THE clockwork mouse belonged to Sid but it was Wise Billy, the problem solver’s idea, much approved by the whole class, to use it to teach the dreaded Miss Potts a lesson she would never forget.

It all happened when one day Miss Potts suddenly announced a test of ‘three complete chapters’ of algebra to be taken on the very next day. Now, it was as if the end of the world had been declared!

So, during recess , three dozen troubled boys circled around “Wise Billy-the problem solver’ to seek advice. Although Billy was more a problem-creator than a problem-solver, at least his ‘advices’ had proved useful to keep trouble away on several occasions, though only temporarily.

“I know! I know!” he said suddenly. “We’ll frighten her with a mouse. Don’t you all remember that day how she had the life frightened out of her when she saw a mouse’s tail hanging from my pocket, though it was only a dead one.”

“This was certainly brilliant! Clever Billy!” said the boys patting him approvingly on the back. “What a genius!”

“But the question is,” said Billy, “who will bring a mouse?”

“That’s not a problem at all,” said Sid. “I have a clockwork mouse which my cousin gifted me on my birthday, and it looks so real with those beady eyes of its staring straight into yours.”

“That’s my boy!” said Billy, patting Sid admiringly on the back who swelled with pride because he had always been thought of as a stupid, useless thing, and to be patted and admired by ‘Wise Billy’ was certainly an honour.

The next day Miss Potts was very surprised to see calm faces instead of the panic-stricken ones she had expected. “I hope you all are prepared for today’s test which will begin very shortly,” she said eyeing the beaming faces suspiciously.

Then suddenly ... “A mouse!”

A hairy, long-tailed, big-eyed and lifelike mouse ran straight to Miss Potts’s feet and she had the shock of her life! She ran madly, screeching and yelling. The boys, who, quite thrilled at this, started to make a racket.

Poor Miss Potts was screaming wildly, running here and there, colliding with walls, chairs and tables. The boys were thoroughly enjoying this game. If only it would go on forever! But just then ... “CRASH!” the clockwork mouse collided with a wall and blow! The game ended. The mouse halted and became as still as death.

Miss Potts, who was still trembling, stared at it in horror expecting it to spring upon her any moment. But it didn’t. Recovering her senses and to the boys’ dismay, she found the courage to pick it up and stare at it in disbelief. And she saw a round hole on its right side (the keyhole), and suddenly, like lightening, it occurred to her: a clockwork mouse!

She started to shake with rage, ready to explode and the boys at once knew that trouble was not far away; they hardly dared to breathe!

“Sid Hawkins!” she called. Poor Sid suddenly lost colour as if The Angel of Death had called him. With trembling feet, he walked towards her. She took hold of the front of his shirt and shook him until his teeth rattled.

“You think you’re very smart, don’t you? Playing pranks on me like that! You just wait and see what I do to you ...” she said shaking him. Poor Sid couldn’t understand what had happened, until suddenly his eyes caught the sight of the beautifully carved name “Sid Hawkins” on the mouse and he realised his mistake. How could he have forgotten to hide his name? Now, it was all over.

“Detention and 20 points from your house and your name will be written in the list of ‘bad boys’ and …”

“No, Miss Potts! Please don’t write my name in the list of ‘bad boys’,” cried Sid. “I’ll tell you everything. It was Billy’s idea to play a prank on you with my mouse because the boys wanted to get away from the test. I swear it wasn’t me.” Sid was so scared that he blurted out everything in a single breath.

Miss Potts’s glare shifted from Sid to Billy. “Clever, aren’t you, Billy?” she said scowling at him. “Your name will be on the top of the list of ‘bad boys’ this year and I have a hundred other punishments for you.”

For Billy, this wasn’t a matter of shame. He already had the record of having his name listed in the list of ‘bad boys’ at least 50 times before and the word ‘punishment’ wasn’t new to him. But for Sid, it was. Poor Sid wanted to cry but not in front of everyone.

Meanwhile, Miss Potts was lecturing them, “I didn’t mean to take your test today. I only wanted to make you open your untouched books of algebra and at least try to do a few sums. But after this unforgivable and unforgettable crime that you have committed today, your test will be taken right now! Forty questions to be solved in 20 minutes!”

Now, the world had really come to an end!