Mrs. Hendricks' Haunted Lesson

It was a crisp April morning, and Mrs. Hendricks' senior English class was about as lively as a graveyard. The students sat in eerie silence, like zombies awaiting her commands. Normally, this wouldn't have been too out of the ordinary - Mrs. Hendricks demanded strict discipline during lessons. But today was different. Today was April 1st, and a mischievous spirit hung in the air.

Mrs. Hendricks paced back and forth, lecturing about the themes in Hamlet. "Who can tell me what dramatic purpose is served by the ghost's appearance in Act 1, Scene 4?" She scanned the room, her eyes finally landing on Kyle, who was too busy passing notes to Jessica to pay attention.

"Mr. Thompson!" she barked. "Perhaps you'd like to enlighten the class?"

Kyle's head shot up, a deer caught in the headlights. "Uhh...to show the...torment of Hamlet's soul?"

Mrs. Hendricks scowled. "I'll give you a hint - it has nothing to do with Hamlet's anguished spirit. Moving on..."

As she turned back to the chalkboard, Kyle locked eyes with Jessica and they shared a subtle smirk. Little did their cranky professor know, she had just become the target of their April Fool's prank.

The clock ticked onward through the torturous lecture. Finally, the bell rang to signal the end of class.

"Don't forget, we'll be discussing Acts 4 and 5 on Monday," Mrs. Hendricks called out over the ruckus of students scrambling to leave. "I expect you all to re-read the play over the weekend!"

As she gathered her materials, the last few students shuffled out. With a weary sigh, she exited the classroom and headed for the faculty lounge, desperate for a pick-me-up in the form of stale doughnuts and leaded coffee.

Little did she know, her exit simply set the sinister gears in motion...

No sooner had Mrs. Hendricks rounded the corner, than Jessica poked her head back into the empty classroom. "Coast is clear!" she stage-whispered.

Within seconds, the seniors re-emerged and claimed their usual seats. Kyle took a makeshift stage at the front of the room.

"Alright, you vultures! Who's ready to put Operation Hendricks Freakout into action?"

A chorus of snickers and cheers erupted. Jessica raised her hand with a wicked grin.

"For those of you who haven't been initiated - this is how it's gonna go down..."

She unrolled a large poster labeled "Phase 1" and affixed it to the chalkboard. Crude illustrations showed stick figures depicting the rooms and hallways surrounding Mrs. Hendricks' classroom.

"Kyle and I will keep watch," Jessica announced. "We'll text updates on Mrs. Hendricks' location so you guys know when she's headed back this way. As soon as we get the all clear, Ashlynn is in charge of..."

She stepped aside as Ashlynn bounded up eagerly clutching a toolbox. "Duct taping the door shut! Mrs. H will panic when she can't get inside."

"But that's just the beginning," Jessica said with relish. "By the time she gets someone to let her in, Phase 2 will be complete!"

She rolled out another poster covered in scribbles and Xs. "This is the blueprint for all the crazy shit we're gonna do. Everything from saran wrapping EVERYTHING to filling her desk with colored packing peanuts!"

"Won't she just send someone to grab the janitors?" a voice called out.

"Way ahead of you," Jessica assured them. "We've made sure to bribe them with snacks from the vending machine to ignore any calls about this classroom."

A wicked laugh spread through the crowd. This was their pragmatist masterpiece - a symphony of chaos and confusement. All that was left was to enact their glorious finale.

"Phase 3..." Jessica paused for dramatic effect. She slowly unveiled the last poster, a chaotic scribble of nonsensical images that could barely pass as art from an insane psychopath.

"We decorate the entire room like a DERANGED HORROR SCENE! Synthetic blood, scary masks, hanging dummies, the whole nine yards!"

The room erupted in a thunderous roar of laughter and approval. Mrs. Hendricks' impending look of abject terror already had them howling.

"You've all got your assignments," Jessica declared, basking in the diabolical glee. "Let's move like demons, people! We only have..."

She was interrupted by a piercing Bing! from her phone.

It was Kyle with a horror of his own: "GET OUT NOW!! MRS. H COMING BACK!!"

In a mad frenzy, the students grabbed their belongings and scarpered like roaches exposed to light. Mrs. Hendricks' room was left hauntingly empty once more, with only a few scattered posters as evidence of the nefarious scheme.

A minute later, the doorknob began to rattle violently. "What in tarnation..."

Mrs. Hendricks fought with all her might, but her door refused to budge. Just as she was about to call the janitors, she heard a faint sound coming from within the classroom.

"Mwahahaha! Oh Mrs. Hendrickssss..." The voice sounded other-worldly, like something from a corny horror film.

Ice water flooded her veins. What fresh hell was this?

Using a nearby fire extinguisher, she finally bashed her way through the duct-taped door. What greeted her on the other side defied all logic and reason.

The first thing she noticed were the hanging dummies - twisted, gaunt figures dangling from the ceiling like reanimated corpses. Strewn across the desktops were ghastly masks and prop weapons, slathered in fake blood and viscera.

But the gore was just the amuse-bouche compared to the putrid stench that smacked her across the face. Looking down, she saw her classroom floor had been covered in crumpled balls of sticky red cellophane.

As her eyes adjusted to the low lighting and creepy decorations, she finally noticed the source of the cackling. In the back corner, a small boombox played distorted laughter on a loop, accompanied by the occasional "Oooohhhh, Mrs. Hendricksssss..."

Summoning all her courage, she marched over and switched it off. The sudden silence rang louder than the spookiest sound effects.

A slow, knowing smile crept across her face. Of course. She should have seen this coming.

"Very cute, ladies and gentlemen," she said, unable to conceal her smirk of admiration. "But did you honestly think I've never experienced an April Fool's prank before? By my calculations, I've been the victim of about...31 of them!"

As if by magic, the lights flipped on. Mrs. Hendricks examined the classroom with an appraising gaze. Not bad, not bad at all - she'd have to commend their thoroughness and attention to detail. But not quite Crypt Keeper-levels of terror. No, she'd raised the bar much higher than that.

"If you think this qualifies as a 'deranged horror scene'...you've got another thing coming."

With a dramatic flourish, she undid her sensible cardigan and blouse to reveal...a grisly, blood-drenched appearance straight out of a slasher movie. Her face had been grotesquely disfigured into a terrifying mask, completed with empty shriveled sockets where her eyes should be.

In one clawed, rotting hand, she gripped a prop chainsaw that roared to life, splattering the first few rows with even more synthetic carnage.

From the hallway, a piercing scream rang out. It was Jessica, having returned with Kyle to lay final touches on the "scene". They locked eyes with the ghoulish Mrs. Hendricks, let out a symphony of bloodcurdling shrieks, and ran away like their lives depended on it.

As their cries faded to silence, Mrs. Hendricks broke character with a hearty chuckle . She really had gotten the last laugh this year.

"Happy April Fool's Day, you little gravediggers! Maybe next time you'll think twice before trying to prank..." Her voice took on a bone-chilling rasp.

"...The Crrrrryyyyyyppppttttkkkkkeeeeepppppeeeerrrrrrr!!!"