Spell Checker

“I thought you would like to know how Karen is doing,” I said as I closed the door to the computer lab behind me.

Rico looked up. “Who?”

“You know, the Kindergarten teacher,” I said, “The one who flipped out yesterday and quit?”

Rico gave no response as I walked over to his workstation.

“Karen was not the most popular teacher on staff, “ I began. “I know a lot of parents were not happy with her, either.”

“Well, I wouldn't know about that,” Rico puffed as he crossed his arms.

“Really? Who are you talking to?” I said. “How many times this year have you been in my office complaining about her?”

Rico fell silent.

“If memory serves, you can monitor any computer on campus from here,” I said, peering at the work Rico had displayed on one monitor. “Even some of the teachers'.”

Rico grunted and avoided my gaze.

“I also recall you protested giving Karen a Smartboard for her classroom,” I continued. “Something about a 'waste of expensive technology.' You didn't think she needed an interactive chalkboard.”

“Well, it was,” he grumbled. “She never used it.”

“Funny,” I mused,“ because Karen says hers is possessed.”

Silence.

“Yup,” I said. “Karen insists that her Smartboard started writing messages to her. It would tell her that she was evil, that the devil had her soul, and, oh, wait for it...”

Rico looked up.

“That Santa wanted her as his bride,” I said.

“Santa?”

“Yup. That jolly old elf.”

As I headed for the door, I called over my shoulder, “I just hope whoever hacked into Karen's computer and Smartboard did a better job of covering his tracks than he did of spelling 'Satan'."

Word count: 297