It’s another typical school day (actually after school detention) for our four lads, John, Paul, George and Ringo. Little did they know that their names would be famous (for they only are nine years old), but that’s a different story. The Liverpool mates are still in school, getting an education, and being who they are, always cause some sort of mischief. But that might not happen anymore, as we look in their tiny classroom….

It was just the four of them who had to serve detention that day, not to the surprise of their schoolmaster, who had not arrived yet. Paul, George and Ringo sat impatiently in their seats (that were side by side of each other) wanting out, but where was John?

"Hey, where’s John? He should be here, it’s almost 3 PM, when detention starts," asked Paul.

"I don’t know, but he better not be late or he’ll get a whacking!" replied George.

Just then, the doors to the small classroom burst open. In came a young boy who was recognized by his mates.

"I’m here fellas!" he said with a big smile on his face.

"Johnny!" his mates shouted with glee. "Yay!!"

"Quick, get in your seat before the teacher comes!" said Ringo and Paul.

"Oh, you guys worry too much!" replied John. He sat in his seat and as luck would have it, the schoolmaster stepped in.

"Good afternoon, boys," the schoolmaster said as he walked to his desk in the front of the classroom. Then he heard a loud smash!!!

"What on earth was that?!" the schoolmaster yelled.

John and George were on the floor in an intense struggle. Paul and Ringo tried to break it up, but could not.

"John! George! Stop this nonsense!" the schoolmaster demanded. He pulled them apart but they still tried to grab at each other.

"He stole my lucky green guitar pick!!!" cried John.

"He gave it to me, now he wants it back!!" retorted George.

The schoolmaster then made them sit next to each other. "You two will finish this fight after detention! You are in enough trouble as it is!" As he walked back to his desk, John and George exchanged bright smiles and a wink.

The schoolmaster then addressed them. "Ahem, now we shall start with the lesson again. You boys didn’t pay attention during class, so you’ll have to learn this material again now! But first, I have to check your homework. I know you boys don’t want to be here, but you have to learn this stuff." The lads got out their books and homework.

"Ok, question number one: What is the capital of Great Britain? That shouldn’t be difficult at all. George, give me the answer."

"The capital of Great Britain is…Liverpool!" he said with great gusto. His mates giggled with him.

"Sigh. No no no! John, what did you have written?"

"Uh, have what written?" John asked.

"The answer!"

"The answer to what?"

"The question!"

"What question?"

"The question from the homework!"

"What homework?" John kept a straight face up to this point, but could no longer hold in his laughter and neither could Paul, George and Ringo. They laughed and laughed and the schoolmaster grew frustrated, but he then went on.

"All right Paul, I can count on you then. What have you got?"

Paul looked up contemplatively in deep thought. Then with a sly smile, he replied…

"(singing) For goodness sake! I’ve got the Hippy Hippy Shake!" And he got up and started dancing and as if on cue, John, George and Ringo started dancing to as Paulie sang. The schoolmaster was angry, but couldn’t help but laugh at the boys. They always seemed to be so cheerful and carefree. The young lads seemed to sense that the schoolmaster was not going to punish them (and he didn’t) so they stopped dancing and singing although they were still giggling.

The schoolmaster then said with a sigh, "The four of you are my favorite non-academic students. You always have fun in my class! I don’t think I could ever punish you for having fun, but the only thing is, you never study! You’re always busy scheming your next plans of mischief!"

"Yeah!" replied George. "Remember how we took the paint and poured it down your…"

"And how we took the chalk and threw it in the…." recalled Paul and John

"Then we got those board erasers, and we…." said Ringo.

"Yes. How could I forget? Those were brilliant! But we have to get moving on to history, all right?" He was replied with grumbles and groans. "Hey, you have to learn this, ok?"

"Ok…whatever…sure…all right…" the lads replied.

The schoolmaster then started to lecture about the ancient history of Italy as he pulled down a map of ancient Italy, and he didn’t really pay much attention to the lads. He was concentrating on the lecture. John, Paul, George and Ringo found this to be a good time to mess around. Paul and Ringo started playing Crazy Eights with Ringo’s cards, while John took his chair, and George’s chair and stacked them on his own desk. George watched with concern as his daredevil friend climbed to sit at the top.

He’s pretty high up, thought George as he looked on.

Then John pretended to be the great Julius Caesar as he commanded, "I, great Caesar, want that harmonica conquered today at noon and those guitars to be handed over to me…"

George’s concern increased as the chairs started to shake. "Johnny, I think you should come down, you might get hurt…" George then summoned Paul and Ringo to help persuade John to get down.

"John, get down! What if you fall?!" asked Ringo.

"Please John, please come down form there!" added Paul.

"Oh, you guys worry too much! I’m Johnny, remember?" replied a cool John. Then he started to laugh, but his "throne" of chairs started to shake.

The schoolmaster continued lecturing, "And in 44 BC, great Caesar died…." And as he said this, he heard a loud crash and screams. He turned and looked at what had happened.

"JOHN!!!" George, Paul and Ringo screamed. John had fallen from his high "throne" and was on the floor unconscious at their feet. The three fell to their knees and started crying. George started to shake John, hoping that John would regain consciousness. "Wake up John! Come on! Please wake up!! John!!" George shouted. But it was no use, John didn’t wake up.

The schoolmaster hurriedly ran over to John. He checked John’s pulse and breathing. "He is breathing, and he has a pulse…oh, someone go and get my first-aid kit from my other classroom!" he exclaimed. Ringo then quickly got up to get the kit, crying as he ran as fast as he could out the door.

Paul then gently checked John’s head. "Omigod! He has a big, bleeding cut on the back of his head! Oh, John! Come on, you can get through this! Get up! Please!" Paul pleaded through his tears. The schoolmaster took off his jacket and placed it under John’s head, covering the boy’s bleeding cut. He tried to comfort his students, but in vain. George and Paul then cried even louder as they saw their once courageous and strong friend now on the ground, helpless. What could they do?

"What are we gonna do?!!!!" cried George as he sank to his knees next to his fallen mate. George and Paul started crying even louder than before.

"Boys, I know that everything’s going to be all right…just calm down…" the schoolmaster said comfortingly. George and Paul began to calm down, and all that remained were sniffles, but after a few moments of temporary calm, the two burst into tears and sobs all over again. The schoolmaster handed then some tissues to wipe the tears and got muffled ‘thank you’s. Then he looked up and saw Ringo coming in with the First Aid Kit. "Here he is! Come here fast!! We have to get something to cover his cut to stop the bleeding and take him to the hospital!" the schoolmaster said without any sign of hesitation.

They all gathered ‘round John, (the boys still sobbing), but they looked on with a bit of hope and optimism that this will help John wake up and get better. The schoolmaster swiftly took out the gauze from the Kit and gently lifted John’s head up, to get the gauze on the cut. But as he did that, something unexpected happened….

….John moved his body slightly as if he was adjusting his position, and barely opened his eyes. He saw his faithful friends and schoolmaster…he gave a little smile…the others were so very relieved!!

"Oww…did anyone get the license plate number on that motorcar that hit me?" John said with a weak voice. He still had his witty personality even in his situation.

"John!!!!" George, Paul, Ringo , and the schoolmaster exclaimed with joy. The boys stopped crying.

"You’re all right!" said Paul. "You had us there for a second!"

"Yeah! Glad that you’re still here!" said Ringo. "You ok, for sure?"

"Woo, I thought we lost you there!" added George.

"Son, let me put this bandage on your head first," said the schoolmaster as he took his kerchief and wiped his brow first. He lifted John’s head, took the gauze and wrapped it around the boy’s head, making sure that he covered the back of John’s head where the cut was. "I don’t want to lift your head too much, but I can’t see if I covered the cut…Paul, here, check and see if I did or not." Paul through his tears, looked at John’s head, and replied a sniffled ‘Yes.’ "I’m relieved to know that you’re awake now….can you get up?" asked the schoolmaster.

"Ringo, I think I’m ok….all right, I’ll try to get up…" John said softly. "Ouch! My head hurts…" John tried to get up, or at least sit up, but he couldn’t.

"That’s ok, don’t get up," said the schoolmaster with concern. "You might hurt yourself again."

"Good, because I can’t get up anyway…what time is it?" John delicately placed his bandaged head on the ground. "It seems a bit darker in here now since I woke up…." And with that, he sighed and closed his eyes…and his body relaxed.

"John? Are you sure you’re all right?" Paul asked. John didn’t respond. At this, George grew concerned and a bit scared. Was his mate really all right? George then gently shook John as he had done before.

"John, you were awake before, and I don’t want to lose you again! John! Come back to us John!! Please!!!!" George cried. But John didn’t react, he laid there motionless again, to the horror of his friends.

"We should’ve gotten him help sooner! Now he’s gone again!!" Ringo exclaimed. He and the other two started crying all over again. The schoolmaster now was even more afraid than before about John’s situation. But he did check John's breathing and pulse again. John was breathing and he had a pulse. But the situation was still not very good. The schoolmaster didn’t want to carry John out, fearing that the cut or something might become worse…but if he didn’t, there was no other way to get him out of the room to a hospital…and there was no phone and no means to get in touch with the hospital quickly…and time was running out…what should he do?

"Boys," addressed the schoolmaster firmly to George, Paul and Ringo. They stopped crying a little, and knew they had to listen carefully. "One of you has to run to the hospital and get help. I can’t take John over there, he might get worse. Help has to come here for John. It’s a long run, but I know that you’ll be able to do it, and fast. Time’s running out…who’s going?"

The mates through their watery eyes exchanged worried glances at each other. Then George, standing up, took a deep breath and said, "Ok lads. I’m going. You guys stay here with John…I run the fastest too." Paul and Ringo agreed. George then looked up at his schoolmaster and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine…just watch over John for me." Then he took off running while trying to suppress the tears that were welling up inside of him. But as he almost got out the door, a small, white, opaque, plastic bottle fell out of his pocket. At this, George ran back to pick it up, much to the surprise of the schoolmaster.

What is so important about the bottle that he had to pick it up? The schoolmaster thought to himself. Does he think that the bottle is more important that his friend's life?? He suspected something, so he asked…

"George! What was that?!" the schoolmaster asked, testing the boy’s integrity.

"Uh, that? Oh, it’s nothing important…I’ll be going now…"

"But if it wasn’t important, why are you wasting time having this conversation with me if John is in danger?"

"Hey, good point! Bye now!!"

Paul and Ringo couldn’t take it any longer, so they got up and tried to run out the door, as if to cover up for George, but their plan failed. The schoolmaster called them both back.

"What’s the matter here, guys? I think something is up," the schoolmaster said sternly, crossing his arms as he spoke to them.

"We want to save John, ok?! So we have to get help! Let’s go!" George said.

"Yeah, we’re wasting time here!" added Ringo. They turned to leave, but...

"Give me the bottle. Now." The schoolmaster said with conviction.

George shrugged helplessly at his mates, and they in return exchanged the same glance. George handed over the small, white, plastic bottle. The schoolmaster inspected it. He couldn’t tell what it was from the outside, so he walked over to a student’s desk, open the bottle, and poured the contents out. The schoolmaster looked in surprise at a mysterious liquid that was oozing out of the bottle…and before he or the other three could say anything…a familiar voice broke the silence and suspence.

"Fellas!!!! Oh man, I cannot believe you three messed everything up! I was having such a hard and bloody time trying not to laugh at myself, and having a good time too…but now look what you did!!"

It was John! He was all right! And the schoolmaster and the others stared as John just stood up and walked over to them. He was just fine. But what in the world was going on?

"I’m sorry John! I should’ve put the bottle in my desk first instead of keeping it in me pocket!" said George. "I’ll do better next time."

"Yes you will do that! The plan was going great, but you had to be daft enough to keep that bottle in there! I told you that you would get caught! And as for you two," John said as he turned from George to Paul and Ringo, "You two have to be quicker in thinking of covering for your mate!" He scolded them and took the gauze off of his head. George, Ringo and Paul looked down at their feet in disappointment. John then said, "Although I must admit, that was the best plan we ever pulled off!" At this, John flashed his mates a smile of approval. The three beamed back.

"Yes, I agree!" said the schoolmaster with enthusiasm, much to the surprise of his students. "You had me going there for a second…but don’t you ever do that to me again! I almost had a heart attack! And, what is that stuff anyway?!" he said as he pointed at the mysterious liquid from the bottle.

"Oh, that was the fake blood that we made. To make it look like John here was really bleeding!" Paul explained. "And it’s eat-able too! It’s marmalade with some extra syrup stuff to make it look like blood…but it’s so sticky!"

"Yeah, I’m glad that you didn’t look at the cut closely and had Paul look at it instead at that time you were putting on the gauze! We might have been caught then!" said Ringo to the schoolmaster.

"It was the greatest trick you have ever played! But, you wasted time for studying! So you four will have to come back tomorrow after school for more detention," said the schoolmaster.

"Awww, do we have to?" asked John while he was wiping the fake blood of the back of his head. The other three looked disappointed too.

"Yes you do! And no more ‘death’ tricks the next time! This experience cost me a lot of hairs," the schoolmaster checked his watch. "Oh guys, it’s past time for you to leave. You are dismissed then! See you tomorrow!"

"Yay! We can leave!" shouted Paul. They started to head toward the door.

"Ok, we going to my house today then?" asked George.

"No, today it’s my turn to have you guys over," said Ringo.

"Yeah! That way we can plan for tomorrow’s detention!!!" exclaimed John with great optimism and a big smile on his face. "And I still have to give you fellas those lessons to improve your skills on our tricks!"

"Yes sir, John! Right away John! No problem John!" the other three chorused. They waved goodbye to their schoolmaster. "Bye! We’ll be back tomorrow with an even better trick!" said John.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be ready for you guys!" the schoolmaster answered back. As he looked up from cleaning his desk, he saw the four young lads leave the classroom….they looked back at the schoolmaster in unison, and each gave him a sly, mischievous wink…(and the schoolmaster swore that what he saw next was true)… the four walked out…. with golden halos around their heads.