Notes from the Spiral Staircases #5: Zoinks, it's cold!

On a cold winter day in the wilds of the King’s-Edgehill School campus, several students in Mr. Rory Campbell’s Grade 7 class fooled their teacher in order to gain more time to read. After the virtual assembly Wednesday morning, one student declared, “Sir, it’s reading period!” to which Mr. Campbell replied, “Should we really go to the library today? It’s minus 30!” The students insisted, and Mr. Campbell dutifully agreed, even though it meant walking through glacial air.

Students arrived in due course, grabbed a book, and found a comfortable seat upstairs. Quiet and immersed in the new worlds that books afforded them, the students did not stir when Mr. Campbell walked through the doorway with a blast of frigid air and swirling cloud of fog. After several minutes reading a coach’s manual, Mr. Campbell finally began to feel the blood returning to his fingers and toes. Yes, he would survive the rest of this reading period after exposure to such extreme weather. 

Moments later, Librarian Marilyn Curry glanced at the day's library schedule and remarked that Grade 7 was not listed, which led to the shocking discovery – it was not Day 6! It was Day 4! So, it was not the scheduled reading period after all! Poor Mr. Campbell. Foiled by those meddling kids!