Corpse Flower

II. Active Imagination

Sophia’s POV:

“Sophia?” The professor walked towards me while I was packing for my next class. He smiles, “Do you happen to have some time to spare?”

I wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk about; after all, I’m an average student. I come to class on time, well, sometimes late because of Bailee. I sit in the second or third row, never first. I barely talk and never use my phone. Maybe, that’s my mistake. I don’t use my phone.

After everyone left, I headed towards the front of the classroom. “Yes?”

The professor laughs, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m going to scorn you.” He shook his head, “You’re in college. You’re an adult. No one should scorn you without reason.”

“Then, why do you want to talk to me?” This is my second year in college, entering third and the first time a college professor wants to talk to me personally. I’ve never been close to any professor because there was no need to get close to them. I get decent grades to maintain my scholarship, and I rarely have any questions about my future. Graduate. Get a job. Work. It’s simple enough.

“I wanted to discuss with you in regards to your latest essay.” He pulled out a stack of paper and handed it to me.

It’s my last essay about Dracaena Cinnabari, a mythical kingdom. We were supposed to choose one of the eight kingdoms and write an essay about it. I chose that kingdom because it meant Dragon’s Blood, and it sounded cool. I flipped past the cover page and saw my grade. “B?” I wasn’t unsatisfied with my grade, but I thought I did so much better.

Do you know that feeling where you thought you ace something only to find it fall short? That’s what I’m feeling right now.

“Why did you give me a B? I thought it was good.” Even though I’m not unsatisfied, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to know why he didn’t get me a grade.

“Contrary to your grade. Your essay is by far the best I’ve read.”

“But, you gave me a B.”

“Sophia. You received the highest grade in the class.” He got to be joking. There is no way a B is the highest grade. If it is, then there’s something wrong with the class or him. I’m betting my money on him. He smiles, “Your essay was on Yggdrasil, the tree of life and death.”

“Yes.” I don’t know how else to respond. I wanted to write about draconic, which is another word for dragons, but I thought that was a bit too much. Something tells me a lot of people already took the incentive to write about that.

“First, thank you for not writing about draconics.”

Right on the dot.

“Everything you had written about Yggdrasil is right on the dot from its origin to what harbors inside.”

“Then?”

“Although your essay is through, no doubt. It also contradicts. You said that the Yggdrasil was the tree of life and death. However, halfway through, you stated that the Queen, Ceclia, waste into nothingness. How is it that a tree of life and death makes one into nothing? Isn’t that contradicting?”

“But, that’s what history said. She wasted into nothingness. She died?”

“Even after death, there is no such thing as nothingness. There’s always something, never nothing. Even the very space you’re standing is something.” I want to punch his face. He smiles, “After all, isn’t matter all around us?”

I ground my molars, “Are we not discussing magic? Something above and beyond our understanding?”

The professor crosses his arms and leans back, “And how can you tell me that magic does not originate from something?”

“I’m not saying magic comes from nowhere.”

“So, you admit magic comes from somewhere, and nothing does not exist?” I feel like we’re running in a circle.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.” If he weren’t the one who determines my grade, I would kick his shin and leave the room.

“Have you ever heard of equivalent exchange?”

“Yes. I watch it from an anime.”

He laughs, “And the main principle of equivalent exchange?”

“To receive something, you must give something in equal value. A trade.” I cannot believe watching anime came in handy. Arlo loves anime.

“In the essay, you wrote that Queen Ceclia did not enter the Yggdrasil alone. How there was a mortal infant with her. Why is it that you did not consider the infant in the evaluation of what happened afterward? Why is it that her courage to save the Prince, despite not being her blood, was not worthy enough? Why deem her unworthy and waste into nothing.”

“Because that’s not an equivalent exchange.”

“Your reasoning?”

“She’s a queen. Yes, the infant is a prince. But, firstly, he is not her prince. Not a prince from her kingdom. He’s an illegitimate prince. According to history, he’s a prince that was born out of wedlock. The king raped a priestess, and the royal family kept it a secret from the public.”

“So, she’s unworthy because she rescued a prince that was born out of wedlock?”

“She’s unworthy because she abandoned her people. She should take care of her kingdom first before meddling into another kingdom. Hundreds of thousands of people suffer because of her, and you’re telling me her courage to rescue an illegitimate prince makes it up? How does it make everything okay? The books portray her as a just woman, but I see her otherwise. So, I concluded that she would disappear into nothingness.”

“And the infant?”

“Of course, he would transmigrate or reincarnate or go into another world.” He didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t choose to be born out of wedlock. He didn’t choose to get rescued by someone who can barely handle the things on her own plate.

“Why is it that you never talk in my class?”

“You never pick me.”

Silence.

The professor burst out laughing, “You’re right.” He places two hands in the air. “My fault. I will pick on your brain more from now on.” He places out his hand and wiggles his fingers. I place my essay in his hands. With a large blue pen, he crossed out the B and wrote an A. “Congratulations, now you’re even more of an overachiever then two seconds ago. The classroom will have a blast to know there is one A.”

I can feel the sweat rolling down my neck. “Thank you?” Somehow, I feel like I messed with something dangerous.

“No. Thank you. I enjoyed the discussion.”

I scratched my head, “May I leave?” I have another class.

“You’re not in high school. You do not need my permission, nor do you need anyone’s permission to do what you desire.”

I chuckle lowly, “Thank you.” Awkwardly, almost robotically, I walked out the door in the corner of the building. When I turned around, the professor was packing up his stuff. “Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“May I know your name?” Although the thought hadn’t occurred to me until now. I cannot believe I didn’t think how awkward it would be to ask my professor his name when I had him for weeks.

He smiles, “It’s on the syllabus.”

I click my tongue, “I lost my syllabus.”

He leans against the metal desk, “Then, it’s a good thing you have your cell phone. Stalk me online.”

I can feel it. The heat is rising towards my cheeks. I can understand why people forgive his eccentric personality. He’s good at poking peoples’ hearts. I roll the papers into a circle, “Okay.”

“Be careful,” he said.

I look up from the ground, “Excuse me?”

“It looks like it’s about to rain outside.”

I look at the window. There are more clouds than earlier. I swallowed, and the rock dropped into the pit of my stomach. Either my overactive imagination is taking over, or something terrible will happen today. I hope it doesn’t rain. Arlo took the last umbrella.

“Sophia,” The professor said. I turned my head back. “Do you enjoy the assigned books?”

I nod, “Yes.”

“Your thoughts on all the books?”

“The author has an active imagination.”

He laughs, “I can see you’re a believer.” He’s stating how I still think that the worlds inside the book he assigned to the class are made up. Of course, it’s fictional. A world filled with dragons and fairies? A world that’s linked to this world? How funny.

“I only believe what I can see.”

“Have you ever been to France?”

I shook my head, “Never.”

“Then, it seems France doesn’t exist.”

I laugh lightly, “I supposed it doesn’t.”

He nods once, “Have a nice day Sophia.”

“You too.” Odd professor. After I finished the discussion, I headed out the door. Immediately, a gust of wind rushes towards me. There weren’t a lot of students, suggesting that everyone is either at home or in class.

My phone rings and I look down. I slide my thumb across the screen, “Hello?”

“Soph?” Jake responds.

“Yes?”

“Come home early tonight with Arlo. I got a surprise for both of you.”

“Alright.” The call ended. It’s odd. Why would he call me? Generally, he would message me whenever something happened.

I settled on the bench, not too far from my next class, and grabbed the binder from my back. My fingers flipped through each page until it landed on a syllabus. I ran the forefinger across the name, “Professor Robert Franklin.”

After my next class ended, I went to another one. Then, I called it quits. Six hours at school is long enough. I looked down at my watch before I received a call from Bailee. “Where are you?” I asked. I’m standing at our usual meeting place.

Bailee coughs, “I got into an accident.”

My eyes widen, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She sniffs, “I-I went out to get some food, and some f*****g bastard rear-end me. I’m so sorry, Soph. The car is totaled a-and I have to wait for the c-c-cops and...and-” I can tell she’s afraid.

“Hey. Hey,” I said softly. “It’s okay Bai. It’s okay. I want to know if you’re really okay.”

Bailee burst out crying, “I...I...I thought I was going to die. We were in the f-freeway and-” she wailed even louder. I can only imagine how that f*****g bastard is looking right now.

After twenty minutes of comfort, we end the call. Bailee has to talk to the police. I exhale lightly and stare at the sky. “How am I supposed to go home now?” How selfish. My friend just escapes death, and I’m thinking of a way to go home.

I look down at my watch. I need to pick up Arlo. I skipped my last class to go pick him up because Jake told us to go home early. I slapped my cheeks, “The bus.” Instantly, I dash across the campus in hopes that I didn’t miss the bus. Just my luck. I caught it on time. My birthday luck is coming in handy.

I settled the backpack on my lap and stared out the window. I should get Arlo a cell phone. But, would Jake agree? Maybe, I can ask that as my birthday gift and use my part-time job to pay for it.

I rest my head against the glass. Tomorrow. I have work tomorrow for twelve hours. I should study between breaks and lunch. With each passing moment, one thought after another emerges.

Each day passes by like a blink of an eye.

I’m tired.

My eyes went towards the grey sky, and more thought emerged. This time, much more meaningless. I wonder if the other worlds Mr.Franklin talked about in class exists.

Werewolves.

Fairies.

Witches.

Vampires.

How cool is that?

I want to go to those worlds.

If I can, I wouldn’t be a student. I would study magic or train to be a knight. Tame dragons and battle demons.

The screeching of the bus halted all thoughts. I look up and rush out. It’s pouring. I threw on my hood and ran towards Arlo’s school. It’s late. I’m late. The school is three blocks away from the bus stop. It’s cold. I’m cold.

When I made it to the school, the gate fence was closed. I did something useless. I held the bars and shook it. “Excuse me?” I screamed. No response. “Hello! I’m here to pick up my brother!” No response. “Hello! Is someone there?!”

No response.