This story is absolutely true. Not the fact that my heart is a black emptiness powered by hatred, but the exchange that I had with the student. It was a grade 9 science class that I used to work in, and the student was one that I enjoyed bantering with (or else I very likely would not have said what I did).
On a related note, I learned to accept a long time ago that I am almost completely unable to intimidate anybody that I really want to. As the alt-text says, ah well! [February 9, 2012]
It’s funny, because I have the opposite problem…
Did he ask if you had a heart because you’re so cruel, or because it occurred to him that the having of a heart might be a genetic anomaly unique to him? Because if it’s the latter, you could probably use that to your advantage. Be like, “Ok, let’s move to the other side of the room, so we can … oh, wait. Timmy, are you going to be ok standing up with all that extra heart-weight you’re lugging around?” And sort of squint sympathetically. That’ll wear him down but quick.