A Story with a Disappointing Ending

And you will try to eat the candy.

Illustrated by Tim Heitz

"**A Story with a Disappointing Ending**" is the fifth chapter of *Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger*.

## Synopsis

Paul gets sent to Dr. Pickell's office so he can control his urge to pull Leslie's pigtails.

## Plot

This chapter opens with the narrator talking about Paul's father, who is a security guard at a museum. His job is to protect the Mona Lisa painting, and make sure no one else touches it. However, at night he'd have to resist the urge to touch it himself, as his fingertips tingle with desire. The story isn't about Paul's father, though, it's about his son, who is once again trying to control his urge to pull Leslie's pigtails. However, he gives into his temptation and pulls Leslie's pigtails, causing Leslie to yell out in pain like usual. Mrs. Jewls sends Paul to the counselor's office on the fourth floor. Paul has never been there before, because like most of the kids at Wayside School, he fears the counselor, who appears to be Dr. Pickell described in the chapter prior.

Paul tells Dr. Pickell about his problem, and Dr. Pickell decides to help him by hypnotizing Paul with his pickle-shaped charm and using aversion therapy on him. Dr. Pickell hypnotizes Paul, putting him into a state of dream-like entropy, where he tells Paul that the next time he tries to grab Leslie's pigtails, they will turn into rattlesnakes. However, he also commands him to attempt to eat Leslie's ears (which, to Paul, will appear to turn into candy) when she says the word "pencil" in his presence. Dr. Pickell dismisses Paul to class, where he returns to his seat. Eric Fry asks what the counselor did to him, but Paul says he did nothing, and that he's a nice man. Paul looks at Leslie's pigtails and decides that since he pulled the one on the left, he'll pull the one on the right, since he hasn't pulled that one yet. He lunges but gets frightened and falls over as the pigtail turns into a rattlesnake and hisses at him in his mind. Everyone laughs, while Mrs. Jewls asks if Paul is feeling okay. Paul says he does, but he isn't in the mood to pull Leslie's pigtails anymore.

A little while later, Leslie's pencil point breaks. Jenny asks her what's wrong, and Leslie shows her the broken pencil point. Eric Fry asks Leslie if she wants to borrow his, but Leslie says she'll just sharpen it instead. Leslie returns to her desk and places the pencil down, but it rolls off under Paul's desk. Leslie asks where it is, and Paul asks what she's talking about, but Eric Fry manages to pick it up and give it back to Leslie. She thanks him, and everyone returns to work. All of this is accomplished without Leslie saying "pencil", even though she doesn't know Paul will attempt to eat her ears if she did so.

## Characters

* Paul's father (debut)
* Leonardo da Vinci (debut)
* Paul
* Mrs. Jewls
* Leslie
* Dr. Pickell
* Eric Fry
* Jenny

## Trivia

* While Dr. Pickell does appear in this chapter, or else "Doctor Pickle" wouldn't have anything to do with Wayside School, he is only referred to as "the counselor." He isn't mentioned by his name again until "Up and Down."
* Paul finally tries to eat Leslie's ear in "A Light Bulb, a Pencil Sharpener, a Coffeepot, and a Sack of Potatoes."
* Despite Paul being hypnotized to no longer pull Leslie's pigtails in this chapter, he is seen doing so again in *Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom'*s chapters "Breathe," "Blame It on the Cloud," and "Kachooga Boop."

## Gallery

Joel Schick illustrationAdam McCauley illustration
### Foreign editions

Peter Allen illustration (UK)Peter Allen second illustration (UK)Hillar Mets illustration (Estonia)