Magic Hour

Magic Hour

"There's no such thing as a stupid question!" Mr. B, (Jack Bentoli, a real stand up sit down kinda guy) my teacher just exclaimed. I sat staring cautiously into those dark soulless eyes and retorted "There's only stupid people." with a sly grin slapped across my face.

BEEP...BEEP...BEEP

If only I had the gual to say it, but I had to go. So I shouldered my pack, the only real friend I had; faithful to a fault, and headed out for one last time into the magic of the passing period.

I hate that noise. The ear bursting cacophony of the hallway, with the staccato fire of girls’ voices flying over my head, guys arguing about the next football game, and my god the endless drone of footsteps. As I walked on passed rows of desks struggling to be perfectly straight I thought, no matter how much they where tuned and re-positioned they'd always just be slightly askew. Never achieving all that their spirit so desired and thrived on. So I forged on. Through the mismatched colored gates into a raving river. Roaring loudly, waves thrashing about, and the current crashing into its banks and spilling over through gaps in the wall. Slowly the stream gained a flow and became more manageable once its bulk trickled off. I was swept up in the current; it carried me for what seemed like a day within itself, until I came upon a "friend" of mine.

Ajerkabani was walking towards me, we hastily exchanged glances and noticed one an-other's presence. Just as quickly as our eyes met they broke away. We cautiously drifted closer and closer towards one another until we were almost parallel. Words unspoken we had broken The Cardinal Rule of Friendship. Both of us had allowed ourselves to get so swept up in the gibberish that flows through one's mind in seemingly normal situations. Should I say hi? Why isn't she saying hi first? That bitch? Is he waiting for me to say hi? What's going on? I could use a hot dog? Did she say something? No biggy--right? That's all that's needed for relationship to break apart. Just a small crack. One of the idiosyncrasies that in the beginning drive you to like someone more and more can also be the perfect place for a wedge to fall into, and using the same binding glue that holds a friendship together, let it slip away.

With these new thoughts floating through my head I almost missed it. They say that imitation is the most flattering form of approval--I tend to disagree. Through the hordes of people trying to go places and leave places, (where they where trying to go I'm not sure they even knew) some grouping together in schools and others in walls of three, just big enough to stop anyone going nowhere quickly, was where I spied a backpack. Not just any old backpack you see, this was a Jet Black, M-5 micro fiber, interwoven sound system, Tibetan Monk 420°, with zippers that didn't clank when they hit one another. I was the only one who had gone through the trouble to import one from Oceania, and now there where two.

It's an odd thing when a new fad hits the circuit, it usually start at the top of the social ladder, the celebrities. People that have very high amounts of media exposure to do nothing useful or important; just eye candy to draw attention away from the everyday things that matter in life. An escape. Trends slowly filter down through the classes until they reach rock bottom or in some more modern cases vice verse. It makes me wonder why it's so hard for people to have original ideas and confidence in them? Do they find safety in what’s considered normal or is it human nature? Too many questions. What can you do when every door you open leads to two more? Move on, I guess. Hopefully it doesn't turn into a trend.

Continuing on my journey with these thoughts now stale in my mind, and starting to abruptly fade away I walked in awe through the glass monument that separated the BOR from ING on campus. The departed carcasses of tiny aviators standing guard over it's hallow hall. Silently crying out hosanna while watching over their inferiors who failed to take flight. I started my way up the double set of stairs, shuffling through obstacles littering my path too finally reached my appointment.

There were all of these fresh new faces suddenly surrounding me. Like a prison, with bars comprised of youth and an air of caution blowing through them. They where probably learning how to count in Spanish. How do I know this you ask, well this entire institution has fell into the same routine, which will eventually become its downfall--the tedium of 1,460.9688 very long days of the same-old-shit. All of them, so young, too young to be brought into all of this. In the future they will come to a crossroads where they will have a decision to make. Who am I? Where am I going? What am I doing? I had already decided long ago, but to them the thought couldn't have been more distant.

As I strolled by their heads turned from seeing something that broke the norm of their little world. I walked slowly and with pride for possibly the first time in my life, with my head staring towards the burning florescent lights, I walked. Through political, cultural, and social barriers straight through to salvation. Past the pull in case of emergency lever until I was walking on air and moments later falling through it. With the air rushing past my ears I didn't see any bright lights or have any spiritual experiences, it was in-actuality quite loud.

As young Danny spiraled downward toward his destiny something strange happened, he grew. Danny no longer continued on, he gave up, and things finally seemed to be going right for once in his life--besides the noise.

Woooomphhh

They say ignorance is bliss, but that the truth will set you free--it's a difficult decision that we must all make, or ignore.

Please, leave a tip on how I can improve on my short stories. This is my first one--ever.