The Magic Pencil

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

know what he’s about to say, so I say, “I was asking for a pencil.” He walks over to his desk, opens his bright silver drawer, and picks up a pencil. He looks at me with an unreadable face, then walks over and puts it on my desk. It’s dark yellow and looks like it’s been heavily used, even though it has the expected store bought length. I read the warm up, think about the answer, then read it again . . . I should’ve studied over the weekend, at least it’s multiple choice. Eenie meenie miney moe, I go to circle C, but my hand moves down and circles D. That’s weird, but it must be my intuition.

RINGGGGGG.

Mr. Wilson puts the correct answer on the board . . . It was C. Oh well, it was only the warmup. Mr. Wilson walks across the room and shuts off the lights, the glow from the Smartboard barely bright enough to see the worksheet that he puts on our desks. After the lesson, Mr. Wilson walks to the front of the classroom.

“All right, we’ll finish this up tomorrow, be on time and make sure to bring your necessities.”

He’s talking to the class, but it seems like he directed that last part at me. The rest of the school day is mediocre and goes by hastily, and before I know it, I’m already home getting ready for bed. 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 gonna 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 . . . Wait.