familiar with :lol: :lol:

Author:  Susan [ Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Might have guessed the last poster would take the cat's view - wonderful.

Author:  Lyanne [ Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

abbeybufo wrote:
Another brilliant 'take' - the more amusing as it isn't a book I'm very familiar with :lol: :lol:


It's not a book, it's a short story in a book. I did/should have the book somewhere but it has disappeared into a black hole, so I can't remember if it's a girls' annual type or a EBD collection.

Author:  abbeybufo [ Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

Yes, it's in one of the Chalet Book[s] for Girls - poss 'packaged' with Tom? - I know it isn't a 'full' book in its own right, but using the term as shorthand on a busy day . . . :oops:

Author:  Kathy_S [ Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

I know it's very short, and originally wasn't a proper book, but GGBP certainly sold the reprint as a book. Full price, too.

Author:  Cat C [ Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Advent Drabbles Day 20 - Mystery

I've come aross paperback copies of both Mystery by itself (very slim volume, for very non-slim price) and packaged with Rosalie.

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