“Tad-was-really-scared-but-I-wasn’t.”

All the kids in her class gave her blank looks as she rattled on. Her project was apparently about the Navajos but she didn’t seem to know much about them. She did, however, know an awful lot about Mississippi and some kid named Tad.

”...just-as-Tad-put-his-foot-in—”
“Tepin! Tepin,” Mrs. Pilaski interrupted, “wasn’t your report on the Navajos?”
“Yes’m, but Tad is a Navajo!”
“Oh, I see. Well, do you know anything else about the Navajos?”
“No. But… just-as-Tad-put-his-foot-in-the-water… there-was-this, this-giant-whirlpool-and-Tad-alomst-got-sucked-up!” she sputtered on, “anyways, then-this-great-troll-came-and-pulled-Tad-out… he-held-him-upside-down-and-tried-to-eat-him-but-I-threw-rocks-at-him…the troll, he-ran-away-and-cried!”

The whole class began to laugh. Tepin didn’t understand. Didn’t they see the Tad? Or the troll? They were sitting right next to Schmitty, the elf from her report last month.