Kindergarten of Death

I was attending my daughter Wendy's autumn camp when I overheard her whispering to her best friend, "Don't be picky with your food, or Ms. Adams will kill you. That's why she killed Carl." Shocked, I scooped her up in my arms and ran to Carl's mother. However, she pointed at a healthy Carl who was hopping around, grinning, "What? But Carl is no longer a fussy eater. He eats everything I cook these days!" Relieved, I was about to turn and scold my daughter when she hissed, "That's not Carl! Carl is allergic to shrimp!" Chapter 1 My heart sank. I definitely remembered Lilian—Carl Marks' mother—reminding the class teacher that Carl was allergic to shrimp. She had been dead serious, even writing it down in case it slipped everyone's mind. But now, a mother who was so cautious about her son's allergy would happily say that her son's allergy was cured? Taking my daughter to a corner, I dropped to a crouch and kept my voice even as I asked, "Think again, girl. Are you sure about what you saw? Where?" Wendy Johnson pursed her little lips, her brow creasing with a look of utter seriousness. "Yesterday afternoon, during gym class. After Mr. King let us off, a teacher took Carl behind the storeroom. I sneaked there, waiting for him when I saw the teacher bring a black stick. "She poked Carl on the arm, and he fell. His hands were trembling and his face was pale. Later, he was crying and said he won't be picky with his food anymore." Wendy's little hands were animated as she told her tale, and there was clear trauma in her eyes. I could feel my blood going cold. Wendy had been honest even as a toddler and would confess if she broke a cup—she would never fabricate a lie as ridiculous as this one. And yet, Carl looked perfectly normal. So what was going on? Did Wendy make a mistake? Or… Before I could think further, Lilian held Carl's hand as they approached the new teacher, Quinn Ackles. There was no hiding Lilian's smile as she exclaimed gratefully, "Oh, thank you so much, Ms. Ackles! Just look at Carl—he's such a good boy now. He was always such a fussy eater and would never touch shrimp. "But now, he eats everything on his plate! It's all thanks to your special allergy therapy. It doesn't just treat the symptoms but also the cause. I'm really grateful." I watched as she talked so animatedly, my suspicions growing. Turning towards Carl, I asked cautiously, "How was your day, Carl? Did you enjoy gym class yesterday?" Carl kept her head lowered, his fingers tugging on the hem of his own shirt, his long lashes hiding the look in his eyes. After seconds of silence, he nodded, but suddenly shook his head. He was also stiff, unlike the energetic boy I remembered. "Oh, Carl…" Lilian quickly chimed in, patting Carl's head with an edge in her tone, "He didn't like this jacket, so I scolded him a little this morning. Guess he's still upset." Carl's lips parted, but he didn't speak. That was when he looked up at me, and it was a blank look that left my heart skipping a beat. After the autumn camp, Wendy dozed off on the safety seat, her breathing rhythmic. Gently putting her on her bed and tucking her in after I got home, I stared at her dainty face as she slept, my suspicions during the day surfacing again. Wendy never lied, and while Carl was alive and well, the many oddities stayed stuck in my mind. My wife Sue Willow only returned at 11 pm, and I poured her a drink. "There's something I need to tell you…" After I told her everything at autumn camp, I asked, "Don't you think it's suspicious? Carl really didn't look like he was pouting to me." Chapter 2 As Sue finished her drink, she was smiling when I finished. "Oh, you—that's the cop in you talking. Do you really think something that crazy would happen? Wendy won't lie, but children tend to say the wildest things. "Also, didn't we pick this kindergarten because every corner is covered by cameras? So that parents can ask for footage anytime. What teacher would be so bold as to use a stun baton on a child? "Oh, right—I've also been teaching Wendy electronics safety since I'm worried she'd make a mistake with the plugs and stuff. That's why I got a little dramatic showing her what it's like to get jolted. Maybe she misremembered and mixed that with what she saw at the kindergarten." I was silent—Sue was right, but Wendy described that scene so vividly and I couldn't forget that look in Carl's eyes. Nonetheless, I nodded begrudgingly seeing Sue's confidence and her mention of the cameras. "I hope that is the case." - The next day, I took Wendy to school thirty minutes earlier than usual, and found Carl and Lilian in front of the gates ahead of us. Lilian turned and saw us, immediately greeting me warmly, "Good morning, Mr. Jackson!" Carl was behind her, his little hands clenching on the hem of her blouse, still hanging her head. He only turned briefly, peeking at us when he heard his mom, but soon turned away again. The unease I was feeling swelled again, and I hesitated for a moment as they headed inside. Still, I soon hurried after Lilian, calling out to her in the hallway, "Wait, Mrs. Marks. There's something we should discuss…" "What about?" "Carl," I said, measuring my tone so that I sound less blunt. "During autumn camp yesterday, Wendy told me that she saw a teacher hitting Carl with a stun baton, and was punished for being a fussy eater. "I know that children can get really wild with their imagination, but Carl is allergic to shrimp and he ate some yesterday. That's why I'm concerned and wanted to warn you so that you keep an eye out." However, before I could finish, Lilian was scowling and glaring at me hostilely. "No, that's absolutely impossible!" She snapped. "Carl's been such a good boy for the past couple of days—he doesn't fuss about food and doesn't pull pranks. Why would he be punished when he's so well-behaved?" Still, I shook my head and tried again, "I'm just saying it could have happened, and Carl doesn't look at all… Lively." That seemed to touch a nerve, however, as Lilian stood akimbo as she hollered shrilly, "Mr. Jackson! Are you having problems with Carl behaving? You'd rather he stay a naughty brat who causes trouble everywhere? So that Wendy looks better in comparison?! How could you!" Her rant crashed on me like a barrage of missiles, leaving me stunned. We were somewhat close as we lived in the same apartment block, and Lilian used to complain to me about how children being difficult as Carl often started fights with other kids. But now? Even so, I insisted, "I mean no ill will. I'm just giving you a heads-up in case something bad happens—child safety is top priority after all." "No, Carl is just fine!" Lilian snapped back. "Quit poking your nose in our affairs!" With that, she rolled her eyes and took Carl's hand as she turned to leave. Watching her storm off, I sighed in exasperation that my goodwill was treated as malice. Seeing that it was soon time for work, I told Wendy to behave at the kindergarten before leaving as well. Arriving at the precinct, I fought back my annoyance to focus on work, but still got distracted whenever I remembered Carl's face. It was not until after lunch that my phone started to vibrate relentlessly, and I picked it up to see that a ton of messages were sent to the kindergarten parent chat group. Dozens more were coming, and my heart skipped a beat. Having a bad feeling about this, I quickly tapped into it. Pinned to the top was the class teacher's emergency announcement, followed by countless questions and comments from parents. And the announcement hit me like a truck. Chapter 3 [Emergency announcement: Our student Carl Marks accidentally fell into the pond during lunch break. He has since been rushed to the hospital. We're currently awaiting the hospital's reply on his condition.] A parent also sent a photo of the pond surrounded by teachers. Just seeing that sent a chill down my spine. What Wendy said yesterday, how Carl was acting strange while Lilian was apathetic about it all at once meshed in my mind. Was that all just coincidences? More messages were pouring in, with parents reporting that the ambulance had just left, while others were already questioning if the teachers didn't keep watch over the kids. I wasn't in the mood to work anymore, grabbing my coat and rushing straight to the kindergarten as I could only think about Wendy talking about the stun baton and the look of fear in Carl's eyes. As I reached the kindergarten, the atmosphere was gloomy with countless parents and teachers gathered at the gates. John Foster—the kindergarten director—was sweating profusely as he tried to calm several particularly agitated parents. Seeing me, he rushed over, "Sorry about the mess, Mr. Jackson…" I nodded and said, "Can I take a look at the footage?" He looked hesitant, but eventually nodded and led me to the security room. Footage of the afternoon was playing on the screen. After the bell had rang, the children left the classroom after their afternoon map. Some children were happily running toward the field, while Carl sneaked behind the group when the class teacher did a head count, his eyes blank as he went to the field too. However, his movement was stiff—he wasn't skipping, and instead looked like he was being pulled straight to the pond, and didn't hesitate to jump. It wasn't that deep, but just above a child's height. And in the footage, Carl's little hands flailed a little on the surface and his mouth was wide open as if calling for help, but there was no one else around. A few dozen seconds later, he stopped entirely and started to sink… until a teacher noticed and rushed over. Soon, the pool was obscured as a crowd gathered around it. I watched the screen fixedly as the footage ended. It did look like Carl had an accident… but could it really just be a coincidence? Just yesterday, Wendy said Carl was struck by a stun baton, and now this… It was just too suspicious! "No! It's not an accident!" That was when Lilian charged in, screaming her head off. Her hair was a mess, her eyes red, and her cheeks covered in tears. When she saw me, her eyes appeared troubled—showing fear and fury both at the same time. Then, she charged at me, grabbing me by my collar as she shrieked, "It was your daughter! Wendy killed my son! I saw the camera footage… She was talking to Carl, and then he started spacing out and couldn't sleep well! "And then there's that strange stuff you said yesterday… It must be her! That's what happened to Carl! It has to be Wendy!" I firmly pried her hands off. "Calm down! Wendy has always been a good kid. She'd never hurt anyone!" "So what?! Carl was my son! My son!!!" Lilian wailed as she dropped on her rump. "Why would he go to the pond?! He's just a child! Wendy must have goaded him into it! Worse of all, you're supposed to be a cop, but you're only protecting your daughter!" Everyone turned to me right then. John tried to intervene, but Lilian pushed him away. Knowing that she was too devastated and had lost her rationality, I decided there was no point arguing. Moreover, Wendy was involved—as her father and a cop, I had to clear any suspicion. "Everyone, let's just stay calm," I said. "This case will be handled as the law dictates. And for the sake of fairness, my colleagues will come to take Wendy's testimony. As her guardian, I will only be observing without interference." Chapter 4 Soon, my colleagues Cora and Zac arrived. We took Wendy to an empty classroom, with Cora taking out her notebook with a gentle smile. "I'm going to ask you a couple of questions now, Wendy. You have to answer me truthfully, okay?" Wendy was a little spooked by the tense vibe, and was tugging on my sleeve with fear in her eyes. "Did I do something wrong, Daddy?" "No," I smiled at her assuringly, patting her head. "You just have to tell that nice lady everything you saw." Cora nodded and asked softly, "Wendy, did you talk to Carl earlier today?" Wendy pursed her little lips as she nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I'm just curious why he isn't allergic to shrimp anymore… He never ate those before." "What did Carl say?" Wendy frowned as she tried her best to remember. "He put his hand on my mouth, and told me not to ask because he can't say… Then Ms. Ackles came to us. We didn't finish talking, and he ate the shrimp on his plate today." Cora asked for more details, which Wendy answered seriously, and it didn't look like she was lying at all. When it was over, Cora closed her notebook and told me, "She's innocent, judging from her testimony, and it's also shown on the cameras that Carl went to the pool on his own. Just take her home, let her get some rest—she must be in shock." I nodded, taking Wendy's hand and was ready to leave when Lilian suddenly rushed into the room. Cutting us off, her eyes were wide and bloodshot as she hollered, "No! You are not leaving!" She even clawed towards Wendy, but Zac stopped her in time. I frowned and argued, "Why are you stopping us from leaving? The investigation made it clear that she did nothing wrong. What happened to Carl was an accident…" "Accident?! That's too much of a coincidence!" Lilian kept screaming hysterically. "You're her dad and a cop! You'd definitely protect her! I won't believe anything in the police report now!" The stalemate kept on until Commissioner King came to chase us all out. After hearing what everyone had to say, he clapped Lilian's shoulder and said, "Rest assured, ma'am, we will handle this fairly. Officer Jackson volunteered to step aside to avoid suspicion, so it's his colleagues who will take the case. "That's why I can assure you that there won't be bias, and we will tell you right away if there are any developments." There was strength and authority in the commissioner's words, and seeing that determined look in his eyes, Lilian stopped freaking out. Collapsing on her rump, she quietly sobbed. I quickly took the moment to take Wendy's hand, quickly leaving the hospital. Once we got home, Wendy was sulking and quickly fell asleep—it had been a long, scary day after all. My mind was a mess as I sat on the living room couch too. Then, I was cooking dinner when I stared at the vegetables chopping board, suddenly remembering Carl's allergy. The entire incident had to revolve around that single factor, but there was nothing on the cameras. But if Wendy was right, was there a blind spot in the cameras? And why would Carl suddenly become so obedient, even eating the shrimp he was allergic to without being asked? The way he acted strange in the afternoon and how he spaced out before falling into the pond… was that really all coincidences? Even as I tried to connect all the dots, a particular name stuck out like a sore thumb.