THE WORLD OF DULL MAZE

If someone asks me to choose between school or being a dishwasher, I

will for sure choose dishwashing because school really sucks for me. As
a middle school student, no matter how much I try it seems impossible
to grasp this punk science subject which leads me to score high in every
subject except this one. That’s the reason why I am sitting on a chair in
my study room wearing black full sleeve shirt, jeans while holding a pen
and looking down blankly at my science copy. Courageously I opened it
to see the question that the teacher gave me as an assignment. In
search of an answer I opened my laptop, but after an hour of trying it
seemed impossible to find the right answer. A sigh escaped my mouth. I
got up from my seat and opened the window of the study room to get
some fresh air. Living on the tenth floor of the building makes it easy
for me to spot the busy life in the colorful lightning of the city. After
thinking hard for some time, I reassuringly patted myself while saying:

Get ready James to face the rage of MS Emily...

In the morning while walking to school I found the weather very

strange yet peaceful at the same time. For a moment I feel like being
warned from something. It was a cloudy day with the stillness in the air.
Today these clouds seem more like hovering over the world but the
light was still struggling to illuminate through them in order to light up
the world. School is only 5 streets away from home. That's the reason
why it takes me less than five minute to reach school. While entering
the class on the third floor of the school building the first person I
encounter while entering class is my best friend Daniel who is the only
one yet present in the class. Because of the cleaning duty assigned to us
we have no choice but to come this early before everyone else. Daniel
was busy cleaning the board and arranging the teacher table when he
spotted me. He came to me while I was placing my bag on a chair near
the window. I noticed his devil smirk and eventually knew he was up to
something.

While rolling my eyes I asked annoyingly “what are you up to now I

swear if it's something crazy like before I won't accompany you with it.
Last time I was grounded by parents for two weeks; don’t know what
they will do next time”

“Calm down bro I wasn’t planning to put you in trouble. And, you are in
trouble anyway because being friends for years it's easy to guess that
you haven't done your assignment”. After spilling the bitter truth Daniel
came close to my ears and started whispering as if he was telling me a
top secret thing “you know I have planned the way out for you’’. While
looking doubtful at him I asked with curiosity “and what’s the way
out?” with the devil smile he proceed “you see that closet’’ he pointed
towards the huge closet placed in the corner of the class used by
students ``you see I have checked out this morning, behind that thing is
huge space to fit in for hiding if you hide over there in the first science
class, I will just tell MS Emily that you were not feeling well in the
morning that’s why you are taking some rest”
After listening to his flop plan, I asked “What's the point of hiding
behind that closet? What if she checks up on me in the clinic”. Daniel
proudly patted himself while saying” she won't I can assure you that
much and the reason for hiding behind that cupboard is because if you
didn’t come up with assignment then she will have no choice but to
teach us the same topic in class and you my friend will be able to hear
and comprehend the topic so guess what! You are free from the wrath
of that boring teacher and at the same time you can do your
assignment after listening to the lecture while staying there behind the
Closet’ Daniel while wiggling his eyebrow presented the foolish yet
great plan which was too good to deny. I smiled at him to indicate that I
am in for it. Afterwards Daniel proceeds with his task of cleaning the
board and arranging the teacher desk while I start cleaning with a
broom and throw all the trash in the bin. After washing my hands in the
restroom which was at the end of the third floor hallway, I entered
class and rested for a while sitting on the chair of the second last row
near window to wash away my exhaustion. After a while we heard
footsteps of students coming. I whispered to Daniel who was sitting
beside me resting his head on the desk.

“I going to hide in there ok cover up for me bro”

He made a thumb up sign to assure me. I slowly approached the corner

where the closet was placed. I didn’t notice before but the cupboard
was very huge and the place behind it was sizable enough to hide but
the thing that I found stranger was the darkness it held inside despite
being in the bright room. I hid there anyway and adjusted myself. I
heard students coming one by one in less than 10 minutes. Commotion
in class indicated that everyone arrive which only came to rest after the
entrance of our science teacher Emily.

Everything went smoothly the way we planned it. Ms. Emily was
convinced thanks to Daniel. She proceeds with teaching the concept of
how do we see colors and the concept behind it, which I can hear
clearly behind the closet:

“Light receptors within the eye transmit messages to the brain, which
produces the familiar sensation of color. Newton observed that color is
not inherent in the objects. Rather, the surface of an object reflects
some colors and absorbs all the others. We perceive only the reflected
colors.”

What does she mean by these absorption and reflection? Is she trying
to tell us that every color we see is reflected in our eyes? For real is this
world black white or something or are we hallucinated by the color till
now if these are just the reflections than what's real, but no dumb will
ask that for sure. Thanks to teacher who proceed to explain with:

“Do you know that humans can only see 1% of the visible light
spectrum which means we can only see 1 percent of what is going on
around us” then she proceeds with a whispery slow yet creepy voice
yet clear voice. I almost thought that she was on the other side of this
closet...

“In other words, we are unable to see the vast 99% of the world we live
in!’’

It took a moment for me to absorb that the majority of our existence is

unseen. While contemplating my thoughts I feel the sudden cold chill in
this mid-summer. For a moment I felt some strange presence beside
me as if someone was watching me from behind. I quickly turn my head
to see but I see nothing. My back was hurting due to standing there for
a long time. I rested my back on the wall behind me but it wasn’t the
wall which gave me support but the cold floor. I couldn’t comprehend
what just happened but when I opened my eyes to look around, I found
myself in a small square-shaped empty room of yellow walls and dim
lightning and strange smell of old moist carpet with wooden door
leading outside. I quickly stood up and started putting my hands on the
wall to check my way out to go back where I came from but to my
dismay, I found nothing except a hard concrete wall. Confused and
scared I open the door of the room to find my way out from this
strange yet nostalgic place. The door led me to an endless narrow
hallway with the same yellow walls, unpleasant smell of moist carpet
and dim lightning blinking time to time along with the strange sounds I
couldn’t make sense of but it seemed like someone was laughing and
crying at the same time. Feeling scared I panicked and started to find
my way out. With the slow steps I checked many rooms but all were the
same square shape, empty rooms with yellow walls and dull lightning
without any windows through which light can pass to brighten up this
dim world. Being left with no choice I still proceed with my search to
get out from this maze, but there was one thing I felt from the moment
I entered this strange place till now. No matter where I go the feeling of
being watched along with the sounds of subtle laughter of a female or
girl never left me even for a second. Now that subtle laugh is also
accompanied by a melodic but joyous sound of humming. It looks like
someone's worries are washed away by the company of a new guest.
Shivers went through my whole body just by the thought of it. The
temperature there is cold for my sleeveless white shirt which is part of
my uniform. To my relief I found at least the turning point in the
hallway. As I was taking steps to reach there and see what's in there
suddenly the laughing of women stopped but humming was still there;

“Hmmm mm hmmm mm hmm mmm hmmm mm”

Her monotonous melodic voice slowed down into a more plaintive one
but it was much clearer than before, as if she was standing right behind
me. Fear and anxiousness made my body move less. Sounds of
humming now seem clearer as if someone is humming right in my ears,
fear took over me but my inside insistent voice told me that I have to
go. I start running toward the turning point I found a while ago, when I
reach there for a moment, I turn around to look back, and there she
was standing 10 steps away from me with the straight long black hairs
almost reaching the floor, wearing long white dress, and her frightening
face with no eyebrows, her eyes missing eye balls filled with nothing
but black, her pail skin with those dry bluish lips. She stopped humming
and smiled at me, it was a lot for me to take in, my breathing became
unstable. She was still following me with her slow pace, smiling at me
like the beast who just found his prey. I again started running at a pace
faster than before. Her humming also started to sound more beastly,
piercing and deep coming from everywhere. It seems like she was
everywhere yet nowhere. In this new hallway half lights were not
working with half only blinking. After what seemed like eternity, I finally
found the huge door in front of me which was the dead end as well.
Having no idea of what's waiting ahead for me on the other side of the
door I couldn’t make a decision to whether to go there or not, but then
when I turned around the presence of that beastly woman was still a
few steps away coming towards me and this time at a fast pace. Being
left with no choice I opened the door with shaky hands, went in there
and locked it from the inside.

Inside the room, scared and breathless I started looking around to find
my way out despite of the percussive sounds of banging door coming
from outside. The room was huge and dark, light radiating in the room
was only coming from the fire lit up in hearth. It took time for my eyes
to adjust and see everything clearly. I eagerly starting to look for any
other exit or escape route. Unlike other rooms in this creepy place, this
room was full of antique furniture; walls were cover with countless
clocks but all were stopped at 12, many tables were there with the
chairs surrounding them, lamps which didn’t work with the huge pile of
papers and old books covered with dust is placed on each table. Besides
the fireplace, a huge desk is there on which different papers and things
like maps are scattered. Banging of the door finally stopped to my relief
but then with huge thud door opened in no time. I quickly hide in the
desk in bended position still sweating heavily from fear. The sounds of
footsteps were coming close with each second along with the same
frightening sound of humming. After sometime it felt like someone was
sitting on the table while humming and suddenly in the split of second
pale feet started dangling to the side where I hid myself and then I
heard a vicious laugh again. I couldn’t breathe anymore just as I started
thinking about giving up on my life, I heard something: something
inside was telling me to turn around and when I did in that bended
position, at my back instead of wood, I found darkness. When I look In
front of me I found her sitting and smiling at me in bended position,
without a second thought I quickly turn around to get inside the
darkness and was eventually welcomed with the brightness of daylight.
I never thought my escape would be the desk inside the office of same
person whom I was trying to escape so badly. Her office symmetry has
quite a resemblance with the huge room I came from, the difference is
just that the furniture is more modern, and instead of a pile of clocks
and a fireplace, charts of human anatomy and huge windows are there.

While I was standing there I looked out of the window and the wave of
relief rushed through me when I saw boys playing basketball in the
playground. Smiling to myself sigh of relief escaped my mouth;

“So, I really made it out of there”

While I was there MS Emily entered office and after spotting me in

there asked:
“Oh, it's you; Daniel told me you weren't feeling well, how are you
feeling now my dear?”

“Hay MS Emily thanks for the concern. I am feeling good right now”

“Good to hear sweets can you help me with these books?’’ she asked
while referring to the pile of books in her hand. I took books from her
hands and by taking a close look at her she really seems familiar to
someone. As I placed the book on the table, I heard something I am
quite familiar with till now. It was the same melodic yet frightening
sound of humming. My breath hitched and I slowly turned around to
look at MS Emily and then realization hit me. My instinct about her
looking familiar was because she in fact looks like her but more
humanly. While looking at me the same way with that creepy smile she
added in whispery voice:

“What! It's my favorite melody, don’t you remember sweetheart”