Mike blinked his eyes. Something was not right here! What was wrong with this hologram? Holograms were only meant to be three-dimensional pictures of people. Not an ugly old woman who shouted at you! And holograms were always programmed to have sweet-sounding, soothing voices. Not shrill voices that could burst your eardrums!
“You have one minute to get yourself ready – and that means dressed! – for your first class.”
“But I haven’t eaten yet!” protested Mike. “I don’t like eating early, so I only swallow my food pills much later on!”
“Food?” Miss Kolbe moved until she was right next to Mike. “You first have to earn your food! After the first 1000 Maths sums I will decide whether you may eat.”
“One thousand sums!” cried Mike in amazement.
“Already loaded onto your computer. And then you will have to identify 70 solar systems and write a paragraph about each one.”
“Seventy!”
“That will take us to lunch-time. But I feel that lunch is unnecessary. We will go straight on with language studies. You will read three books and do an oral on each one.”
“Three books!” Now Mike was getting worried. There was something very wrong with Miss Kolbe. Not only did she look like one of the mummies in the pyramids of Egypt that Buttons had shown him, but she had definitely fallen and hit her head somewhere. No one could get through that amount of work!
“And you don’t leave this room before you have finished EVERYTHING.”
Mike glanced in her direction. Now he really didn’t want Miss Kolbe as his teacher. Teachers were definitely not a good thing. He would have to do something to get rid of her!
“Don’t just stand there! Get on with your work!”
Mike very carefully slid in behind his computer. Even Buttons had had such a fright that he didn’t make a sound. How was he going to get rid of Miss Kolbe? He swung his chair around and saw his reflection in the mirror behind his desk. Of course! Mirrors! Holograms are formed by light from lasers that reflected back from mirrors. All he had to do was to close up the space capsule in which Miss Kolbe had arrived on the scene and shut off that light.
Mike walked determinedly towards the capsule and closed all the flaps. Miss Kolbe disappeared with a scream.
“There, that’ll teach you, you old tinhead,” he said and went and sat behind his computer again. “Buttons,” said Mike and gazed intently at the screen, “I think we will do ten sums today, and I will write paragraphs about seven solar systems. Then, after lunch, we can read that cool book that Mom bought for me yesterday.”
“Excellent plan, Mike!” said Buttons and softly playing Mike’s favourite song.
