The Magic Pencil by Princess Lewis
It was an ordinary day, or I thought it was. I was shaken to consciousness by the sound of my 6:45 alarm, I still have time. I pressed stop without even opening my eyes. I slowly drifted off for another 15 minutes before another alarm, this time set for 7, jolted me awake. If I lay back down I’m definitely going to be late. Hopping out of bed, I put in my airpods and go to find a playlist to listen to while I get ready. Eternal Atake is looking like a vibe today. I walk over to my dresser and grab my toothbrush and toothpaste and go into the bathroom. When I finish, I peek into my parents’ room to see my little sister curled up under the sheet watching the TV; she turns and looks at me, then goes back to watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Chugga chugga chugga choo choo, she sings along. “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood . . . ” I walk into my room and start to pick out what I should wear. It’s a little chilly today. I choose my warmest sweater and my black Adidas sweatpants. I lay the clothes on my bed and hop in the shower. I walk into my first period class, which is math. I pick up the warmup paper by the front door and sit in my usual spot. I look out the window . . . It’s a little foggy. I check the weather app, which says it will be clearer skies by 1. Everyone looks drained, but that’s expected on a Monday. “You guys can start the warm up, this is a review of what we started last week,” Mr. Wilson says as he puts a 5 minute timer on the Smartboard. Mr. Wilson is new at the job, and he doesn’t talk much considering he’s a teacher. He mostly gives us worksheets and plays videos; it’s concerning. I push my hand into my bag to get my pencil case, shuffling my hand through I realize that I must’ve forgotten it on my desk at home when I was doing my homework. I look up: 4 minutes and 35 seconds left. “Any of y’all got an extra pencil?” I ask. My table mates look up like they’re about to respond, then look straight back down, almost like they heard me but didn’t see me in front of them. I turn around to see Mr. Wilson behind me. I already 231
