MicroHorror

Young Jimmie Smathers tucked his feet tight under his grammar school seat and
held his head firmly with both hands. “Don’t thunk,” he muttered. “Please don’t thunk.”

“Are you feeling ill?” his teacher Miss Elmer asked. She walked up next to him. She smelled flowery with perfume. “Do you have a headache?”

Jimmie closed his eyes. He didn’t want to take any chances. “No,” he whispered. “I feel fine. Please leave me alone.”

Other students laughed. One called, “Crazy Jimmie trying to hide again.”

Miss Elmer half-knelt next to him. The cotton of her skirt brushed his arm. “Should I call your parents?”

His mother. Jimmie wanted to shout, “She’s the one who did this to me,” but he didn’t say anything. He just held his head.

At dinner the night before, his mother had said, “Eat all your Brussels sprouts. If you don’t, your head will grow but your brain won’t. Your brain will begin to rattle in your head. You wouldn’t want that, would you.”

Jimmie had fed the Brussels sprouts secretly to the dog. Now he paid the price. Whenever he moved his head he could feel his brain thunk from one side to the other in it.

“Here,” Miss Elmer said and placed her hand on his forehead. “If you sit up straight you’ll feel better.”

Jimmie tried to resist, but Miss Elmer was too strong. She pushed his head upright. He felt and heard his brain thunk backward.

Miss Elmer stood up. “That’s not right,” she said. “One of you,” she pointed at the girl nearest the door. “You, Ann. Run and get the nurse.”

Jimmie didn’t feel comfortable with his head straight up so he leaned into his hands again. His brain shifted forward with a thump.

Other students started to yell. Jimmie heard someone say, “His head. It’s bulging.”

Jimmie looked up to see if Miss Elmer could help. He felt his brain shift backward again with a thunk.

His final living vision saw Miss Elmer staring at him and screaming as his brain fell out of the back of his head.