Entering the staffroom

Unusual, there is a deathly hush as Smithers enters the staffroom. Its full, but there is no hubbub, no chatter, no goss... everyone sits silently.

Smithers goes and sits in his usual, well worn and comfortably moulded armchair.... he looks left and right, somewhat disconcerted by the total lack of sound....

To his left, Marley scrawls a note on a 'post it' (these are suddenly all over the coffee tables. It is passed to him.

It reads, 'Don't speak, we are banned from speaking'

'Wh....' he stops himself, amidst all manner of warning glances. He reaches for a post it note.....

'Why are we banned form speaking? he writes then passes it round the assembled staff.....

Five minutes later a post it note is passed to him.......

'Because Mrs Arkwright said something about a student, said they were thi***''

Smithers considers this, he writes on another post it note.... 'so because one person said one thing that might be...' he runs out of post it note, reaches for another one 'we all are no longer allowed to speak?'

Marley reads both notes, he reaches for a fresh post it.... the moving fingers write.....

'Yes'

Smithers considers this for a moment, then reaches for a new post it note.... he writes.....

'But that student, he is notoriously th***'

He is about to pass the note to Marley when there is a flash of blinding light......

He walks into a very hushed staffroom, no-one is speaking, there are no post it notes, Marley makes a sign with his fingers.....

Immediately a set of scalpels appears in the air and amputation of Marley's fingers means there is no danger at all he might ever sign again......

Someone needs to seriously consider there is a difference between what is said and the medium of the communication........