Emily bounced into the classroom, waving to her mom as she drove away. Emily put her things away into her cubby and hanging up her coat. She took out her binder and pencil pouch and sat down at her desk, her mind ready to work. Madeline, Emily, Justin and the teacher were the only ones there. Emily loved when she got to school early.
Just then, a group of kids from one of the buses walked in, laughing and talking the whole time.
“Quiet, class! Please come in more calmly next time.” said Miss Ingham sternly. The class muted immediately. Miss Ingham went over to the white board to write out the day’s schedule:
Schedule
1. Math: Adding Fractions2. Reading: Analyzing “Hamlet”
3. Report Card discussion/ receive
4. Lunch/Recess
5. Science: Unit Test-Chemical Reactions
6. Social Studies: Imperial China project
7. Dismissal
Emily gasped at number three on the list. She always got nervous on report card day, even though she always got good grades. She would start sweating, and her teeth would chatter like she had the flu. She would then start shivering and playing with her pencil or fingers. She would claim that she was fine. This would go on all day until she found out her grades. Then she would be fine.
Her mom tried everything to stop this phobia. She sent her to a calming yoga class. It didn't work. She sent her to an expensive doctor. It didn’t work. They even tried therapy, but it didn’t work. Emily was going to have to live with it.
The class started math. It was too easy for Emily. But Emily’s teeth chattered through the lesson and she wiped sweat from her forehead. During reading, Emily answered every question on her work sheet without a second thought. But she shivered and tangled up her fingers all the while. Luckily, Miss Ingham was kind and aware of her phobia, so Emily could get up and wash her face, get a drink of water, or put on her coat without having to ask the teacher.
Soon it was time to pass out the report cards. Emily got hers first. She opened the envelope quickly and looked at her grades. Straight A’s for everything. Emily sighed happily, put the paper back in the envelope, and tucked it inside her binder.
At lunch, everybody was talking about their grades. Emily noticed that nobody got E’s. She asked her friend Kara if she knew anything about it. Kara knew everything.
“Well Emily, there is a story about it. I heard it from my grandma last year. Do you want to hear it?” asked Kara. Emily nodded eagerly.
“‘Kay then. Prepare to be amazed!” announced Kara to an imaginary audience. Emily inched closer.
“A long, long time ago, there was a teacher that taught a wonderfully behaved third grade class. All the parents of the children said that she was a very good teacher and recommended her to others. But nobody’s perfect. This teacher in particular was very lazy and hated grading papers. She usually didn’t grade many papers.
There was a little boy named Tommy in this teacher’s class. Tommy loved to play video games. He always got good grades and he had promised his parents that if he ever got lower than a B, he would give up playing video games for a week. He was that confident.
One day, Tommy finished a very easy assignment and turned it in to the teacher. When she finished grading the papers and writing the grades down in her notes, the teacher found that Tommy was the only one that got an A. She wanted to very much write “excellent” on his paper, but she was too lazy. Instead she wrote “E” on the front and “A” on the back, thinking that Tommy’s parents would know what she was talking about.
When Tommy got his paper back, he gasped at his grade. He couldn't believe he had gotten an E! The rest of the day he was too dumbstruck to even speak. He barely ate his lunch. When he got home, he solemnly showed the grade to his parents and they sent him to his room to eat dinner there. They were very disappointed in him.
Tommy usually played video games after doing his homework. It was a part of his daily routine. That day he never got to. The next day, Tommy felt sick and stayed home. He gazed longingly at the T.V and controller he very much desired. That night, Tommy couldn't sleep. He needed to play video games so very badly.
Tommy called in sick the next day too. He itched all over to play his games. Then he started itching for real and came up with a fever. His mother gave him medicine but it didn’t work. Tommy had a different type of fever. Video game fever.
The next day, Tommy clenched his fists and became very stiff. He started pulling at his hair like in the cartoons. His mother wanted him to forfeit and play his video games, but he refused. He had made a promise.
The day after that, Tommy ran around the house screaming his head off. He didn’t even glance at the controller once. When his mother tried to restrain him, he growled and struggled like a rabid dog on a leash. He also started shivering uncontrollably and curled up on his bed. When his mother approached him, he started hitting his head on the wall. All because of a stupid promise.
Tommy’s parents went to see his teacher. They left him at home, tied to his bed post. He couldn't even come out in public. His parents discussed the matter with his teacher and when they learned what his real grade was, they contacted the principal. When he didn’t believe the tale, they issued a town meeting and the mayor understood. He banned “E” immediately. Tommy’s story was then becoming famous. In a few weeks, it had gone viral. Most of the nations banned “E” too. Soon, the whole world knew what trouble “E” could cause. Tommy was sent to a therapist and he returned back to normal. The end” Kara finished the story. Emily didn’t believe the story, but she thought it was pretty scary, even scarier than her own phobia. She told Kara it was bizarre and decided that it was a good Halloween story.
