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Caught Splashing In The
Fountain
"Adrianna, what in the
world do you think you're doing? I thought
you went to retrieve your clothes. Do you
realize what a bad example you are setting
for the students if any of them should see
you?"
The
sound of Headmistress's voice behind me
startled me and gave me such a fright I
nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Headmistress?" I almost
squealed. "I was just ... um ... I did but
... um ... I know this looks bad but ...
"
"But
nothing!" Headmistress said sternly. "You
haven't been here five minutes and already
you're really starting to annoy
me."
I felt
my heart sink. The guilt was
crushing.
"Well?"
Headmistress asked.
I
couldn't bring myself to look her in the
eye as I climbed out of the still, dark
waters of the fountain.
"Well,
explain yourself," Headmistress
said.
"I
looked everywhere, but I couldn't find my
clothes," I said, sheepishly looking down
at the ground between us.
"Really?
Including in the fountain..."
"No, I
... "
I cut
myself short from answering Headmistress
honestly when it struck me she wasn't
seriously suggesting she thought I was
looking in the fountain for my
clothes.
"I
slipped over in the grass ... it was dark
and I slipped over in the grass," I
mumbled, trying to think of a plausible
excuse for being in the fountain.
"I see,"
Headmistress responded skeptically. "We do
have showers here, you know."
"Yes,
but I didn't know where they were."
It was a
relief to feel the tension between us
subsiding.
"Okay,
but that's till no excuse to be out here
splashing about like some water nymph in
the fountain. I might expect such behavior
from the students but I certainly don't
expect it from my staff!"
"I'm
sorry, Headmistress. It won't happen
again," I said, sincerely.
"Good.
Now, about the matter of your clothes. You
didn't bring anything else to wear?"
"No," I
replied.
"Nothing
at all?"
I could
tell Headmistress was now finding my
situation amusing. I blushed and tried to
laugh with her. "No, nothing at
all."
"Well,
there's not a lot we can do about that
tonight, is there?"
"No," I
replied, even though I realized the
question was rhetorical.
"Go back
inside you two!"
Headmistress suddenly
barked the order in the direction of the
buildings behind me. I quickly glanced
back to see who she was talking to but
whoever it was had already vanished inside
the building. Headmistress was staring
directly at me when I turned back.
"I was
going to overlook the matter of you being
in the fountain but it looks as if some of
the students have already seen you,"
Headmistress said. "It looks like I might
have to make an example of you after
all."
"You
will? Um, I mean, yes, you will," I said,
correcting myself to demonstrate to
Headmistress how willing I was to not just
follow all the rules but to accept
punishment if I failed to abide by
them.
"Yes,
you will," Headmistress echoed.
The flat
tone of her voice convinced me I was in
serious trouble.
"We'll
deal with that in the morning. Now, it's
late, I'm tired, and we should all be
retiring for the night. I'll get somebody
to show you to your room," Headmistress
said.
And with
that, Headmistress strode off back towards
the main building signaling for me to
follow.
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