Ep 9 The Laughing Jinx

Sophie puts Mr McMarlow under a laughing jinx. What even is a laughing jinx???  And how do you stop it?? The kids in Room 3 will have to try and work it out or Mr McMarlow might never stop laughing. 

Copyright Simon Cossey

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the Telling on the Teacher podcast. This story is called The Laughing Jinx. There's a teacher at our school who always seems to break the rules. Telling on the teacher What do you go home, stay home, one, two, three, said Boston. And just as he said three, Edsy said tag. No, I'm home, said Boston. I'm home. No, I tagged you, said Edzy. No, I'm home, said Boston. I tagged you, said Edzie. Stop arguing, said Jamie. I'll be it. Jamie was playing outside before class with her friends. I'm counting to thirty, all of you, go hide. One, two, three. They were playing stay home, go home, stay home. It was like hide and seek. You started by hiding, but then you had to get back to the home and say go home, stay home, one, two, three, before the tagger person who was it could tag you. Boston and Edsey had run over to the sticky stick bushes, Hudson had run over behind a tree, Jackie ran away over to the sandpit as far away as she could while Jamie was counting. But Sophie was being a bit sneaky. She went behind the home tree over to the playground and hid behind the slide. twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty. Ready or not, here I come, called Jamie. Jamie ran out towards the sticky stick bushes in the sandpit. Sophie sneaked out from behind the slide and ran over to the home tree, put a hand on the tree and said Go home, stay home, one, two, three. I'm the first to get home. Jamie had found Jackie behind the sandpit and was trying to tag her. Hudson, Edsey and Boston broke cover and raced towards the home tree. Hudson got there first. Go home, stay home, one, two, three, he shout chanted. Edsy and Boston arrived at exactly the same time. Go home, stay home, one, two, three. They panted together. Jinx said Sophie. Hm, said Edmund, Edsy. Boston shrugged his shoulders. Jamie and Jackie came running over. I tagged Jackie, said Jamie. Hm, said Edse. Hm, said Boston. Sophie put a jinx on them, and now they can't talk, laughed Hudson. And we know how hard that will be for those two. Just then the music started to play over the speaker, which meant all the kids had to go to class. Quick, say their names, said Jamie to Sophie, or they won't be able to speak in class. I think I'll leave them like that for a while, said Sophie, giggling. Hm, said Edsey. Hmm, said Boston. They all walked over to room three. Mr McMahlow was getting ready to take the role. Mr McMahlow, said Hudson, by the way, if Edsie and Boston don't talk today, it's because they are under a jinx, and they can't talk unless Sophie says their names. Sounds serious, said Mr McMarlow. Luckily there are no speeches or singing auditions today, so they'll probably survive. But you might have to mime your news. A frown, with his eyebrows raised. Boston shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Hmm Now, said Mr McMarlow, who wants to help me call the roll today? Me, me, said Sophie, putting up her hand. I love being the teacher. And so Sophie started taking the role. Morning, Hudson. Here. Good morning, Jackie. Here. Good morning, Anna. Here. Good morning, Edsy. Here. Good morning, Boston. Here. Yes, we get to talk again, called out Boston. Oh, said Sophie. That was a trick. Thanks, Mr McMahlow, said Edsy. What? Me, said Mr McMahlow. Sophie, finish the roll, please. Sophie finished the role. Thank you, Sophie, said Mr McMarlow. Hey, TJ, uh why why have you put a hat on your head in the class? TJ had just put on his Auckland Warriors cap. Haha, it's my laughing hat, said TJ. I brought it for news. Your laughing hat, said Mr McMahlow. Yeah, said TJ. It always makes my baby sister laugh when I put it on. And she, when I put it on, she goes ga and then I take it off and she stops laughing. And then I put it on and I give her my big eyes and little mouth look like this. And she starts laughing again like this. And then I take it off and she stops laughing. And then I put it on and I give her my very funniest face. TJ put the hat on sideways and gave a really wide smile with his lips together and closed one eye. The kids in room three started to giggle, but Mr McMarlow and Edsie both cracked up laughing at exactly the same time. Laughing jinx said Sophie. What's a laughing jinx? said Edsy. Mr McMahlow kept laughing. I don't know, said Sophie. It just came into my head. Mr McMahlow kept laughing. TJ took off his hat. It's okay, Mr McMarlow, you can stop laughing now. But Mr McMahlow didn't stop laughing. Oh no, said Hudson. It's because Sophie put a laughing jinx on him, and now he can't stop laughing. Well I didn't know, said Sophie. You have to say his name, said Jackie. Mr McMarlow, Mr McMahlow, you can stop laughing now, said Sophie. Mr McMahlow kept laughing. Maybe you have to say his first name, suggested Jamie. What is Mr McMahlow's first name? said Sophie. Mr McMahlow was still laughing, and now the kids were starting to laugh too. I'll go ask Mrs. Street, said Jackie. She'll know. I'm coming too, said Sophie. They raced over to room ten, and as they were going, Mr Label was mowing the lawns on his ride on lawnmower, and Jackie and Jam Jackie and Sophie almost ran in front of the lawnmower. Oi, kids, called up Mr Label, and he waved them away. They quickly ran back onto the path and over to room ten. Mrs Strait, Mrs Strait, said Jackie, opening the door. We need you to help us. It's Mr McMahlow. We need to know his real name. I mean his first name. I can't hear you, said Mrs. Strait. The lawmow is too loud. Jackie walked in the class and closed the door. It's an emergency, said Sophie. Well it's not actually an emergency, said Jackie. But Mr McMarlough is under a laughing jinx, and he can't stop laughing until Sophie says his name, and we don't even know his first name. Mrs Street shook her head with a smile. Oh come over to see this emergency, Jackie. Watch my class. Um Jackie, Sophie, come with me. So Mrs Street and Sophie walked over to room three. They could hear Mr McMahlow was still laughing. Mrs Street opened the door. Gregory McMarlow, said Mrs. Street, you can stop laughing now. But even as she said it, she almost caught the laughs herself. Mr McMarlow kept on laughing. Next Sophie tried. she said. But Mr McMahlow kept on laughing. I'll have to get back to my class, said Mrs. Street, closing the door. Sophie followed her. I've never seen a teacher get under a laughing jinx before, said Mrs. Street. You kids will have to solve this one yourselves. Jackie was playing, guess the number, with the kids in room ten when they arrived back. It didn't work, said Sophie to Jackie, as they walked back to their class. I said his name, Gregory McMarlowe, and he still kept laughing. When they got to class, Mr McMahlow was writing on the whiteboard while laughing. Are we doing handwriting? said Hudson. I can hardly read it, said TJ. Mr McMarlow is laughing so much he can't write properly. On the board, Mr McMahlow had drawn a flower and a block of chocolate, half out of its wrapper. Underneath it he had written white flower plus chocolate equals emoji with a straight face. And he drawn an emoji with a straight face. That's the formula for stopping the laughing jinx, called Edsy. We need a white flower and chocolate to stop Mr McMarlow laughing. I'll go find a white flower, said Luke. I'll come too, said Edsy. They rushed out of the door. Who has chocolate? said Sophie. We need you to sacrifice it for Mr McMahlow and the good of the class. Dramatic, much, said Anna. No one is allowed to bring candy or chocolate to school. Yes, but this is Mr McMahlow's class, said Sophie. Surely someone broke the rules today. We need chocolate to cure Mr McMahlow. If anyone did have chocolate, no one was owning up. Everyone shook their heads and looked at Sophie blankly. Well, I will have to go and ask the teachers, said Sophie, as Mr McMahlow tried to laugh quietly in the background, but every now and then he would let out a big gruffle of laughter. At first it was funny, but now the kids were finding it annoying. I'm coming with you, said Jackie, and they disappeared out the door, as Mr McMarlow mimed for the class to get their maths books out. Meanwhile, Edsie and Luke were searching for the white flower. Well surely we can find a white daisy or some kind of white flower, said Luke. There's hundreds growing in the grass. Oh no, said Edsey. Mr Label has mown all the daisies. Quick, there's a little patch over there, said Luke. Let's get there before he finishes. They raced over, but as they arrived Mr Label waved them away. Oy, kids. That was the last patch of daisies, said Edsey. They tried sifting through the grass clippings, but every single daisy was chopped to pieces. Oh there must be a white flower somewhere, said Luke. Let's search the whole school. So they did. Finally they looked in the garden underneath the office window. There's some, said Edsy. I can see one. It's got a it's a white flower, and it's got a purple centre. Luke tiptoed over and snapped off the closest flower. What are you doing? called a voice out the window. That was Mrs. Faxet, the office administrator. You picking my African daisies Mr McMarlow needs this flower, said Edsey. All right then. If it's for Mr McMahlow, said Mrs. Faxet. It is, said Luke, and the boys ran back to class, just as Sophie and Jackie were getting back. Mr McMarlow was still laughing. While trying to draw Math's work on the whiteboard. We got the flower, panted Edzie. But none of the teachers have chocolate, moaned Jackie. Well, none they would give us, said Sophie. I think they may be holding out on us. Bet you didn't ask Miss O'Connell, said Anna, under her breath. She is sure to have some. Of course, said Sophie. I didn't even think to ask her. Mr McMahlow's laugh turned into a cough. You are as he tried to shake his head, but Sophie and Jackie had already raced out the door. When they got over to the admin block, Mrs. Faxet wasn't at the reception desk, so they went straight over to Miss O'Connell's office door, which was closed. Sophie knocked loudly. The voices on the other side of the door stopped. Come in, said Miss O'Connell. Sophie opened the door. Miss O'Connell was talking to a man and a woman both wearing fancy flash business clothes, and there was lots of important looking papers all over the desk. Yes, girls, said Miss O'Connell. It's Mr McMarlow, said Sophie. Oh no, said Miss O'Connell. Not right now. Yes, said Sophie. He needs chocolate, or we will never be able to get on with our learning today. He needs chocolate, said Miss O'Connell. So you can do learning. One of our more creative teachers, she said, looking apologetically at her visitors. I know, said Sophie. Uh huh. Yes, you see, it's a laughing jinx, and I didn't mean to, but it's okay, said Miss O'Connell, interrupting. She opened her drawer and pulled out a bar of Whitaker's dairy milk and offered it to Sophie. Emergency supplies, she said, looking at her visitors again. Well, it is an emergency, said Sophie. Well, kind of, said Jackie. Thank you, girls, said Miss O'Connell. I'll talk to Mr McMahlow later after I'm finished this very important meeting. Thank you, Miss O'Connell, said Jackie and Sophie together. And don't you dare say that word, said Jackie. No, we've had enough of that today, said Sophie. So Sophie didn't put a jinx on Jackie, even though they said the same word together. The two of them raced back to class. Mr McMarlow's laughter had got louder again. It was so loud that some kids from other classes were looking in the open window. Luke grabbed the white flower and held it under Mr McMarlow's chin. Sophie opened the bar of chocolate, broke off a piece, and gave it to Mr McMahon. He held it up to his lips. And he put it in his mouth. Mr McMarlow stopped laughing. I'm cured, he said. Everyone cheered. Yeah. Now it's time to finish math, said Mr McMarlow. Everyone groaned. Isn't it morning break? asked Luke. Oh, and by the way, said Sophie, Miss O'Connell might want to talk to you about the laughing jinx. We didn't have time to explain properly because we had to interrupt her really important meeting to get the chocolate. Oh, said Mr McMahlow. Are you gonna get in trouble? asked TJ. Um well I think I'll blame it on you, said Mr McMahlow, pointing at Sophie. For putting me under a laughing jinx. Sophie smiled and gave a I'm not worried wave at Mr McMahlow. I helped save you from the laughing jinx, said Sophie. Even if I did have to miss a whole block of math to do it. And that's the end of the story. This episode was inspired by my kids, who like to say jinx if someone or two people say the same word at the same time. Actually, a few things about this podcast are inspired by my kids. Edmund doesn't like ads, so the podcasts are ad free. Ezra doesn't like cliff hangers, where you have to wait to hear the next part of the story, so you always get a full episode. And Julia doesn't like scary stories with lots of suspense. So that's why these stories are mostly scary-free. Unless you think the sound of Miss O'Connell's high heels going clop clop clop is scary, which it probably is for Mr. McMahlo. So you can tell your friends and cousins about our podcast because it is ad-free, cliffhanger-free, scary-free, and gluten-free. Yes, gluten-free, my wife is gluten-free, and I'm happy to say that she has never had an allergic reaction while listening to this podcast. But if you are gluten-free, please make sure you don't eat gluten while listening. Because sometimes if you're really concentrating on the story while you are making dinner or eating something, you could accidentally put something with gluten in the dinner, and then your dinner won't be gluten free and the podcast won't be gluten free. So take care and read the labels. And listen next time because Miss O'Connell has some interesting news about a visitor who has come to stay with her. Join us for that soon. Thanks. Bye.