Chapter 2 - -CHAPTER 2: DREAM ELEMENTARY-

I woke up in a hallway, I looked around, and I realized, "I was at... School..?" Not just any school, I looked around and figured out the name of this place. "Dream Elementary", I read in my head. This was the place where kids could dream, dream, dream, dream, dream, dream, and dream... just like me. Kind of thinking of it, I hope nightmares won't occur, it will be a pain in my head. It was dark in the hallways, and it seemed early in the morning. My footsteps felt gentle & small, and I felt much shorter. This empty school felt eerily calming. The only light was the neon blue lights surrounding the logo of Dream Elementary School and the exit signs with the words in glowing neon red. Their mascot was the dolphins. I looked around more. There was a picture of the staff here. The staff were silhouettes with no faces or eyes. There were some drawings and projects hung up in the hallway, whether it was an all about me project, compliments about their teachers, or a drawing of an ordinary thing in life. I found a decoration in the hallway that reflects light. I looked at myself in it, and it turns out I was 6 years old in this dream. It might be because dreams are way different from reality, both physically and mentally. Dreams don't follow the laws or rules of reality. Sometimes, things will float without reason, or things will appear out of nowhere, and sometimes, in dreams, you won't be able to trust your perspective. I kind of miss being a kid. Where I didn't have any worries, where it was normal to pick my boogers, where I didn't have burdens to carry, and where I wasn't whipped by the actions and words that made me feel useless. I saw the clock ticking, and then I had an idea. Since dreams don't follow the rules of reality, and since this was my dream, I could make time pass quickly. I went to the clock and tried to reach it. I changed the hands of the clock to form the time to 8:00. Just like that, the lights flicked on almost instantly, and the school bell rang. It was time to head to class. Now that I think of it, I wonder what my class would look like. I walked in the hallways, reaching the classroom. When I got there, the classroom looked lively and colorful. There was a rug with the letters of the alphabet on it, drawings hung up, and the creative calendar. The sun shone through the window. It's just like an elementary school classroom. The sun shining through the window kind of reminds me of my room on the day I left reality. A black silhouette stood in front of the class. It seemed to be a silhouette of a female teacher. The silhouette had one single eye in the center of her face, and she had no mouth. There were students in the classroom too. They were also silhouettes, but they didn't have any eyes or a mouth, yet they could speak. It made me a bit nervous. "Hello Tim," The teacher said, "Welcome to my classroom, you may sit anywhere you'd like!" Her presence, voice, and even the glimmer of her eye showed comfort, but how did she know my name? I took a bit of time before I spoke. "Okay," I said. I sat at one of the desks, which even had a name tag with my name on it, which I actually liked a bit. I am quite nervous, just like an average kid who is new to a school. Everything here felt foreign yet nostalgic and familiar. Not only that, it felt like this place could be welcoming. The teacher spoke to the class, "Good morning, class. As you can see, we have a new student here! Would you like to introduce yourself, Tim?" I nodded, and I stood up, a bit nervous. I said, "Hello, my name is Tim and... I'm really looking forward to having a great time with you guys". Unexpectedly, the students clapped or waved at me. Something pangs inside me. It was some sort of emotion, an emotion I haven't felt in a long time… was it euphoria? I sat back down. "Thank you, Tim. Now, before I start today, are there any questions from anybody?" The teacher asked everyone, but nobody raised their hands, but I did. The teacher said, "Yes, Tim?" "What is your name?" I asked the teacher. "Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ms. Caregiver, but feel free to call me Ms.C!" Ms.C said with a small giggle at the end. Ms. Caregiver..? That's a unique name, and that name makes me feel more comfortable here. Could this really be it? Am I truly where I wanted to be? In Eden? "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?" Ms.C told me, but I responded with, "No. Nothing else". Ms. C's eye glimmered as if she smiled, "Alright, let's start with... Math." The class groaned. I'd groan too, but since this is elementary, it'll be simple math. "Let's do Addition" Ms. C said while writing the problem on the board. "Would anyone like to solve the problem on the board?" Ms. Caregiver asked everyone. The class was silent, but I raised my hand to answer the question. "I can solve it!" I yelled out. Ms. Caregiver handed me the marker to solve it.The marker didn't feel real. It didn't feel like I was touching something, but I went up to the board to solve the math problem. The problem was 20 plus 5. "20 plus 5 will be equal to 25", I said while writing the answer on the board. "Correct! See, class, math isn't that hard once you get the hang of it", Ms.C told the class to help motivate them. Some of the students were writing in their notebooks, were they taking notes from me? Well, it's not that I don't mind them, I just didn't expect some people to get notes off me and how the problems work. I sat back down at my desk. "Now, we're going to try...", Ms.C said, but did a dramatic pause before she spoke again, "Subtraction!". "AWWWW," The class said in unison. I raised my hand and asked, "Ms. C? Could you maybe write down an example for it on the board?" "Why sure thing, Tim!" She grabbed a marker and wrote an example. 4 minus 2. "If you had 4 cookies and you ate 2, how many cookies would you have left?" Ms.C asked. "You'd have 2 cookies left", I answered. "Excellent! You're doing wonderful, Tim. Keep up, and you'll be a math master!" "Thanks", I responded as I rubbed the back of my head. It's been a while since I've gotten these compliments. Not only that, but it's also been a while since I've been happy. "Let's move on to something more creative. How about an art project! Everyone, grab some crayons, pencils, and blank paper," Ms. C announced. Art.. Drawing.. I haven't done that in a hot minute. I wonder if I'm a bit rusty at it after all that time. Back in reality, I've never made a lot of friends, maybe one or two. Drawing helped me keep company when I was growing up. That's why I didn't really need a lot of friends, because I spent most of my time with toys, my parents, and drawing. The class went to get their papers and drawing supplies. I also stood up to get them, and when I sat down, I started drawing. I was lost in my little world of paper. There sat a cookie-cutter house, with a plate of pie on the windowsill, the grass flourishing with a light green color, and the sun in the corner of my eye, too. It gave me a sense that maybe I am where I belong, here in this school, in this world, in this land of euphoria. I snapped out of that little paper world. Ms. C came to me and said, "That house looks wonderful, Tim. That little pie detail makes it great. Do you want to hang it on the wall?" Hanging artwork on the wall was like the National Medal of Art. It basically showed your masterpiece. I answered, "Sure, you can hang it up if you want". I handed her the drawing of my little cookie-cutter house. The drawing was very colorful and lively, just like the classroom. As Ms.C hung my little drawing on the wall, even though I couldn't see their faces, I think some of the class watched in awe. Some I could feel were uninterested, and they continued drawing. I had a small smile on my face as I saw my drawing hung up on the wall. I'll never leave this place, I never will, and I'll never want to… ever.