"Well," I began, "I realized, just as I walked through my front door, that I'd left my homework in my locker."
     Mr. Van Camp remarked, "Couldn't you have just gone back to the school to get it?"
      "I couldn't have!"
     He looked skeptical."Why not?" he asked.
     "As I was walking across the field," I replied, "I encountered a rather large chicken."
     "How large?" he inquired.
     I was careful not to look him in the eye. I knew if I dared to, all would be lost. "It weighed 200 pounds!"
     His hard expression faded into a smile. He exclaimed, "It must have been Gertrude! Is she still out there?"
     "I believe so," I answered, confused.
     "Thank you so much for ending the search for my beloved pet. She's been missing for a year! You'll recieve a guaranteed A in my class!"