by Lara Bergen
Unfortunately, Sophie did not have time to stand around chatting with Rumplesnakeskin. She had to get back to room 10 and hide him before recess was over.
But it was one thing for someone to see her running around the halls during recess. It was another thing for someone to see her running around the halls during recess with the fifth graders’ snake.
What if somebody stopped her?
It was not easy to hide a bright orange snake. Especially when he was on your arm (and slowly making his way to your shoulder).
Somehow, she had to hide him.
Sophie looked around the room quickly and spotted Hayley’s pink jean jacket on a hook. It was Hayley’s favorite. She would be so mad if Sophie stole it. But Sophie was not stealing. She was borrowing. And she would make sure Hayley got it back.
And then she could be Hayley’s hero!
Sophie smiled as she draped the jacket over her shoulder to cover the snake. Then she hurried into the hall and down the stairs to room 10.
She was almost there when she heard someone say, “Sophie Miller?” Uh-oh.
Sophie stopped and turned around. Ms. Bart, the art teacher, was walking up behind her. She had a lunch box in her hand. (It was covered with paint. Of course.)
Sophie quickly checked Hayley’s jacket. It was doing its job. Good.
Then she froze. What was Rumplesnakeskin doing? Was he moving up her arm?
No! No! Not to her underarm! Sophie was ticklish there! But the snake did not care.
“I thought that was you,” Ms. Bart went on as Sophie squirmed. “I’m glad all that paint came out of your hair. Believe me, I know how hard it is to wash out.”
Sophie wanted to say, “I’m glad, too.” But she could not.
Instead, she laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
The snake was tickling her worse than her mom or dad or cousin Will ever had!
“I’m glad you can laugh about it,” Ms. Bart said. “That’s how I am, too.”
Sophie laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed some more.
“Okay, well …,” Ms. Bart said. She looked at Sophie a little funny. “I’m going to go eat my lunch now.”
Sophie nodded. She was still laughing and trying to catch her breath. She ducked into her classroom as fast as she could.
Phew! That was a close one. But Sophie did not think about that too much. All she could think about was getting Rumplesnakeskin out of her armpit!
She gently took him into her other hand. Now she had to hide him somewhere in the classroom, fast! Recess would be over soon.
Sophie looked around. Then she saw just the place. Ms. Moffly’s desk. Bingo!
She walked up and opened a drawer. But when she tried to put Rumplesnakeskin inside, he did not want to go.
“You’re as bad as Tiptoe,” Sophie told him as he slid back up her arm. “But it’s okay. I’ll get you out soon, I promise. Look, there’s a box of tissues in there. It will be almost like home.”
Finally, the snake turned to the drawer and flicked his tongue. Sophie hoped the drawer smelled good to him. She guessed it did when he slid in and curled up next to Ms. Moffly’s hairbrush.
“Good snake!” Sophie said.
Sophie squeezed her hands together. She felt a tingle. This was such a good plan! She was going to be a hero — a big one — again very soon!
Then Sophie looked down at her hands. Oh, yeah. She’d better wash those.
Sophie said good-bye — for now—to Rumplesnakeskin and ran to the bathroom.
She stood by the sink. And she looked in the mirror. Her smile was big. But she made it even bigger.
Perfect!
That was just the smile Sophie would use when Ms. Moffly called her “My hero!”
Sophie made it back to the yard just before the end of recess.
“Mission accomplished!” she told Kate.
“Awesome!” Kate said, giving her a very heroic high five.
When the bell rang, the class followed Ms. Moffly back to room 10. But Sophie was so excited she kept walking too fast, making the line bend.
“Hey, Sophie,” Ben said, “do you mind? I’m the Line Leader this week. Not you.”
Sophie sighed and let Ben go ahead. But she did mind. A little bit.
What if Ms. Moffly found Rumplesnakeskin before Sophie got into the classroom? What if she suddenly wanted to fix her hair and ran to her desk to get her brush? Or what if a fly flew up her nose and she had to get a tissue?
A hero had to be there. Right then!
Luckily, Ms. Moffly did not open her drawer before Sophie got there.
But she did not open it after Sophie got there, either. Ms. Moffly sat down in her chair in the reading corner instead.
It was Chapter Book Time. Ugh!
For maybe the first time ever, Sophie did not want it to be Chapter Book Time. She plopped down on the reading rug with a frown.
“What’s wrong?” Kate whispered. “Everything’s going just like you planned.”
Sophie pointed to Ms. Moffly’s desk. “Ms. Moffly can’t open her drawer from across the room,” she whispered back.
Kate nodded. “Oh, right. But she’ll open it later. Don’t worry,” she said. “I can’t wait to hear how she screams. Can you?” she added. “Ooh, I hope she faints! Then I can fan her while you grab the snake!”
Ms. Moffly clapped her hands three times. “Quiet, everyone. Let’s begin,” she said, opening the book. “Oh! I forgot my glasses. Toby, would you please get them from my desk?”
From her desk?
Sophie looked at Kate. And Kate looked at Sophie.
What if Toby found the snake? Sophie had not thought of that!
She could still be a hero. She could save Toby instead of Ms. Moffly. But it would not be the same. Not at all!
Sophie held her breath. She watched Toby walk to the desk and reach for the drawer handle.
“No, no, Toby,” Ms. Moffly said. “My glasses are right there, on top. Thank you.”
Sophie sighed as Toby grabbed them and walked back to the reading rug. Another close call!
Ms. Moffly put her glasses on and opened the book again.
That week’s book was about a mouse and a motorcycle. But the mouse had just lost the motorcycle. Sophie was not sure what would happen next. The day before, Sophie had really wanted to find out. But today, not so much. She had other things on her mind.
Things like Archie’s sneezing. And green stuff coming out. And Ms. Moffly telling him to get a tissue from her desk.
Sophie bit her lip. Would Archie find the snake now?
Nope. He used his sleeve instead of getting a tissue. “That’s okay, Ms. Moffly,” he said.
Then Sydney had to go to the bathroom. She went to Ms. Moffly’s desk to get the hall pass.
Then Eve found a tack in her shoe. She went to Ms. Moffly’s desk to leave it there, so no one else would step on it.
Then Sydney came back from the bathroom. She went to Ms. Moffly’s desk to put the pass back.
No one opened the snake drawer. But still. Sophie could not stand it!
She closed her eyes and wished very hard: Please! No one else get up.
Then Archie sneezed again. Sophie was smart this time — she kept her eyes closed. But she could tell from the “Gross!”es and “Ew!”s that green stuff came out again.
“Archie.” Ms. Moffly’s voice was firmer now. “Please get a tissue from my drawer. I insist,” she said.
Archie got up with a groan. Sophie slowly opened her eyes.
Well, she had gotten out of saving Archie one time, but she could not get out of it again. Besides, heroes could not pick and choose. They had to save everyone.
Sophie turned to Kate. She wished that she could wink. But she couldn’t, so she just smiled. Then she crouched on the balls of her feet. She was ready to save Archie when he screamed.
But he did not scream. Or jump. Or even say, “Hey, l
ook at that. It’s a snake.”
What Archie did was open the desk drawer, take out a tissue, and blow his nose. Hard. Then he closed the drawer and dropped the dirty tissue on the desktop.
“Archie! Put that in the wastepaper basket, please,” Ms. Moffly said.
Sophie sat back. Her mouth hung open. How could Archie have missed the bright orange snake in the desk drawer? Were his eyes broken?
Archie shot the tissue into the garbage like a basketball. “Yeah! Three-pointer!” he called.
Nope. Archie’s eyes were fine. Which could mean only one thing.
Uh-oh!
The snake was gone!
Ms. Moffly kept reading, but Sophie did not hear a word. She looked around the classroom carefully. Snakes did not just disappear. At least, Sophie did not think so.
Rumplesnakeskin had to be somewhere. But where?
The end,” Ms. Moffly said a little while later, closing the book. “Sophie M., what did you think?”
Sophie felt Kate nudge her.
“Hmm?” she murmured. She had been trying to look under the bookcase for a candy-corn-colored snake.
“What did you think of the story?” Ms. Moffly asked again. “Did it surprise you that a mouse could be such a hero?”
“The mouse was a hero?” said Sophie.
Really? Huh. She was sorry she had missed that.
“Oh, Ms. Moffly!” Mindy’s hand shot up.
“Yes, Mindy?” said Ms. Moffly.
“I don’t think that mouse was really a hero,” Mindy said. “He didn’t save the boy from a fire, or anything.”
“But he did drive an ambulance,” Ben said.
An ambulance? Sophie was very sorry she had missed that.
“Well, why don’t we go back to our desks and write down what we each think makes a hero,” Ms. Moffly said.
She stood up and put the book back on the shelf.
“Let’s each make a list and share it,” she said. “And remember, a hero can be someone who is very strong or brave. But a hero can also be someone who is very generous, wise, or kind.”
Then Ms. Moffly walked to her desk to put away her glasses.
“I know what will be first on my list,” Mindy said.
“What?” Lily asked.
“Saving people — or kittens — from fires,” Mindy said.
“Oh, mine too,” Lily said.
Kate rolled her eyes. Sophie would have, too, but her eyes were too busy looking around for Rumplesnakeskin.
“Do you know what will be last on my list?” Mindy went on.
“What?” Lily asked.
Mindy looked right at Sophie. “Saving Slinkys,” she said.
“Oh, mine too!” Lily agreed.
Sophie glared at Mindy. For a second, she forgot about looking for snakes.
How many times did she have to tell Mindy? She had not saved Slinkys. She had saved a kindergartner. There was a big difference!
But Sophie did not get to tell Mindy that.
Because Ms. Moffly started screaming her head off before Sophie could even open her mouth!
“Agh! Snake!” cried Ms. Moffly. “A snake!”
She was standing frozen by her desk, staring at her chair.
Kate grabbed Sophie’s arm. “Ooh! Ms. Moffly screams good, don’t you think?” she said.
But that was not what Sophie thought.
The first thing Sophie thought was Phew. She found Rumplesnakeskin.
The second thing she thought was Hey! This is my chance to be a hero again!
And the third thing she thought was Oh, no!
Because before Sophie could move, Toby ran over and picked Rumplesnakeskin up off the chair!
Ms. Moffly’s eyes were big and wide. “Be careful, Toby!” she said.
“Oh, it’s okay,” he told her. “It’s just a corn snake. They don’t bite.”
Ms. Moffly’s face untwisted. A little. “Well, you are still very brave, Toby,” she said.
But that was not all she said.
“In fact, I believe you are my hero today!” she added.
Sophie could not believe her ears!
“Yeah, Toby!” the whole class cheered. They began to gather around him and Rumplesnakeskin. Even Kate ran up to see the snake.
Only Sophie stayed back, thinking, I was supposed to be Ms. Moffly’s hero! Those cheers should be for me, not Toby!
How was she going to be Sophie the Hero now?
Sophie stood alone in the reading corner, crossing her arms and frowning. Life was not fair, not when even Toby could be a hero! Why did he have to be such a giant pain?
Sophie almost stomped her foot. She almost did not even want to be a hero now!
Maybe Ms. Moffly was right. Lots of people could be heroes. They could be heroes for all kinds of things, in all kinds of different ways. And maybe being a hero wasn’t the best thing for Sophie. Maybe it was better to be something else.
But what?
Oh, poor Rumplesnakeskin! Sophie looked at him and felt bad. She had not meant for him to end up in Toby’s yucky hands.
She watched Toby pet the snake’s head. “Can we keep it?” Toby asked.
“We can call it Corn Dog!” Archie said.
“Oh, can we hold it? Can we? Please?” a bunch of kids asked.
Ms. Moffly shook her head and held up her hand. “Now, just a minute, class,” she said. “This is not a toy. It’s a wild animal, remember.”
“Uh, I don’t know,” said Toby. “I think it’s a pet.”
“A pet?” said Ms. Moffly. “Well, where did it come from?” she asked. She looked a little closer. “You know, this snake looks a lot like Mr. Bloom’s new snake,” Ms. Moffly said. “I wonder if it is….”
Sophie watched her tap her chin. Sophie was suddenly very nervous. But she was also very impressed. Ms. Moffly was pretty smart for a teacher.
“Toby, you stay there. Everyone else, take a step back,” Ms. Moffly said. Then she picked up the phone on the wall by her desk.
“Hello, Mr. Bloom? It’s Lila Moffly, in room 10. I was just wondering if maybe you lost a snake.”
Sophie watched Ms. Moffly listen for the answer. The teacher bit her lip. Then her eyebrows went up.
“You have?” said Ms. Moffly. “Well, we found one! Yes. It is orange…. Where? On my chair … Oh, believe me, I’m still shaking! We’ll bring it back to you now. I have a brave student holding it right here.” Ms. Moffly smiled down at Toby.
Sophie felt like smoke might actually come out of her ears.
Ms. Moffly hung up and looked around the room.
“Well, I was right,” she said. “But how in the world did that snake get in here?”
Sophie quickly turned around. She did not want Ms. Moffly to look at her and get any more ideas.
She grabbed a book from the reading shelf. She had read it before. (Twice.) But she opened it and tried to look busy … and not guilty at all.
“Sophie?”
She heard Ms. Moffly’s voice, but she did not turn around. Besides, Ms. Moffly could have been calling Sophie A., not her.
But Sophie A. was standing near the snake. Which meant that she was standing near Ms. Moffly, too.
Ms. Moffly called, “Sophie,” again. This time, it was louder.
Sophie sighed and turned around. Very, very slowly.
“Who? Me?” she said.
“Yes, you, Sophie,” said Ms. Moffly.
Sophie swallowed hard. Two times.
Sophie had a feeling in her stomach. It was buzzy, like a beehive. It was spreading to her neck. And it did not feel good at all.
This was something Sophie had not thought of. What if someone asked her how the snake got into room 10? It was bad enough that she had missed her chance to be Ms. Moffly’s hero. She really did not want to get in trouble, too.
Ms. Moffly was walking toward her.
“Sophie,” she said, “by any chance, do you know how the snake got into our room?”
“Um …
why do you ask?” Sophie said quietly. She made her eyes really wide so it would look like she had no idea.
“Well,” said Ms. Moffly, “you’re the only student who does not look surprised to see the snake. And that is a little unusual. Since the snake came from your sister’s classroom, I thought that I would ask you.”
“Oh,” said Sophie. Ms. Moffly had a point. “So?” said Ms. Moffly. “So,” Sophie repeated.
She knew what she should say: “Nope. I do not know!” That would be so easy.
But it was not easy. Not when she looked up at Ms. Moffly. It was like looking at her mom or dad. Lying to them was hard, and it never worked out as she hoped.
Sophie looked at the floor. Then at the ceiling. Then out the window. Then she looked back at Ms. Moffly.
“I took him and brought him here,” she said with a sigh.
The whole class said, “Ah!”
Then “Oh!”
Then “Ooh!”
“I knew it!” said Mindy.
“Me too!” Lily added.
“Why’d you go to all that trouble and just leave it on a chair?” Toby asked.
“Quiet, class. Why did you bring the snake here, Sophie?” Ms. Moffly asked.
Oh, not that question! And not with everyone staring.
Sophie wished she were getting a shot at the doctor. Or sitting in the audience at one of her sister’s boring ballet recitals. Anywhere else in the world would be better, really.
How could she tell Ms. Moffly (and the whole class) that she took Rumplesnakeskin so that she could be a hero again?
Ms. Moffly put her hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “Was it because you wanted our class to have a snake?” she asked.
“Um …” Sophie thought about that. “Kind of,” she said.
In a way, she did.
Ms. Moffly nodded. “I understand. You know, I’ve thought about getting a pet for our class.” She glanced at Rumplesnakeskin and shivered. “But never a snake!”
“Really?” said Kate and Eve and Mia and a few other kids in the class.
“Really,” Ms. Moffly said.
“How about a bearded dragon?” Archie suggested.
“Oh, yeah!” said Toby. “I love it when they eat crickets and spit out the legs!”
“I was thinking maybe guppies,” said Ms. Moffly. “Or a bunny. But we’ll see.”