The class stared at the board.
"I AM STILL HERE."
No one moved. Even Mrs. Sommer held her breath.
Then Emil whispered: "Did… did someone write that?"
Everyone shook their heads at the same time.
Janitor Bruno stepped closer slowly. Very slowly. As slowly as if he were approaching a sleeping dragon.
He gently tapped the board with his broom Herbert.
"Hello?" he said.
Silence.
Then – very quietly – they heard a sound.
Ding… ding…
Not loud like before. More like a whisper.
"Did you hear that?" Mila asked.
"That came from the hallway!" Leo suddenly shouted.
Without waiting, he jumped up and ran to the door. The others followed.
"Slow down!" Mrs. Sommer called. But it was already too late.
The door flew open.
The hallway was empty.
Too empty.
No children. No teachers. No sounds.
Only… a faint ringing.
Ding… ding…
"There!" Emil said, pointing to the left.
At the end of the hallway, the light flickered.
And underneath…
…something hung.
The break bell.
But it was not attached to the ceiling.
It was floating.
A little above the floor.
And it was moving.
Very slowly. As if it were… waiting.
"Okay," Leo said. "This is not normal."
"This is very not normal," Mila added.
Janitor Bruno scratched his head. Then he looked at his broom.
"Herbert says we should be careful."
"Your broom can’t talk!" Emil said.
"Today it can," Bruno replied.
The bell suddenly moved faster.
Ding! Ding!
And then…
…it rolled.
Straight toward the children.
Everyone jumped back.
The bell stopped right in front of Emil.
And then…
…it tilted slightly to the side.
As if it were looking at him.
Emil swallowed.
"Uh… hello?"
The bell answered.
With a single, clear tone:
Ding!
And suddenly writing appeared again. This time not on the board.
But on the floor. Right in front of them.
FOLLOW ME.