Post by oria on Nov 24, 2007 21:33:57 GMT -5
{Small warning... Mild violence. Though no one has a problem with that, right? ;P }
“Most series of happenings follow each other in random orders of events. These timelines are usually just one event stacked on top of another, each preceding incident affecting the next event.
“However, there are some, which on a global scale would amount to quite a few, which follow an exact cycle every time. Often, the beginning of series is also the end, and vice versa. An example of this would be the creation of a butterfly: from egg, to larva, pupa, and then finally an adult butterfly. Which, of course, would in turn eventually lay eggs. Can anyone name another natural, or unnatural, cycle?”
One boy near the front of the class raised his hand slowly. “Wouldn’t your example be a life cycle? Are there any other kinds of cycles?”
Mr. O’Connor smiled warmly. Everyone trusted that gleaming, confidant, knowing smile. “Yes, there are in fact other kinds of cycles. Clearly, you are not thinking very hard on this question. Many examples are so simple! The cycle of our four seasons, for one.”
While O’Connor continued on with his lecture, a girl was preoccupied with something in the classroom, which was bothering her for just short of twenty minutes. She sat roughly in the middle of the class; her desk like all the others was independent though also attached firmly to the floor.
Alice’s quarrels were the noises coming from the ceiling, and seemingly, the walls. It was a soft, irregular scratching or clanking noise. When she looked around, none of her peers seemed to notice it. Why she was so entranced by the noise was simply the strangeness of it. The pattern of the clanking, it was almost like that of footsteps. Every so often it would sound, then stop for several minutes.
The noise was not uniform. She timed the length between the stoppings of the sound, however it was never the same. Once, twelve seconds. Another, two minutes and four seconds.
The class was nearing its end, and Alice still had not solved her riddle. She shrugged it off, collecting her books and placing them in her bag. Lifting it to her lap to zip it shut, she took one final glance to the off-white tiles above her. Just as her eyes skimmed one of the fogged glass rectangular lights, she saw the vague shape of a foot pressed against it suddenly disappear from sight.
Startled, she gasped and dropped her bag, causing all of her books to spew from it and onto the floor. Her timing was precise with the bell, and within seconds her classmates vanished from the class and headed for home. Taking in deep breaths, she swooped down to scoop up her books.
Mr. O’Connor’s shoes appeared in her view.
“Having a clumsy day?” He flashed his magical smile.
“O-oh… No… The bell just startled me.” Alice stuttered. He handed her a pencil, which had rolled away from her.
“Are you alright, Alice? You seemed… unfocused during class.”
Alice stood up, holding her bag loosely in front of her. “Actually, something was bothering me today.” It was easy to confide in Mr. O’Connor. “I think, well… Did you hear that noise in class today? The thumping one?” He thought for a moment.
“Now that you mention it, yes, I do recall a rather irritating racket every so often. What of it?”
“I saw something…” She swallowed. “I mean, is there anything up there? Does the janitor ever go in the ceiling above the classroom? Or maybe, an animal?”
“Well, no…” He responded. “There isn’t enough room up there. It’s very dark, and quite the tight squeeze. You’d have to be a small child to move around in that place. And as for an animal, I’d doubt it. We’re on the third floor, and the janitor does know what to look for if an animal is present.”
Alice seemed to look a little disappointed. “Oh… I just thought…”
“Alice, do you walk home?” She nodded. “How about you and I take a look up there later? It will only take a few minutes.” He reached into a drawer of his desk, and then lifted up the bottom. Underneath was a key, which he took out and handed to Alice.
“I have something I have to do, then I can come and we’ll take a good look.” He picked up a briefcase from his desk. “You can take a look now, and I’ll be back in oh… ten minutes? I have a quick meeting with some teachers.”
She was unsure about it. However the undying urge to convince her mind there was nothing up there poked and prodded at her conscience. She knew there was no such thing as phantoms, though still had trouble sleeping if something was bothering her. Besides, Alice always prided herself as being an adventurous person. It would be a great story to tell her friends.
O’Connor sealed her worries with his trusting, handsome smile. She took the key from his hand. “Okay, sounds good.”
“Great,” he grinned wider. “I wouldn’t mind finding out what it is myself! If you find anything before I get back, I’ll give you extra credit.” He winked.
That made it final. Science wasn’t her strongest subject, and extra credit would really help. “Deal.” She smiled.
Before O’Connor left, he explained that the opening to the roof was in the back corner. He took out a mini ladder for her to use, and directed her on how it had a quite strong floor inside due to a building flaw. “I’ve been in there once before.” He told her, then wished Alice good luck and disappeared from the classroom.
Assured her parents wouldn’t be home until late, since they were at her brother’s soccer game, she didn’t believe she’d be in any trouble for not being home on time. So Alice climbed the stepladder, and reached for the duct opening.
It was a strange design. The bars had the texture and shape of iron, though were either painted or naturally a whitish color, which explains why she hadn’t noticed from the ground.
Carefully placing the key into the lock, she turned it and the bars swung open easily. Nerves began to gnaw at her, though they were only complimenting her excitement.
With some struggle, she eventually managed a comfortable foot placement, where she could lift her head inside the ceiling. At first she saw nothing, as her eyes took time to adjust to the dark.
When they did, she couldn’t believe what she saw. A desk and chair sat on the far side against the wall. A small, makeshift bookshelf sat filled with random books, most appeared to be for infants or toddlers. Some were more advanced; she recognized one of her old Science textbooks and a new one sitting beside it.
There was also what seemed to be a corner of a quilt, though she couldn’t see the rest as it was further away, and behind one of the many roof-to-floor flanks of metal which worked almost like walls. Their true purpose was unclear to her.
Intrigued, Alice squeezed through the vent and into the short room. She walked slowly through it, soaking up all the small details. An old tin car sat on its side across from the desk. Pieces of paper with seemingly pointless scribbles on them sat on the desk, along with a pencil.
Her feet clanked on the metal floor, which was incredibly stable, and stopped only sometimes for a rectangle of fogged glass, each containing a florescent light. It was obvious to avoid these patches.
Alice rounded one of the corners, and found her suspicions to be correct. There was a quilt poking out behind a thin metal wall. There were also pillows, and two more blankets.
She bent down, and picked up an aging, dark brown stuffed bear. It was shaggy, though looked well used. The fur was still soft, unfit for such a dark place. What was going on? Why is all this stuff up here?
At that moment, there was a noise behind her. She turned around abruptly, only to be met by a partial room of darkness. It was impossible to see anything that may be lurking in it. Deciding to leave and tell Mr. O’Connor what she saw, she turned to towards the opening.
A sudden sharp pain made her lurch to the ground in surprise. Something heavy was clinging to her back, biting her shoulder hard. Alice’s hand rose to beat it off, and met with hair and skin. Initial shock wearing off, she whacked at the creature hard, pushing and pulling, trying anything to get it away.
Luckily she did knock it off, and managed to crawl away. She turned to see what had attacked her, and watched as it emerged from the darkness. He was a boy, looking no older than her brother, around eight. He had a strange blend of dark hair, similar to Mr. O’Connor’s own. The boy’s skin was a grotesque grayish tint, his eyes hallow and malevolent. The creature’s face was painted with a haunting snarl. He was wearing old clothes too big for him, clearly made for a boy twice his size. They had been cut to accommodate this.
Alice screamed, attempting to stand and run from it, barely aware of the blood staining her shoulder. The boy only ran as well, and having the upper hand in the cramped area due to his size, caught his prey quickly, once again biting her arm. She turned over onto her back, and the small beast straddled her stomach and attacked her again.
The hallways and classrooms were lit only by the sunlight streaming through open windows. Silence followed Mr. O’Connor as he walked at a leisurely pace, humming and wondering if his student found anything in the ceiling that might be interesting.
It took him less than a minute to reach his own empty classroom, barren of students once again. He looked around, seeing the stepladder where he left it, and the bars open. Placing his briefcase now filled with memos on his desk, he walked over to the ladder. Smiling coolly, he called:
“Alice? Are you up there?” Silence. “Did you find anything?” A minute of silence followed. Then all at once, a thrashing noise followed by a scream.
“Help me!” Alice shrieked. The scream gave O’Connor a start after being in silence for so long. His goose bumps melted back into his skin quickly, so he took a couple steps up the ladder. Not eager to see his son’s work this time, he simply grabbed hold of the strong bars and pulled them shut. O’Connor twisted the key, locking them in place. After a quick test to ensure they were secure, he pulled the key out and returned it to its place in his desk.
A final scream followed him as he walked down the steps, and through the doors, a smile etched in his face. The scream went unnoticed by anyone… anyone but Mr. O’Connor.
---
The classroom filled with students three mornings later. Mr. O’Connor greeted his morning class happily, and with a smile. This was the only grade ten class who hadn’t yet finished their first unit of the year, much to O’Connor’s dissatisfaction. He disliked repeating long lectures for all five of his classes, though by this time was well used to it.
After around half the class, the teacher noticed one of his students was distracted by something. They boy continuously glanced towards the ceiling, then quickly to the wall. His peers were either too uninterested to noticed Roy’s strange behavior, or they were actually listening to their professor’s lecture.
Smiling, Mr. O’Connor opened his desk drawer and slowly removed the key from the bottom. He slipped it into his pocket, then cleared his throat and continued on with the lesson.
“However, there are also many which follow an exact cycle plan every time. Often, the beginning of series is also the end, and vice versa. An example of this would be the life cycle of a butterfly. Does anyone have an example of another cycle?”
Written by me. =3 Comments?
“Most series of happenings follow each other in random orders of events. These timelines are usually just one event stacked on top of another, each preceding incident affecting the next event.
“However, there are some, which on a global scale would amount to quite a few, which follow an exact cycle every time. Often, the beginning of series is also the end, and vice versa. An example of this would be the creation of a butterfly: from egg, to larva, pupa, and then finally an adult butterfly. Which, of course, would in turn eventually lay eggs. Can anyone name another natural, or unnatural, cycle?”
One boy near the front of the class raised his hand slowly. “Wouldn’t your example be a life cycle? Are there any other kinds of cycles?”
Mr. O’Connor smiled warmly. Everyone trusted that gleaming, confidant, knowing smile. “Yes, there are in fact other kinds of cycles. Clearly, you are not thinking very hard on this question. Many examples are so simple! The cycle of our four seasons, for one.”
While O’Connor continued on with his lecture, a girl was preoccupied with something in the classroom, which was bothering her for just short of twenty minutes. She sat roughly in the middle of the class; her desk like all the others was independent though also attached firmly to the floor.
Alice’s quarrels were the noises coming from the ceiling, and seemingly, the walls. It was a soft, irregular scratching or clanking noise. When she looked around, none of her peers seemed to notice it. Why she was so entranced by the noise was simply the strangeness of it. The pattern of the clanking, it was almost like that of footsteps. Every so often it would sound, then stop for several minutes.
The noise was not uniform. She timed the length between the stoppings of the sound, however it was never the same. Once, twelve seconds. Another, two minutes and four seconds.
The class was nearing its end, and Alice still had not solved her riddle. She shrugged it off, collecting her books and placing them in her bag. Lifting it to her lap to zip it shut, she took one final glance to the off-white tiles above her. Just as her eyes skimmed one of the fogged glass rectangular lights, she saw the vague shape of a foot pressed against it suddenly disappear from sight.
Startled, she gasped and dropped her bag, causing all of her books to spew from it and onto the floor. Her timing was precise with the bell, and within seconds her classmates vanished from the class and headed for home. Taking in deep breaths, she swooped down to scoop up her books.
Mr. O’Connor’s shoes appeared in her view.
“Having a clumsy day?” He flashed his magical smile.
“O-oh… No… The bell just startled me.” Alice stuttered. He handed her a pencil, which had rolled away from her.
“Are you alright, Alice? You seemed… unfocused during class.”
Alice stood up, holding her bag loosely in front of her. “Actually, something was bothering me today.” It was easy to confide in Mr. O’Connor. “I think, well… Did you hear that noise in class today? The thumping one?” He thought for a moment.
“Now that you mention it, yes, I do recall a rather irritating racket every so often. What of it?”
“I saw something…” She swallowed. “I mean, is there anything up there? Does the janitor ever go in the ceiling above the classroom? Or maybe, an animal?”
“Well, no…” He responded. “There isn’t enough room up there. It’s very dark, and quite the tight squeeze. You’d have to be a small child to move around in that place. And as for an animal, I’d doubt it. We’re on the third floor, and the janitor does know what to look for if an animal is present.”
Alice seemed to look a little disappointed. “Oh… I just thought…”
“Alice, do you walk home?” She nodded. “How about you and I take a look up there later? It will only take a few minutes.” He reached into a drawer of his desk, and then lifted up the bottom. Underneath was a key, which he took out and handed to Alice.
“I have something I have to do, then I can come and we’ll take a good look.” He picked up a briefcase from his desk. “You can take a look now, and I’ll be back in oh… ten minutes? I have a quick meeting with some teachers.”
She was unsure about it. However the undying urge to convince her mind there was nothing up there poked and prodded at her conscience. She knew there was no such thing as phantoms, though still had trouble sleeping if something was bothering her. Besides, Alice always prided herself as being an adventurous person. It would be a great story to tell her friends.
O’Connor sealed her worries with his trusting, handsome smile. She took the key from his hand. “Okay, sounds good.”
“Great,” he grinned wider. “I wouldn’t mind finding out what it is myself! If you find anything before I get back, I’ll give you extra credit.” He winked.
That made it final. Science wasn’t her strongest subject, and extra credit would really help. “Deal.” She smiled.
Before O’Connor left, he explained that the opening to the roof was in the back corner. He took out a mini ladder for her to use, and directed her on how it had a quite strong floor inside due to a building flaw. “I’ve been in there once before.” He told her, then wished Alice good luck and disappeared from the classroom.
Assured her parents wouldn’t be home until late, since they were at her brother’s soccer game, she didn’t believe she’d be in any trouble for not being home on time. So Alice climbed the stepladder, and reached for the duct opening.
It was a strange design. The bars had the texture and shape of iron, though were either painted or naturally a whitish color, which explains why she hadn’t noticed from the ground.
Carefully placing the key into the lock, she turned it and the bars swung open easily. Nerves began to gnaw at her, though they were only complimenting her excitement.
With some struggle, she eventually managed a comfortable foot placement, where she could lift her head inside the ceiling. At first she saw nothing, as her eyes took time to adjust to the dark.
When they did, she couldn’t believe what she saw. A desk and chair sat on the far side against the wall. A small, makeshift bookshelf sat filled with random books, most appeared to be for infants or toddlers. Some were more advanced; she recognized one of her old Science textbooks and a new one sitting beside it.
There was also what seemed to be a corner of a quilt, though she couldn’t see the rest as it was further away, and behind one of the many roof-to-floor flanks of metal which worked almost like walls. Their true purpose was unclear to her.
Intrigued, Alice squeezed through the vent and into the short room. She walked slowly through it, soaking up all the small details. An old tin car sat on its side across from the desk. Pieces of paper with seemingly pointless scribbles on them sat on the desk, along with a pencil.
Her feet clanked on the metal floor, which was incredibly stable, and stopped only sometimes for a rectangle of fogged glass, each containing a florescent light. It was obvious to avoid these patches.
Alice rounded one of the corners, and found her suspicions to be correct. There was a quilt poking out behind a thin metal wall. There were also pillows, and two more blankets.
She bent down, and picked up an aging, dark brown stuffed bear. It was shaggy, though looked well used. The fur was still soft, unfit for such a dark place. What was going on? Why is all this stuff up here?
At that moment, there was a noise behind her. She turned around abruptly, only to be met by a partial room of darkness. It was impossible to see anything that may be lurking in it. Deciding to leave and tell Mr. O’Connor what she saw, she turned to towards the opening.
A sudden sharp pain made her lurch to the ground in surprise. Something heavy was clinging to her back, biting her shoulder hard. Alice’s hand rose to beat it off, and met with hair and skin. Initial shock wearing off, she whacked at the creature hard, pushing and pulling, trying anything to get it away.
Luckily she did knock it off, and managed to crawl away. She turned to see what had attacked her, and watched as it emerged from the darkness. He was a boy, looking no older than her brother, around eight. He had a strange blend of dark hair, similar to Mr. O’Connor’s own. The boy’s skin was a grotesque grayish tint, his eyes hallow and malevolent. The creature’s face was painted with a haunting snarl. He was wearing old clothes too big for him, clearly made for a boy twice his size. They had been cut to accommodate this.
Alice screamed, attempting to stand and run from it, barely aware of the blood staining her shoulder. The boy only ran as well, and having the upper hand in the cramped area due to his size, caught his prey quickly, once again biting her arm. She turned over onto her back, and the small beast straddled her stomach and attacked her again.
The hallways and classrooms were lit only by the sunlight streaming through open windows. Silence followed Mr. O’Connor as he walked at a leisurely pace, humming and wondering if his student found anything in the ceiling that might be interesting.
It took him less than a minute to reach his own empty classroom, barren of students once again. He looked around, seeing the stepladder where he left it, and the bars open. Placing his briefcase now filled with memos on his desk, he walked over to the ladder. Smiling coolly, he called:
“Alice? Are you up there?” Silence. “Did you find anything?” A minute of silence followed. Then all at once, a thrashing noise followed by a scream.
“Help me!” Alice shrieked. The scream gave O’Connor a start after being in silence for so long. His goose bumps melted back into his skin quickly, so he took a couple steps up the ladder. Not eager to see his son’s work this time, he simply grabbed hold of the strong bars and pulled them shut. O’Connor twisted the key, locking them in place. After a quick test to ensure they were secure, he pulled the key out and returned it to its place in his desk.
A final scream followed him as he walked down the steps, and through the doors, a smile etched in his face. The scream went unnoticed by anyone… anyone but Mr. O’Connor.
---
The classroom filled with students three mornings later. Mr. O’Connor greeted his morning class happily, and with a smile. This was the only grade ten class who hadn’t yet finished their first unit of the year, much to O’Connor’s dissatisfaction. He disliked repeating long lectures for all five of his classes, though by this time was well used to it.
After around half the class, the teacher noticed one of his students was distracted by something. They boy continuously glanced towards the ceiling, then quickly to the wall. His peers were either too uninterested to noticed Roy’s strange behavior, or they were actually listening to their professor’s lecture.
Smiling, Mr. O’Connor opened his desk drawer and slowly removed the key from the bottom. He slipped it into his pocket, then cleared his throat and continued on with the lesson.
“However, there are also many which follow an exact cycle plan every time. Often, the beginning of series is also the end, and vice versa. An example of this would be the life cycle of a butterfly. Does anyone have an example of another cycle?”
Written by me. =3 Comments?