Homework Trouble

By Zuzu Ali


There the tall terrible teacher stood over him, glaring eyes set to detonate at the sight of no homework in his poor pupil’s empty hands. He stood him up in front of the class with no mercy, where he would serve the boy’s punishment.

“Well,” He growled, arms crossed, never taking his black eyes off his target.
“Where is it Louis?” Where was his homework?

How should he have known?

He had a mountain of books and piles of scribbled paper waiting at home on his desk to be sorted through, topped up with a pile of random junk. No one, not even his own mother could find anything under that rubbish tip he called his room, how was he supposed to find his homework?

He had used every excuse he could think of for Mr. Ackerman’s lost assignments. ‘My printer wasn’t working’, ‘My computer shut down’, ‘My grandmother died’, ‘My dog ate it’. His crafty little brain couldn’t think of any more excuses, and it showed in his teacher’s slimy secret smirk. Mr. Ackerman was going to win this one.

A little rhythm of ‘uhhs’ and ‘ahhs’ were his first quick response. Sadly Mr Ackerman was not a fan of music.
“Where’s the task I set you?” He snapped, growing even more impatient. “I’m not going to sit here listening to you dawdle on in my lesson!” He barked, the foul breath of tuna and rotten eggs spitting in Louis’s nostrils.
“Have you, or have you not done your homework?”
“Well sir…” Finally, he could speak two proper words. “I…” Doom was in the air. He was going to face the telling off of his life, but that was the least of his problems when he thought of the punishments Mr. Ackerman had in mind for him

Wait. Being told off. He had it! He had the brilliant comeback.
“Sir.” Louis grinned, full set of white teeth showing.
“Has your tiny, little brain remembered what happened to your homework?” The greasy haired, Mr. Ackerman rolled his eyes, the quiet giggling of the classroom followed his actions.
“No.”
“Then?” Deep breath.
“You can’t tell me off for something I didn’t do.”

It was the best answer for lost homework that he had ever come up with.

Mr. Ackerman sentenced Louis to two weeks of detention, and a year cleaning off gum from under the tables in his classroom.