Horrible Harry and the Dungeon by Suzy Kline

The Dungeon

    â€œGood morning boys and girls,” the principal’s voice said over the intercom. “Please stop what you’re doing and listen. I have some bad news.”
    Bad news?
    I stopped looking at a chrysalis hanging in our butterfly-net cage. Song Lee stopped drawing symmetrical butterfly wings.
    Miss Mackle put down her book, The Five Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. She was reading us the part where Bartholomew was about to get his head chopped off in the dungeon.
    Harry kept playing pool on his desk. When he shot a small ball of clay with the eraser end of his pencil, Miss Mackle walked over and caught it.
    Everyone in Room 2B looked at the little silver dots on the intercom box ...
    And waited for the principal to continue.
    â€œBoys and girls, some children at South School are forgetting our school rules. I know it’s June. I know summer vacation is just two weeks away. But that’s no excuse for bad behavior. From now on, any student who refuses to obey our school rules will—”

    Mr. Cardini paused.
    â€œâ€”go to the Suspension Room.”
    Harry and I exchanged looks.
    â€œI saw it,” I whispered to Harry. “It looks like a prison. It’s the old music room in the basement that smells. I know because the janitor told me. It just has cement walls. No windows.”
    Harry leaned over and whispered, “Hey Doug, let’s call it the Dungeon.”
    â€œIt’s got to have a trapdoor if it’s a dungeon,” I said.
    â€œShhhh!” Miss Mackle shushed. Then she pointed to the intercom box on the wall.
    â€œIf you go to the Suspension Room,” the voice continued, “you’ll do your work there, eat there, and sit there all day. I’ve hired a teacher to supervise the Suspension Room. Mr. Skooghammer.”
    â€œSkooghammer?” I said. “His name sounds like a Viking weapon.”
    â€œOr an executioner,” Harry said. Then he chopped a ball of clay in half with his ruler.
    â€œNow,” the principal added, “I want to end this message on a happy note. We are also starting a GOOD HUMAN BEANS bulletin board. Every time a student does something that is extra thoughtful and kind, a teacher will write it up on a green paper Bean and drop it in the Bean Box, and I will read it aloud each morning during our Bean Broadcast. The good beans will grow on our school beanstalk in the hall.”
    Harry blurted out, “If it’s a real beanstalk, we have to make a giant for it that goes fe fi fo fum.”
    Song Lee giggled.
    Mary made a face. “Harry, you’ll never get a bean.”
    â€œShhhh!” Miss Mackle put a finger to her mouth.
    â€œHave a good day, boys and girls, and remember, be a good Human Bean.”
    When the intercom went off, Miss Mackle held up a pile of blank green beans. “I hope there are lots of these from Room 2B.”
    â€œI hate beans,” Harry groaned. “They’re the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot.”
    When the class laughed, Miss Mackle folded her arms. “I can’t believe that phrase is still around. Kids used to say that when I was in elementary school.”

    â€œHow old are you, Miss Mackle?” Mary asked.
    â€œI’ll tell you my age, but you have to solve the math. Ready?”
    I leaned forward.
    Harry leaned back. He hates hard math problems.
    â€œEight plus eight, minus one, plus fifteen, minus two, plus three.”
    Just when I got the answer, Sidney shouted, “Look! A butterfly crawled out of its chrysalis!”
    Everyone turned and looked at the giant yellow net cage that hung in the middle of the room. The butterfly was perfectly still. Its wings were pointing straight up.
    Miss Mackle clapped her hands. “Look at our beautiful painted lady! Song Lee, you’re my helper today. Please go get Mr. Cardini. Tell him we have good news in Room 2B.”
    As soon as Song Lee left the room, Miss