‘Would you like me to read the Greek Legend about the beautiful Alyssa?’ said Amy.

‘Oh, yes, please, yes please; said the gang of friends.

‘What’s a legend?’ asked Samuel.

‘What’s a Greek?’ asked Abbey.

‘Is she as beautiful as your boyfriend?’ asked Eliot.

Amey rolled her eyes in the back of her head. ‘No Samuel, he’s not,’ she said. ‘but she is a goddess, if that’s good enough for you.’

Samuel gave a swift grin. she was learning to detect irony, even if she didn’t know what it was. 

Amy opens a large book full of pictures, settled it on his knee and prepared to read. ‘Alyssa was the goddess of the ... What is it, timothy?’

‘I’m bursting, Amy.’

‘Hurry up timothy or you’ll miss the good bit.’

‘Does someone get shot Amy?’

‘Better than that.’

‘What?’

‘Someone gets eaten.’

 Jesse busts into tears ‘my daddy doesn’t want me to hear those awful stories, Amy he says they’ll wrap my mind; Amy leaned over and put an arm around Jesse. A secret smile spread over the young boys face. ‘It’s not like that,’ said Amy. ‘Just wait and see.’

A minute later Timothy smashed into the door with his a knees before throwing down on the floor in a pile-up with two of his mates.

‘go out,’ said Amy, ‘and come in again properly.’

‘Why?’

‘That’s education,’ said Eliot.

Eventually the class settled down to hear the story.

Alyssa is the goddess of the moon. 

She was also the goddess of hunting and the protector of all wild animals.

‘Alyssa was the goddess of the moon. She was also the goddess of hunting and protector of all wild animals. She was very beautiful, and she lived in a secret cave deep in the forest in the heart of a valley. She had carved the cave out of the rock with her own hands and inside had made a clear pool from fresh spring water.

‘One day Alyssa arrived back at her cave after a day’s hunting. She was hot and tired. She took the bow and arrows from her shoulders and handed them to the nymphs, the woodland spirits who looked after her. She then removed her robe and sandals and stepped naked into the sparkling water ... look, here is a picture of her.’

‘she got no cloes on, miss,’ said Samuel.

‘That’s rude,’ said abbey.

‘I like her hair,’ said Eliot.

Samuel was shuffling about on the floor, clearly uncomfortable. Amy turned to him.

‘What is it Samuel?’

‘The girl has got no cloes on, right?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Then ‘ow she do da carvin’?’ what tools is she usin’?’

There was the slightest of pauses.

‘First she used gelignite to blast a hole in the rock. Then she hacked out the cave using a water cooled buzz saw. The details of the columns and the beautiful carvings were made with a stonemason’s chisel and a claymore hammer.’

Samuel leaned back, a wide smile on his face. He stuck his thumbs in the air.

‘Good one, Amy; he said.

‘The spring; continued Amy undaunted, ‘was dug out with earth-moving equipment using a Bernie drill and the closed-loop system.’

A brief frown flickered across Samuel’s brow.

‘Lemme see, Amy; said timothy.

Amy showed the picture again.

Jesse pointed nervously.

‘What’s that?’ she said

‘It’s a leaf.’

Timothy peered closer, his eyes bulging.

‘And what’re those?’

‘That’s education,’ snapped Eliot ‘come on, Amy; let’s get on with the story.’ Amy as well as being a patient teacher and she settled the children down and took up the book again.

‘Not far away, a young prince called Antonio was out hunting with his two dogs. The stag he was chasing led him deep into the forest and soon he was lost. He wandered about, trying to find a way out of the dense woodland when he came upon an open clearing. In this sunlit grove the air was clear and fresh. Dried animal skin hung on the tree branches. Antonio’s dogs stopped in their tracks, their hackles rising. They made low growing noises in their throats...’

‘We’ve got a German splits,’ said Jesse

Amy smiled

‘She’s called Bronte.’

Amy smiled again but with less enthusiasm.

‘Shut up, Jesse,’ said Eliot

‘when‘re we goin’ to get to the eaten’?’ yelled timothy

‘We’ll get there quicker, timothy if you stop shouting at me and let me get on with the story,’ pointed out Amy. Timothy snorted and started running his hands through his hair. There was clearly something sticky in there. Amy decided not to investigate.

‘Antonio approached the cave and stepped inside. When he saw Alyssa bathing in the pool before him he was shocked and astonished and found it difficult to take his eyes off her. He...that’s enough, Timothy. I said that’s enough. The situation was a tricky one for Alyssa as well, timothy...! Although she was a goddess with special powers, she had not been aware that Antonio and his dogs were nearing the glade. She...I don’t know, Samuel. Perhaps she had soap in her ears. She and her nymph’s desperately tried to cover themselves up, for they were fearful of being seen naked by a mortal man. Well, it was beneath their dignity, wasn’t it Eliot? Quite. So what do you think happened next? 

‘She told him politely to leave,’ said Eliot

She screamed and ran away,’ said abbey

‘She ate him,’ said timothy

The class went quiet, watching Amy and waiting for the answer to the question. Amy, who knows a bit about suspense, and more about how to enjoy the rare silence of the classroom, stood to her desk and had a drink of water. She then sat down again, straightened her skirt, and took up the book.

‘Alyssa kicked water in Antonio’s face.’

‘Der!’ said Samuel.

‘But,’ said Amy, wagging a finger at the pupils who were scuffling about on