Wronged

Richard paced up and down behind his desk, his right hand holding on to the rattan cane. In front of him stood the two boys, one from the primary three class, the other from the primary five class. It was a distraction he didn't really want, considering that it was the time of the year to review the school's budget and workplan for the upcoming year before presenting it back at the education ministry's headquarters. But he had been highlighted by a couple of teachers of a potential hacking incident, and that the students involved refused to admit to their guilt, and that his teachers were at their wits' end and---Richard sighed. He didn't really have time for this right now.

``Well?'' Richard said with a cold voice towards the two boys who stood there in front of him. ``When will you stop telling lies and tell the truth and admit that you were hacking the computers?''

``But Mr Chang, I didn't hack the computers! There was this typing game that I wanted to play, but the computer, it didn't work, so I tried ways to fix it, that's all. I didn't try to hack the computer...''

``Still lying?'' Richard shouted, brandishing the rattan cane in front of him, and directing his wrath at the primary five student who spoke up. ``When will you stop lying! The teachers are telling me they caught you hacking the computers, are you trying to say that my teachers are lying?''

``No, but I really didn't...'' the poor primary five student replied, trying once more to defend himself.

``DO YOU WANT ME TO CANE YOU UNTIL YOU TELL THE TRUTH?!'' Richard roared in his office. He was getting increasingly annoyed---how was it that children in the age of seven to twelve can be so wilful and adamant that they were right?

But a thought did cross his mind. Was it possible that his teachers made a mistake in saying that these two boys were indeed hackers? He didn't doubt his teachers' judgement, but something about the boy still wanting to stand up in the case of adversity didn't sit quite right in his mind. Could it be that the boy was telling the truth, and that his teachers were misleading him?

``No... no... please don't cane me...'' the primary five boy looked up in terror at the quarter-inch thick rattan cane wielded by the large-sized principal. ``I'll admit it, I'll admit it. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Just don't cane me! Please don't cane me...!''

The primary three boy was silent, deferring to his elder counterpart. He was too shocked for words to say anything.

Richard sat down, his mind set at ease. So the two boys were guilty after all, and that his earlier thoughts of them being wronged were incorrect as well. Maybe he could settle this case quickly and get back to the real pressing work. Disciplining students didn't count towards the key performance indicators for the school, and the less of it he had to do, the more time he could focus on the things that mattered.

``Good, you have finally come to your senses. As punishment, you two will be in charge of staying near the computers during recess for the rest of the year to make sure that no one tries to hack the computers. If you fail to do this satisfactorily, I will have to cane you and inform your parents as well.''

The two boys looked up and nodded their heads in understanding, glad that their alleged transgressions were not conveyed to their parents.

``Now, get out of my office.''

Hurriedly, they left the principal's office as Richard continued to stare at the proposed budget that was put together by the heads of departments, glad that the distraction was finally over.