Mr Bambuckle threw the orange bouncy ball at the switch and the lights flickered back on. ‘Thank you for that remarkable story, Evie.’

‘Okayyy,’ said Vex Vron.

Evie’s gaze dropped to the floor. ‘Nobody believes me, do they?’

Mr Bambuckle thought about this as the ball disappeared back inside his pocket. ‘The only thing I don’t believe is how lucky we are to have someone as brave as you in our class.’

Evie looked up at the teacher. ‘Really?’

‘Really.’

‘Truly?’

‘Truly.’

Mr Bambuckle’s green eyes twinkled, urging Evie to take heart.

‘You don’t think I’m weird?’

‘Not as weird as that Chap Spark fellow. Brown suits went out of fashion in 1984.’

Evie smiled. Although she was small in stature, her grin could fill the room.

‘The truth is,’ said Mr Bambuckle, ‘I’ve not met a braver girl. The way you faced that washing machine was nothing short of heroic. Most people would have run in the opposite direction at such danger. But you … you ventured down those stairs with all the courage in the world.’

‘You’re braver than me,’ said Victoria.

‘You’re a bit of a hero,’ said Carrot Grigson, a boy with bright orange hair.

Mr Bambuckle walked to his desk and retrieved a small sheet of stickers. ‘I have just the thing for you, Evie. You deserve this sticker.’

Evie’s chuckle filled the air. It was the most she’d laughed since Damon Dunst had accidentally crashed Miss Schlump’s car during the car wash fun day.

‘How did the stickers arrive so quickly?’ said Vex. ‘You only ordered them at morning tea!’

‘I happen to know some people,’ said Mr Bambuckle. ‘Evie’s heroics are most certainly worth the first sticker.’

‘Great job, Evie,’ said Victoria, eyeing off the sticker.

Mr Bambuckle looked at his watch. ‘Now, speaking of heroes, it’s almost time for lunch.’

‘What do heroes have to do with lunch?’ said Vex. The teacher grinned, pulling out a bowl of hot soup from one of the many pockets inside his suit.

‘You keep soup in your pockets?’ asked Vex.

‘It’s a little trick I picked up in northern Kazakhstan.’

‘And that’s heroic?’

‘Not in the slightest. Though I believe someone has a chance to become a hero this very lunchtime. Word has it Canteen Carol is manning the tuckshop today.’

Carrot shuddered. ‘You know about Canteen Carol?’

‘I know everything,’ said Mr Bambuckle.

‘She’s a maniac,’ said Vex. ‘Scariest woman on the planet.’

Vex’s comment was enough to trigger a burst of conversation. Mr Bambuckle sipped his soup as the chatter flowed. He didn’t seem to notice Mr Sternblast spying through one of the classroom windows, frowning and scribbling furiously in a small notebook.

‘Canteen Carol yells all the time.’

‘She’s the rudest person I know.’

‘I saw her scold one of the parent helpers who didn’t say “please”.’

‘Yeah, she goes bonkers if you forget to say “please”.’

‘She has warts on her toes.’

‘She only accepts correct change.’

‘She used to be a wrestler.’

‘I’m too scared to go to the canteen because of her.’

The bell rang and the students stood up to leave.

‘Before you go to lunch, I have something to say,’ said Mr Bambuckle. He flashed a two-dollar coin in the air. ‘Who wants to be a hero? Who wants to buy something from the canteen today?’

All fifteen students tried to avoid eye contact with their teacher. Evie Nightingale raised her hand as far as her chest, then decided against putting it in the air.

‘No takers?’ said Mr Bambuckle, a cheeky grin on his face. ‘Well, then. I suppose I’ll have to meet Canteen Carol myself.’