Summary

The short story “Buttony” by Fiona McFarlane follows the mid-afternoon activity of an elementary school teacher and the children in her class.

Miss Lewis agrees to let the children play a game called Buttony. She selects her favourite pupil, Joseph, to handle the object of the game, a small yellow button which is kept in her desk drawer. The entire group goes outside and forms a circle around Joseph. The game involves the children standing with their eyes closed, while the person in the centre hands the button to one of the others. The children then have to guess who has the button. The child with the button then stands in the middle and hands over the button.

At the start of the first turn, Joseph kisses the button. While this is unusual, nobody questions Joseph and Buttony continues. Miss Lewis observes the children playing the...