Categories > Original > Mystery > The Great Library: Prologue
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This morning, it seemed, Josh’s alarm clock went off with an exceptional loud clatter. Josh lay in his bead for another ten minutes. He hated waking up this early.
He got up and got ready for school. He walked down his quarter mile driveway to wait for the bus.
When he got to school, he met all his new teachers. Well, first period, he had Mr. R., the PE teacher. Everyone had him, so he wasn’t anyone new. Second period, Josh had Social Science with Mr. Nelson. Josh asked about the advanced Social Science. Mr. Nelson didn’t know anything about it. Josh wondered who would be teaching. After that, he had Science, then lunch, recess, math, band, writing, and reading.
When the school day, was over, Josh went to his locker to get his stuff together. He walked toward the door to the buss, but then Ms Izall, his Social Science teacher from seventh grade saw him. She hobbled over.
In unusually breathy tones she said, “Why isn’t my best student coming to advanced classes? You know this is skipping school, right?”
So Ms Izall was going to be the Advanced Social Science. He couldn’t wait. “Oh. Uh, yeah, I’m coming. Sorry. Just a minute. I’ll be there.
~
“Hello, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ms Izall.”
Ms Izall was the one talking. Of course everyone knew her. She was the only Social Science teacher of seventh grade, so everyone in the room had had her last year.
The class was being held in MsIzall’s room. It had beautifully tinted windows, medieval art, black curtains, and black draping. Mrs. Metrideser, the sixth grade Social Science teacher was there too.
Ms Izall continued. She was speaking in her typical short, clipped voice. “First, let’s go over the grading system. This class is one hundred percent participation. As long as you try your best, you will get an A.
“Now after all, this is Social Science. We will be learning some history here as well. Luckily for you, there will be no ISNs used in this class. Like I said, it’s all participation. Now for a little bit of history.
“One day, about ten years ago, I took a little trip to Germany. While I was there, I found out something very interesting. I knew that I would need Science on my side to solve the mystery. I dared not go to one of the Science teachers such a Mr. Trayhorn, Miss Sterling, or Mr. Arn. I came instead to my good friend Mrs. Metrideser. She looked at my discovery and went to school to be a part time Science teacher here at West Orient. It has taken her ten years to unravel the mystery.”
Mrs. Metrideser took up the story. She spoke in a slow sugary drawl, and had the uncommon talent of causing students to fall asleep by talking at them. “Now, Ms Izall and I are some the only people alive to know of this Science. Some people would call it magic, though Science is all it really is.”
“Anyway…” Ms Izall relieved the class; she didn’t want them all falling asleep. Her friend was a good friend, but she did have to work on that voice. “…This new found Science will replace all others when it is finally made public. It does however contain tidbits of other Sciences. Mostly chemistry. Let me explain.
“Everything in the world is either matter or energy. All mater is made up of atoms. Atoms all have a nucleus. The nucleus is the smallest part of an atom, but it weighs the most. Why? Because, it contains a small memory chip, or brain. When some people hear the word nucleus, they might think of a microscopic brain. That’s because it is. The memory card contains information on what the atom can do and what it cannot. Scientists, well just Mrs. Metrideser and I, have been able to access the atom’s memory chip, and alter the atom’s behavior. We may not have been the first, but we have created magic.”
The class, as a whole, didn’t believe their former teachers. They were thirteen-years-olds! They wouldn’t fall for these child stories. There’s always the brave student though, who asks for a demonstration. This time, like many other times, it was Keenan who asked first.
Ms Izall took his request very calmly, and said, “I don’t see why I would have brought you here just to tell you something you wouldn’t believe. What do you want to see?”
“How about you turn my desk black,” requested Keenan snottily.
Ms Izall walked over to the desk. She placed her palm on the light, cream colored surface. The desk flickered from brown, to white, to yellow, to green, to blue, to purple, to black. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but it seemed to the class, to last an eternity. The desk was clearly a different hue than all the others. Here was solid proof. Magic did exist.
This morning, it seemed, Josh’s alarm clock went off with an exceptional loud clatter. Josh lay in his bead for another ten minutes. He hated waking up this early.
He got up and got ready for school. He walked down his quarter mile driveway to wait for the bus.
When he got to school, he met all his new teachers. Well, first period, he had Mr. R., the PE teacher. Everyone had him, so he wasn’t anyone new. Second period, Josh had Social Science with Mr. Nelson. Josh asked about the advanced Social Science. Mr. Nelson didn’t know anything about it. Josh wondered who would be teaching. After that, he had Science, then lunch, recess, math, band, writing, and reading.
When the school day, was over, Josh went to his locker to get his stuff together. He walked toward the door to the buss, but then Ms Izall, his Social Science teacher from seventh grade saw him. She hobbled over.
In unusually breathy tones she said, “Why isn’t my best student coming to advanced classes? You know this is skipping school, right?”
So Ms Izall was going to be the Advanced Social Science. He couldn’t wait. “Oh. Uh, yeah, I’m coming. Sorry. Just a minute. I’ll be there.
~
“Hello, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ms Izall.”
Ms Izall was the one talking. Of course everyone knew her. She was the only Social Science teacher of seventh grade, so everyone in the room had had her last year.
The class was being held in MsIzall’s room. It had beautifully tinted windows, medieval art, black curtains, and black draping. Mrs. Metrideser, the sixth grade Social Science teacher was there too.
Ms Izall continued. She was speaking in her typical short, clipped voice. “First, let’s go over the grading system. This class is one hundred percent participation. As long as you try your best, you will get an A.
“Now after all, this is Social Science. We will be learning some history here as well. Luckily for you, there will be no ISNs used in this class. Like I said, it’s all participation. Now for a little bit of history.
“One day, about ten years ago, I took a little trip to Germany. While I was there, I found out something very interesting. I knew that I would need Science on my side to solve the mystery. I dared not go to one of the Science teachers such a Mr. Trayhorn, Miss Sterling, or Mr. Arn. I came instead to my good friend Mrs. Metrideser. She looked at my discovery and went to school to be a part time Science teacher here at West Orient. It has taken her ten years to unravel the mystery.”
Mrs. Metrideser took up the story. She spoke in a slow sugary drawl, and had the uncommon talent of causing students to fall asleep by talking at them. “Now, Ms Izall and I are some the only people alive to know of this Science. Some people would call it magic, though Science is all it really is.”
“Anyway…” Ms Izall relieved the class; she didn’t want them all falling asleep. Her friend was a good friend, but she did have to work on that voice. “…This new found Science will replace all others when it is finally made public. It does however contain tidbits of other Sciences. Mostly chemistry. Let me explain.
“Everything in the world is either matter or energy. All mater is made up of atoms. Atoms all have a nucleus. The nucleus is the smallest part of an atom, but it weighs the most. Why? Because, it contains a small memory chip, or brain. When some people hear the word nucleus, they might think of a microscopic brain. That’s because it is. The memory card contains information on what the atom can do and what it cannot. Scientists, well just Mrs. Metrideser and I, have been able to access the atom’s memory chip, and alter the atom’s behavior. We may not have been the first, but we have created magic.”
The class, as a whole, didn’t believe their former teachers. They were thirteen-years-olds! They wouldn’t fall for these child stories. There’s always the brave student though, who asks for a demonstration. This time, like many other times, it was Keenan who asked first.
Ms Izall took his request very calmly, and said, “I don’t see why I would have brought you here just to tell you something you wouldn’t believe. What do you want to see?”
“How about you turn my desk black,” requested Keenan snottily.
Ms Izall walked over to the desk. She placed her palm on the light, cream colored surface. The desk flickered from brown, to white, to yellow, to green, to blue, to purple, to black. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but it seemed to the class, to last an eternity. The desk was clearly a different hue than all the others. Here was solid proof. Magic did exist.
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