The air smelled so lovely like the scent of his mother’s African Gardenia.
You would think that this must be what the Garden of Eden was like when Adam and Eve walked around and picked flowers and everything was so lovely and gorgeous.
Still transfixed by that dream, he found himself dazed and confused in his earthly world that now seemed so mundane.
The girl sitting next to him, said, “Wake up! Why are you in such a daydream?”
So Zeddy woke up from his daydream and realized that his dark matter bug was trying to get out of the small jar in his pocket.
“Quiet,” Zeddy says to his special bug, “You better stay in there, otherwise that bully boy will be stealing you from me. You don’t want that, do you?”
The bully boy, Dennis Junior, overheard him say that, and asked, “Is that what I thought I heard you say, but I thought you said the other day that you lost your dark matter bug?”
Principal Meniacle, Dennis’ father, overheard that comment and said, “What are you boys up to now?”
“Nothing” says Dennis Junior, “We were just wondering what the homework is today.”
“Today we are going to study how to round up to the nearest hundredth. For example: Ninety-nine rounded up to the nearest hundredth is one hundred.”
“Principal Meniacle, please come up with something less basic than that, I mean, we are six years old and we’re no longer in the first grade. We’re in the second grade. Please, I figured you were a better principal than that. For example, we are ready to learn about regrouping, for example, write, fifteen plus seven with a plus sign inside a box and then put twenty-two on the bottom as the end product. That is still quite elementary to me, my dear Principal, but at least we are learning ‘regrouping’.
“You may know how to round up, Mr Zeddy, but that doesn't mean the other students know that, too.”
“Let's ask them. Oh, students, do you know how to round up to closest hundred?”
All the students said, “Sure we do.”
Principal Meniacle growled, “We will learn regrouping next year and stick to the international curriculum. Like it or not!
During lunch, Dennis Junior noticed the top of the small jar protruding out of Zeddy’s pocket, so he grabbed it and ran and hid himself in the same closet where he swallowed the dark matter bug. He watched it glow in the dark and decided to see if he could take it out and keep it in his little match box. He unscrewed the jar and carefully covered his hand over it so that the bug couldn’t escape, then waiting for it to land on his hand, he finally cupped it and put it in the match box. Exiting the room, Zeddy approached and demanded back the jar.
“Sure you can have your jar back” laughed Dennis Junior.
“What did you do with my dark matter pet?” asked Zeddy
“I let it go” says Dennis Junior.
“Stop shilly-shallying around you naughty bully, where is he?”
“Look in the closet, he must be hiding in there.”
After a careful examination, Zeddy realized that Dennis Junior must have let his dark matter pet go and that he would never find it again.
“That’s it!” shouts Zeddy, “You are in big trouble now.”
“Oh yeah, what are you going to do about it?”
“You’ll see. Have you ever heard of something called, ‘karma’?”
“I’m not afraid of karma. Only sissies worry about that.”
“Well, it might take some time, but you will learn sooner or later. For one thing, none of the kids here will ever trust you or like you, unless you repent and change your ways.”
“My dad’s the principal so I don’t have to worry about anything. What do I need friends for, anyway?”
“You must be lonely without any friends.”
“I have all my toys and games to keep me company.”
Zeddy went back to his chair in class and pouted with a gloomy look on his face. He asked himself, “What should I do now?”
Zara approaches and says, “I’m so sorry, Zeddy, for what that bully did. Don’t worry, you will catch another pet.”
“How?” cries Zeddy, “That is the rarest pet in the world, and irreplaceable.”
“Kind of like you, Zeddy. You are also irreplaceable, but I bet you will find another extraordinary pet someday.”
“You don’t understand! It is impossible.”
“Explain it to me, then.”
Zeddy thought about letting Zara into his secret world, but decided that he’d better keep it to himself. He says, “Maybe one day I’ll explain it to you, just let me sit here and lament alone for now.”
“That’s where my dream ends, mom.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Who is The Holy Ghost Writer?
The mystery of the identity of the author is part of an international contest. The first person to discover the identity of the HG Writer, from the clues found in the Count of Monte Cristo sequels, will receive a reward of $1000. Submit the correct answer to [email protected] in order to win this reward, along with letting us know the clues that led you to discovering the identity of the author. Should the winner wish his/her identity to be known in the press, he/she may request same. Those that already know the author or have worked with him/her will not qualify. Good luck.
The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter Page 11