Emendation (noun): a correction

The metal tip, dripping with rivulets of crimson, stabbed mercilessly into the pages and ripped. Fueled by rage as red as the ink, the teacher’s pen shredded through at least five sheets of paper before finally bleeding like a knife wound onto the sixth.

“HOW MANY TIMES WILL YOU MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE?!” The man’s lion-like roar stunned the entire office into silence, only the humidifier’s gentle buzz daring to make a sound.

The recipient of the seething anger was beet red. Clutching the bottom of his shirt, already dappled with teardrops, he stared at the ground as if hoping to crawl into it and hide.

Whap!

The workbook was slammed onto the desk. Several pages of torn paper fluttered out upon impact and the rest of the binding quivered and its limits.

“Why. WHY!” He howled, the veins on his forehead popping and writhing. “Why do you waste your talents?! You know you’re better than this!”

Not a peep.

For a few moments, the air was more tense than the teacher’s blood pressure… until he finally sat down with an exasperated sigh.

“Go. Copy the textbook article five times, and use only the ripped pages. You get one word wrong, and you’ll be filling out the rest of the papers for homework tomorrow night.”