THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
By
Inga
Timeline: Before "First contact"
Author's E-Mail: frog@fix.net
I tried to post this yesterday but it didn't go thru. My apologies if it turns up twice somehow. This is another really short story (in fact, in the future just accept that almost all of my stories are really short) written over two years ago but never posted before. This story is dedicated to my brainless public speaking teacher of two years ago ... in fact I dedicate this to all the boring teachers who at one time or another caused me to daydream in class. :-)
"The First Day of School"
by Inga
frog@fix.net"...agree this is a very important...."
He felt...dazed...physically awake, yet groggy. He had the nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something, but he couldn't quite remember what he'd forgotten.
"...counting on you...."
A panic rose in him as he realized that he hadn't the faintest idea what the speaker was saying or even how long she'd been speaking. The chair he was in was slightly reclined and perhaps a little too comfortable. He must have dozed off without being aware of it. The woman continued to pace at the front of the room as she spoke.
"...also a very exciting program...."
He cast a quick glance to either side of him. There were perhaps a dozen others sitting with him but he couldn't get an accurate count without turning his head and he had a strong feeling that it would not be a good idea to advertise the fact that he had not been paying attention.
"...sure you will each enjoy your assignments...."
*What is this fool blathering about?* The speaker droned on but there seemed to be no substance to her words. She was smiling as she spoke but there was no warmth in the smile. And his head hurt. His entire cranium pulsed with a dull pain, but there was also a sharper stinging pain at his left temple. He raised his hand to the source of his discomfort but only became more confused. His hand felt strange and it had...things... on it. When he touched the sore spot on his temple there was a slight metalic clink and the stinging pain became a stabbing pain.
"...more than a job, a new life...."
The haze in his mind would not lift, nor would his vision clear. Facts and figures, clearly meant to be part of this presentation, danced before his eyes but he couldn't quite focus on them. *Damn these high tech gizmos! If this information is important, put it on a static display at the front of the room. Don't flash holographic words at me faster than I can read.*
"...the wealth of information...."
*Where the hell am I?* He'd been trying to make sense of his surroundings for what seemed like an eternity and was failing miserably. He hoped for a fleeting moment that perhaps he had dozed off in the wrong room and that this lecture had nothing to do with him. *If I'm not supposed to be here, where am I supposed to be?* The horror of his situation was slowly dawning on him. He could not remember where he was or what he was doing or how he got here.... He could not remember _anything_.
"You."
The speaker stopped directly before him and stared him in the face.
"Who invented the first voice communications system?"
*Why me? Why now?* "Well...that would depend rather on your definition of the first voice communication system. Alexander Graham Bell is credited with the first telephone patent, but there were others working on designs at the time...and of course, the di
But the instructor passed him by and was staring down another poor soul.
"How many protons in a helium atom?"
"Two."
*Why does he get the easy one?*
She moved down the line, asking each person in turn a question. Each question seemed unrelated to the last.
And each time, he realized that he knew the answer before it was spoken."You see." Her smile widened, but there was still no friendliness in the woman's eyes. "You have the knowledge. You merely lack the skill in presenting it to others. That's what you'll be learning in our program here. In no time at all, you will be ready to begin your new lives."
*I have the knowledge? Then why can't I remember who I am? (Every question that he had formed in his mind had been answered by some inner voice.
Bracing himself, he asked. *Who am I?*[ACCESS DENIED].
-The End-
This text file was ran through PERL script made by Andy. Original text file is available in Andy's Earth 2 Fan Fiction Archive.