Fast Fiction Challenge 2007: The Orange Cow Trees
Title: The Orange Cow Trees
Word: mind
Challenger: Jon R. via kateshort
Length: 200 words exactly “Evolution!”
The word echoed around the small area, natural acoustics enhancing the already powerful voice of the teacher.
“So, who can tell me about evolution?”
The noise level dropped suddenly and there was a moment’s silence broken only by a sound familiar through the centuries: that of children avoiding a teacher’s question.
Eventually, one of the larger children rose. Known as something of a class clown, he slowly looked around the class then gave the teacher one of his finest, and most deceptively innocent, smiles. He orated fluently about natural selection, and threw in ‘survival of the fittest” just for the reaction.
He wasn’t disappointed; laughter surrounded him and let him know he’d succeeded. He smiled again. The teacher knew this one of old: it was the “if I make a big enough smartarse comment, and throw her a look that’s half-conspiratorial, I should get away with it” smile. She didn’t altogether mind; it was a tough subject and the more relaxed the class was, the better.
“You know,” she said aloud, grinning, “that was nearly right...”
Another laugh from the class, and then she gestured to the multi-limbed brightly coloured and mooing foliage all around them and began teaching.
© Lee Barnett, 2007
Word: mind
Challenger: Jon R. via kateshort
Length: 200 words exactly “Evolution!”
The word echoed around the small area, natural acoustics enhancing the already powerful voice of the teacher.
“So, who can tell me about evolution?”
The noise level dropped suddenly and there was a moment’s silence broken only by a sound familiar through the centuries: that of children avoiding a teacher’s question.
Eventually, one of the larger children rose. Known as something of a class clown, he slowly looked around the class then gave the teacher one of his finest, and most deceptively innocent, smiles. He orated fluently about natural selection, and threw in ‘survival of the fittest” just for the reaction.
He wasn’t disappointed; laughter surrounded him and let him know he’d succeeded. He smiled again. The teacher knew this one of old: it was the “if I make a big enough smartarse comment, and throw her a look that’s half-conspiratorial, I should get away with it” smile. She didn’t altogether mind; it was a tough subject and the more relaxed the class was, the better.
“You know,” she said aloud, grinning, “that was nearly right...”
Another laugh from the class, and then she gestured to the multi-limbed brightly coloured and mooing foliage all around them and began teaching.
© Lee Barnett, 2007