Back bencher's world

He sat there and dreamt. The teacher was far away and the loud voice sounded like a whisper in his dreamy world. He was dreaming a story, a story that would at once rejuvenate and bring out the lightness of being.He smiled as he thought of the innumerable possibilities of his story unconstrained by the demands of the real world. His story had warmth and simplicity yet was not boring.His teacher spoke of grammar and he let go off all that he had trouble understanding. He stepped easily around troubles and gently walked into an independent world without cause and effect.

When the English lecture ended, he came out of it untouched. He had managed to preserve his innocence.It was all about proofs in geometry. He had a simple mind that believed everything and never required proof. He created fantastic shapes and structures in his mind. His mind drew a straight line from his school to his fantasy.He was scolded repeatedly but the scolding magically became soft whispers. And he replied without preparation, sometimes with a smile. The teacher had given up on him and that too disappeared in his fantasy.

Geometry inspired him to dream of fantastic cities with buildings with no centers of gravity and bridges that could appear and disappear.Chemistry inspired magic in him. He turned things to gold. Fires were magically put out and cures for all ills were created. Colorful fumes emanated from substances but never caused harm.But he failed to answer simple questions. His story was continuing through the chemistry lecture. He was creating energy potions that were available only to good men and miraculously stayed away from the reaches of bad people.

During history, the loud teacher whispered about governments and empires. He merrily turned his story to create independent people with no governments. There was no army because the bad people never had a chance in his story. He happily replaced a history of conquests and hero worship with his own version of continuous happiness. Everything fitted easily.

His story continued on to the physics lecture. Here he was at his best. He created cars and trains that consumed no energy and merrily crossed each other with no accidents. Cities connected to each other instantly.

He created the final episodes of his story as he made his way to the principal’s office. He sleepwalked his way through the school corridors all the while smiling.

In his story he abolished punishment. All beings became equal. Life was easy and meant thinking exactly what one wanted without any additions or subtractions. The principal punished him again. He smiled. He always stepped around difficulties. His imaginary life merged with reality the moment he came near his best friend. And for a while real life became fantastic and as the two friends walked in circles around the school ground they grabbed at the real world with hunger.

At night he finished his homework. All the while the dreams continued. Homework became an adventure created out of his free will. His struggles became monumental. He was the hero struggling against demonic concepts.The next day he walked dreamily to school, a small figure carrying a big load. He reached out to grab leaves from low hanging branches and he brushed the bushes with his hand.

Then the miracle happened. The English teacher was touched by his far away expression and started teaching dreams, undefined and elusive dreams. He moved from the last bench to the front.