Misuse of Power

Zack slid into his chair just before the tardy bell rang. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out his books.

“You just made it,” said Mr. Zenith with a monotone voice. Mr. Zenith was growing weary of Zack’s tardiness.

“I know, Mr. Zenith, and I’ll do better tomorrow,” replied Zack.

“Zack, why don’t you come up to the board and show us how to turn a percentage into a fraction,” stated Mr. Zenith.

Zack winced at the thought of doing math in front of anyone, but he strode confidently to the board. Mr. Zenith instructed him to turn 75% into a fraction. Zack grabbed the chalk, and it sailed through the air. It seemed almost as if Zack had thrown it. Mr. Zenith glared at Zack.

Zack picked up a piece of chalk more gingerly this time and began to write the problem on the board. Zack was surprised at how hard the chalk was pressing into the chalkboard. He wrote as softly as he could. When finished, he walked back to his desk. He gently knocked into a student’s desk on the way. The desk raced across the classroom spilling its contents on the way.

“You better check that attitude, Zack,” demanded Mr. Zenith.

Zack was stunned. What was going on? His strength seemed to have doubled over night. Just to test his strength, Zack pushed back in his chair. In the process, he knocked over the three student desks behind him.