by chilly_a
...3:04am
The cobwebs are still hanging from the ceiling. I get them all over my head again. I've made a little light with my wand, and I can see my footprints in the dust, from last time. The dust's just starting to cover them up again. The dust always makes me sneeze. The classroom is really small, and dusty. I guess no one's really used it for anything for quite a while. The Albertus hangs, like always, on the far wall.
He always knows when I'm here.
"So. You, again. Trouble sleeping?"
I shuffle a bit.
"Uh.. yeah," I say.
"That last problem was trivial. How long did it take you to solve it?"
I scuff at the dust. "Uh..."
It's hard not to shuffle when The Albertus' talking to you. He has a really clever kind of voice. Like if you're too dumb, he's going to be really angry. Like he's not going to want to bother with people who can't figure out his problems.
"Well? What? You did figure it out, didn't you?"
"Uh..." I scratch my head. I shuffle. "No..."
"My god," The Albertus seems to be growing, stretching in the gloom."You're stupid."
I try not to scowl. I don't know how The Albertus always seems to be growing bigger, and angrier, because he takes up the entire wall already, so I don't think he can really move. But then he talks, too, and he's a blackboard.
"You're not only stupid. You're very stupid."
I scowl at him.
"Do you know how stupid you are?"
I sneeze.
"Has anyone ever told you how stupid you are?"
Dust is getting into my socks through the holes. I hate dust. And I hate having cold, dusty toes.
"Well?"
"Yeah," I scowl.
"What?"
I didn't ask to be born stupid. People say I take after Pa.
And I think they're right, because though Pa's always cursing at me I think he's pretty stupid himself, and, come to think of it, Ma also has problems with plenty of things. I don't think she could solve The Albertus' problems in a week, either.
"Well, what are you doing scowling, looking stupid? Get over here, retard! Pick up the chalk."