Education at Corners! chapter IV

Chapter IV

In the beginning, it was like living in a place on which the sun was brightly shining and thousands of flowers grew, flowers we loved so much.

After we stayed for a long time, we began feeling sad and couldn’t explain to ourselves why, till at last we discovered that we were on a desert and that land was only a mirage that deceived us and threw us midway paralyzed.

Though we enjoyed our time and took things easily, yet deep within our hearts we knew, the so called ‘Teachers’ were going to punish us in an educationally inappropriate way.

There stood on the stage a woman, around 48 years old, standing tall and straight, very professional looking, just what you would expect from a doctor who holds in her possession a P.H.D degree.

“She looks really young!” said Jasmine fixing her gaze on the doctor.

“From her looks, umm, maybe 40 or above.” I stated.

“Whoa!”

“I wasn’t too surprised.” said Hikari in a calm manner.

“You should’ve expected such things happening since we are in the age of sophisticated technology.” I addressed Jasmine.

“What does this has to do with what we’re talking about?” she questioned looking at me with a confused expression.

"Have you ever thought about the mission of your life? About the aims for profession and career? About your strategies for now and the future? Do you know your biggest strength and awareness? Your hidden gifts and talents? Where awareness of these would lead?"

Her speech was amazing. Everyone starred and listened to her. They looked highly of her. She hanged a poster on the wall behind her which says, "Knowledge Is Power!"

"Why is it that with the same academic qualification, some people succeed and others fail? Most of the people do what circumstances make them do. They remain slaves to the situation. But some people know what they want. They struggle for it, they don't compromise with adversities, and they don't give up. These people know that through strong determination they can attain all goals of life…."

“She speaks well! What an amazing lines!” Jasmine said with glittering eyes.

“I need to take notes. Someone, anyone, give me a paper and a pen!” I said, slipping my hands in their bags, since we’ve been driven to the hall, where new teachers are introduced and I had the habit of leaving my own bag in the classroom, searching for a pen and paper.

“Memorize them!” Hikari firmly said.

“I can’t!” I firmly informed.

“You can!”

“I c-can’t…” I began wavering.

“You definitely can!” she said with a nod.

“…” speechless I was thrown.

"Failure isn't considered as the worst thing in this world…Failure is that we don't try. If they told you they can't, tell them to try. If they told you they don't know, tell them to learn. If they told you it’s impossible, tell them to give it a shot! The end will never come if you keep trying. You can do anything if you keep trying."

"The end will never come if you keep trying. You can do anything if you keep trying. It certainly isn't logical, but it seems strangely convincing when she say it."

“Yeah, your right.” agreed Jasmine.

“Isn’t it, Tome?” asked Hikari, fixing her gaze on me while I gave no answer.

“Tome?…Maybe I should give you a new nickname.” she said as she put her right hand one her chin thinking.

“You’ve done the assignment?” she kindly asked.

“You sound like my stand-in mama…” I answered with a pout face.

“Hoo, is that so? Isn’t it nice to be your mama?” putting a big devil-like grin on her face.

“N-no thanks…” I replied trying to get away from the sparkling light she emitted.

“Why?” said wondered blinking.

“Hey! How bout Toma!!” shouted Jasmine.

“T-t-t-TOMA?” I stuttered.

“What a wonderful one.” praised Hikari clapping her hands together.

“Although I’ve only changed the last letter…” she said softly laughing and scratching the back of her head embarrassed.

“Toma?” still shocked.

“As long as it’s from you, it doesn’t matter.” she said smiling.

“You think so?”

“Toma…” Although at first I strongly objected, but the name does have a ring to it.

“I’m sure that Tome will be so happy to have such a nice name given from you.”

“She must be!”

They laughed together enjoying the reborn of a new name for me as I grieved for the death and buried of my old cute name, Some…

Moments have passed, and out of nowhere, it was black-out. We heard some girls screaming, and the hall has filled with sounds of whispers and not very long, the whispering became loud chatting. The feeling of fear and insecurity sat on most of us. I sat comfortably leaning my back on the chair and glaring at the teachers and doctors as they tried to investigate the matter calling and running here and there. When it seemed hopeless, they commanded us, “Ladies, do not panic. It seems to be a slight incident, but for safety we must evacuate quickly!”.

“Slight incident, they say.”I said mocking. “I wonder when are we going to face a disast-“I let my words hanged as I looked around, and saw neither Hikari, nor Jasmine around me. “Now where did they go? Well, it seems that I’ll enjoy this slight incident all alone…too bad for them.”. I followed the crowd to where the evacuation place was, and ended up driven with them to the so called, wonder land…

As soon as the crowd began to move, struggling to reach the distant place, I saw Hikari. I tried to approach her; however I couldn’t shove my way out. I was pushed around and found myself in the corridor which leads to the coffee shop. I had lost sight of her. I turned around and saw Jasmine together with one of her friends. They were whispering to each other of things I have no authority to know. In an instance, they disappeared with the crowd. When the movement stopped, Mon chou appeared.

“Some!!”

“Ah, finally the revival of my old cute name. Oh how I can never live without thee.” I continued my speech as her voice drifted into the distant. The crowd shuffled and she disappeared out of my sight.

“Whoa! That was quick. I haven’t even said anything. I’ll send her a message.” I said as I checked my left pocket and found it empty. “Oh, I forgot my bag in the classroom. Deserves me well, I guess. Surely, I’ll never learn unless I go through the situation. How cruel I am, to shut my one and only possessive thing I treasure the most, in an isolated room with fire approaching outside and-“ before I could continue my grief, a poke came from behind.

“What?” I questioned furiously.

“Um, are you talking to yourself?” a young girl had short brunette hair with red hair band asked me.

“And?” I replied with a question frustrated and annoyance.

“No. I just wanted to get you back to your senses.” she said starring at me with a worried face. Her eyes refused to move away.

“Oh my, thanks for bringing me back!” with a tone filled with anger I thanked her.

“No problem. I’m always here for help!” she replied with a sense of pride in her voice.

“Name’s Some!” I introduced myself reaching my hand for a shake.

“Lino! Pleasure to meet you!” she said as we shake hands.

I gripped her hand with force, causing her to cringe and immediately I let go of her. Her face was bright red from anger, but she gave me a big smile. I could see the tiny sparks emitted from her eyes. We laughed a little and with a blink of eye, she disappeared. “Good riddance!” I uttered with relieve.

Few moments passed being within the crown and that girl, with the girlishness pink clothes, appeared. Her calmness hasn’t changed. She didn’t notice me and walked away from my sight. “Next, please!” I stated as I turned around, and So-chan, my childhood friend, appeared right behind me. She’s an average height young girl, with brown eyes, blue short hair and with whom I promised to live to her expectations. “Oh, if it isn’t my dear So-chan?” I questioned softly smiling.

“They stepped on my feet and pulled my hair. Grr, no, I mustn’t run away. It’s time for pay back. Where are they? Where?” she furiously said with eyes filled with anger searching for her targets.

She pushed the girls and shoved to get out. I was standing there all alone, again, as the crowd pushed me and took me to several places. Although I was hoping to get out, yet they amused me all the way showing off different types of girls and their unique style. Everything got blurry in my eyes. Their voices were muffled in my ears.

“Finally, I’m free! Thanks for the lift!” I said waving my hand to the crowd after being pushed with them for about one hour until I got my freedom. I was thrown in the garden near the entrance door. The fresh air relieved me. Everything came back to normal. My eyes were stable and I got rid of the noisy voices that dammed my ears, but their screams still rang and refused to disappear giving me a severe headache.

“This isn’t the adventure I asked for today…I’ve had enough, Gotta go home… mama…” I muttered half conscious.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Behind me stood Hikari, with her arms folded together.

“To mommy at home. Aren’t we finished yet?”

“There’s still one lecture left.”

“And the fire?” I asked curiously.

“The training, you mean!”

“Training?…ah training. It was a training?…training. All of these were only training. I had to go through all of these for training. If we were caught in real fire, I’d be an ash for now. What a good idea to train us and what training it was!”

“Whoa. What a complain! What happened?” a smile crawled up to her face as she questioned.

“You need not to know…” I uttered with a lower tone.

“Come. I’ll calm you down.”

It was the last lecture of the day and our first steps into the tunnel in which we were ordered to dig knowing not where it will lead us.

We eyed the doctor who entered the classroom for the first time. Each footstep was light and slow. The doctor who introduced herself earlier was called Dr.Yvon, a weird name, indeed. She taught us linguistic and other three subjects. Short in time, she scanned quickly the book and stressed on the very important information. At first, we had high expectations of her teaching; unfortunately all the great expectations vanished in the thin air…

“She sounds nice.”

“Hopefully she is.”

A feeling of worry griped me as I watched her strange smiles, but I thought I was worrying needlessly over such a slight matter. In the mean time, I enjoyed my time with my friends, leaving aside the matter that enlarged by devouring the days that passed.