Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.

Chapter 3

Trust the new bus driver to get us to school early, I thought as I reluctantly got out of the bus with Gwen, Andrew and Anna.

"I'll be back at three o'clock to collect you," Mr Evans called, before he drove away with the Grammar school kids. The Newtown Grammar School was on the other side of town, so I wouldn't see Charlie again until later that afternoon.

I slung my satchel over my shoulder and tucked my skateboard under my arm, before I walked through the Newtown Primary School gates. Pity we don't have a school in Pontypandy. Then I could sleep in each morning. Oh well. Time to set up my practical jokes for the day… This is what I love about the first day back at school. I can set up heaps of practical jokes without being caught, because the teachers aren't on their guard, hehe!

While the rest of the early arrival kids were playing out in the yard, I snuck away to find my new classroom. It wasn't hard to find, being next door to my old classroom, and I was glad to see that it was empty. Reaching into my satchel, I took out a whoopee-cushion, a huge fake spider, and a small cup filled with green slime. Grinning, I placed the fake spider inside the top draw of the teacher's desk. Then, I blew up the whoopee-cushion and placed it down on the teacher's chair. Finally, I stood on a chair and carefully placed the cup of slime on top of the door, ensuring it was slightly ajar.

Hearing the bell start to ring outside, I quickly put the chair back, before I escaped out of the window with my satchel and skateboard. Unfortunately, I landed in some rose bushes, so I ended up getting some nasty scratches on my arms and legs.

"Ow!" I muttered as I washed the blood off with my saliva. Those bushes weren't there before the holidays!

Feeling more than satisfied with my efforts, I dusted myself off, and then I hurried to join the other kids who were entering the school building. I put my skateboard on a purpose-built rack just inside the main entrance, before I continued on down the hallway. I was glad that Gwen, Andrew and Anna were all in the same class as me, because I wasn't good friends with many of the Newtown students.

As we were lining up outside the classroom, I felt someone tap me on my shoulder. Turning, I saw Gwen standing behind me.

"Are you sure you're all right after your fall this morning, Sam?'

I smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. That was nothing."

"Well, I think you're very brave!"

Blushing, I turned away, just as our new teacher arrived.

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Miss Allen, and I'll be teaching you this year. I want you all to stand in two straight lines before we go inside. And who left this door open?"

I bit my bottom lip when I saw Miss Allen push the classroom door wide open. As I'd hoped, the cup of slime fell off the top of the door, and it landed right on Miss Allen's arm, splattering green slime in all directions.

"Oh, yuck!" Miss Allen exclaimed, while most of my classmates either screamed or laughed. I was amongst those who were laughing. Miss Allen shook the slime off her sleeve. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

We instantly quietened down, and we sorted ourselves back into two neat rows. Miss Allen scowled crossly as she began to march up and down between our rows.

"I had hoped to start off this school year without any shenanigans, but clearly I've already been proven wrong. Just so you're all aware, your previous teacher, Mrs Phillips, has already told me who the troublemakers are, so I'll be keeping a very close eye on you. And, for the record, I'm not afraid to spare the cane."

I smirked when she wasn't looking. Even better! So far, no teacher has ever made me cry from a caning, and I can't wait to test her out!

"Now that that's been made clear to all of you, I want you all to file neatly inside the classroom, and stand beside your assigned desks. Left row first, please."

When I got back inside the classroom, I was just as delighted to find that I'd been assigned a desk at the front of the classroom, along with some of the other students who'd gotten into trouble regularly last year. Hehe! Perfect! Most teachers think that having the 'troublemakers' at the front of the classroom is good, because they can keep an eye on us. But I prefer it, because it makes it easier to play pranks.

Once we were all inside the classroom, Miss Allen slammed the door closed. "When I find out who put that slime on the door, they will be made to clean it up, along with receiving a caning. And now, you may be seated."

We sat down. Knowing what was about to happen, I put on my well-trained poker face. Miss Allen pulled out her chair, and she sat down.

PPPFFFFFFTTT!

Mortified, Miss Allen leapt out of her chair, clasping her backside with her hands. I heard some of my classmates giggle behind me, but I focused on maintaining my poker face, even though I was bursting with laughter inside.

Miss Allen held up the whoopee-cushion. Her face was beetroot red with anger. "WHO PUT THIS DEVICE ON MY CHAIR?"

None of us dared to move. Miss Allen tossed the whoopee-cushion into the bin in disgust, before she sat down again.

"The entire class will be kept in for ten minutes at lunchtime, unless the guilty person owns up before then. Now, I will take the roll."

I gulped as Miss Allen opened up her top drawer. Wait for it…wait for it…!

Miss Allen's scream nearly blew the windows out. It certainly made my ears ring painfully for several minutes afterwards. And, I swear, Miss Allen leapt a whole foot into the air! The entire class just stared at her in stunned silence.

"WHO PUT THIS SPIDER IN MY DRAWER?" Miss Allen thundered.

I kept my poker face plastered on my face. Several years of experience playing practical jokes on teachers had taught me not to own up when a teacher was in a rage. I'd wait until she'd calmed down, because canings didn't hurt as much when the person dishing them out wasn't angry.

Miss Allen glared at us all for a moment, before she removed the fake spider from her drawer. It ended up in the bin, along with the whoopee cushion.

Oh, well. There's more where they came from, if I can't get them back without her seeing me.

"The entire class will be kept in after school, until the guilty person owns up," Miss Allen said with a dangerous calmness. Andrew cautiously raised his hand. "Yes? Was it you?"

"No, Miss Allen," Andrew replied. "But, you can't keep us in after school, because some of us live in other villages."

I nodded in agreement, along with about ten other students.

"That's not my problem. I'll just have to phone your parents to come and collect you. I'm sure they'll be thrilled about that."

I looked sheepishly down at my desk. I can't let the others get punished. I suppose I'd better own up now, and get it over with. Taking a deep breath, I stood up. "I did it, Miss Allen."

Miss Allen raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I see. And what is your name?"

"Jones. Sam Jones."

"Oh, yes… Mrs Phillips warned me about you and your pranks. She also said that you don't react when you're caned, is that correct?"

I shrugged. "It doesn't hurt."

"Oh, doesn't it? Well, we'll see about that! Come out here! I'll make you cry, if it's the last thing I do!"

We could be here a while then… I thought as I made my way over to her.

Miss Allen selected her thinnest cane from the cupboard, and she came over to me. "Hold out your hands!"

I did as I was instructed. Then, I bit my bottom lip in preparation for the first strike. It stung, but I concentrated on a spot on the wall at the back of the room to take my mind off the pain. I'd taught myself to let my thoughts wander when I was being caned, so in my mind, I began to sing a Welsh sea shanty that granddad had taught me earlier that summer.

Seeing that she wasn't hurting me at all, Miss Allen lost her temper completely, and she brought the cane down across my lower legs. The sudden shock of pain brought me to my knees, winding me. I knelt on the floor, gasping desperately for air.

"Stand up, and go back to your seat, Sam!" Miss Allen snapped.

I tried to stand up, but I couldn't make my legs work. Seeing Miss Allen raise the cane again, adrenalin kicked in, and I bolted back to my seat, despite the pain. Well, at least she didn't make me cry, so my reputation is still intact! "Drewgi," I muttered under my breath. The boy sitting next to me sniggered in amusement.

"Rydych chi'n ddewr iawn, Sam," he whispered.

"Rwy'n gwybod," I replied.

We exchanged smiles. Although speaking Welsh wasn't forbidden, it was still highly discouraged in the classroom, because most of the teachers could only speak English. However, thanks to granddad, I'd grown up bilingual, but I tended to use English more than Welsh anyway. Miss Allen had started taking the roll.

"Fy enw yw Harri," the boy continued.

I nodded, just as Miss Allen called my name. "Samuel Jones?"

"Yma!" I replied automatically. But then, realising my mistake, I quickly placed my hand over my mouth. "Sorry! I-"

"Are you trying to get yourself into even more trouble?" Miss Allen asked sternly.

"No, miss! I just…forgot!"

Miss Allen nodded. "I don't mind if you speak Welsh out on the playground, but in the classroom, you will only speak in English. Please be quiet while I continue taking the roll…"

I sighed tiredly. My legs were really burning from the cane now, but I tried to ignore it.

Once Miss Allen had finished taking the roll, she instructed us to take out our science books. "Today, we're going to start studying the periodic table. Who's ever heard of the periodic table?"

I held up my hand, along with about two thirds of the class.

"Okay, well, that's a good start. Emily? Can you tell us what the periodic table is?"

"It's a table that shows…um…special rocks and miner-something…"

"Minerals?" Miss Allen supplied.

"Yes!"

Miss Allen smiled. "That is partially correct. The periodic table groups chemical elements together, according to their atomic number. You don't need to learn the numbers yet, but you do need to start learning the elements, and their corresponding letter. Sam? How many elements do you know?"

"About twenty, miss," I replied, looking up. She's going to pick on me for the rest of the day now…

Miss Allen raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, really? We'll see about that! I wasn't expecting you to know any. Stand up, and I'll quiz you. Close your book too, please."

I obediently closed my book, and I stood up.

"What is H?"

"Hydrogen."

"K?"

"Potassium."

"Au?"

"Gold."

Miss Allen frowned thoughtfully. "Hg?"

"Mercury."

"Pt?"

"Platinum."

Miss Allen glanced down at her book for a moment. Then she looked straight at me. "Pb?"

"Lead."

The other children started whispering behind me. Henry stared at me, astonished. "Whoa!" I heard him say under his breath.

"What is the melting point for gold?" Miss Allen asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

I thought for a moment. Oh! I remember reading that sometime last year… Now, what was it? Oh, yes! Now I remember… "About a thousand degrees Celsius."

Miss Allen stood up, and she came over to me. Seeing that I couldn't be cheating, she stared at me thoughtfully. "Which metals are combustible?"

"Sodium, lithium, calcium, uranium, potassium and plutonium."

The chatter in the classroom increased.

"Quiet, everyone!" Miss Allen shouted. As soon my classmates had settled down, she turned her attention back to me. "Where did you learn all that?"

"I read my brother's textbooks, while we're doing our homework together," I replied. "He's in Grammar school."

Miss Allen nodded thoughtfully, and she returned to her desk. "I'm going to hand around these sheets with a blank periodic table on them. Take one, and match the element with its correct letters, using the periodic table on page nineteen of your science books as a guide."

I took a sheet as it came to me, and I started filling out the table. I could almost feel Miss Allen's eyes boring into me the whole time. I finished first. As soon as she saw me push my paper aside, Miss Allen came over to me. I handed the paper to her, and she checked it over.

"Very good, Sam. I want you to sit there quietly, while the others finish."

I nodded as I took the paper back from her. That was easy! I hope she teaches us some harder stuff soon.

Miss Allen started to write out some science problems on the blackboard. While her back was turned, I snuck a rubber band and a number of paper clips off her desk. Bored, I began fiddling with them.

"Right. Has everyone finished that exercise?" Miss Allen asked about five minutes later.

Unfortunately, at that precise moment, I accidentally let go of the rubber band, sending a paper clip flying straight at Miss Allen. It struck her on the arm.

"Ow! Who did that?"

I held up my hand. "Sorry, miss. It slipped."

Miss Allen snatched the rubber band out of my hands, and then she grabbed me by my ear. "I've had more than enough of your shenanigans, Samuel Jones! You will stand in the corner here, facing the wall, until lunchtime! Then, you will clean up that slime before you go outside to play. You'll be caned once for every time you turn around or speak."

Well, at least I can't be any more bored that I already was. Ow! This really wouldn't be so bad if my legs weren't sore…

Well, I'm back! Sorry about the delay in updating. For those of you who didn't read the review kindly added by Melonsworth, I wasn't able to update until now, due to being caught up in the flooding south of Brisbane caused by ex-tropical cyclone Debbie. I'm safe, and so is my house, but the floodwater did get to some houses a few streets away. Half of my hometown of Beenleigh was inundated, including the railway station. I've had very limited and unreliable internet until now. My Quarter Pony, Billy, is also safe, but the property he's on has been completely cut off by floodwater, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to see him again. He is being well-cared for though. The death toll from the flooding remains unclear, but at the moment, at least 5 people had died, and 3 are still missing. Full credit and thanks to the firefighters and SES (State Emergency Service) who have been helping out! I know that one firefighter has lost his home and everything he owns in the flooding. The rivers were still rising today, but they should start to go down overnight I could keep going on about the devastation I've seen over the last few days, but you've probably seen it all on the news by now.

Anyway, please remember that this story is set in 1977. Corporal punishment was legal in all British government schools until 1986, so please don't comment if you don't agree with corporal punishment. It was common practice until the 2000s for children to be caned and/or spanked, so whether you agree with it or not is immaterial. Thank you akimakel18 for your comment about nosebleeds. I'm so used to writing about old medical practices (I also write historical fiction novels), that I forget that a lot of those practices are no longer used! I remember treating my childhood nosebleeds by tilting my head back, but I don't do that anymore...

Again, thank you for your patience! I hope this long chapter makes up for the delay. I've put a lot of research into it (and the rest of the story!), to try and get it as accurate as possible. I wasn't around in the 1970s, and I've never been to Wales (although I'm dying to go!) so please forgive any little errors I might have made.