The corridor was empty. A balustrade ran the length of it, opening on to the backyard below. Once, footsteps had rung through the corridor, voices had gaily called out to each other, but now, the silence was absolute. The dustbin on the side was half-full, the empty plastic cups in it bearing testament to the people who had come and gone. Suddenly, the silence was broken. The sleepy air was disturbed by the sound of someone coming up the stairs. A young man appeared, walking quickly towards the room at the end of the corridor, covering the distance with long, loping strides. The casual slouch in his shoulders belied the steely intent in his eyes. He irritably brushed his hair out of his eyes. His entire being was focused on the deed he was about to carry out. He paused in front of the room, as if to compose himself before entering. Then he opened the door.
The scene that greeted his eyes was one of a professor writing on a blackboard, lecturing to a group of students. A perfectly ordinary college scene, but one that was different from the norm in one crucial respect; he was attempting the seemingly impossible, to enter a class that was more than half over.
He took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and strode in. Time seemed to suddenly slow down; it was as if he was seeing a movie frame by frame, each action of each actor happening at one-tenth its usual pace. As if in a dream, he saw himself glancing at the professor in a mute appeal to be granted entrance, but the professor was looking elsewhere. He looked ahead; five paces to the first row of seats. He moved soundlessly towards it, each step taking what seemed like an infinity to complete. One pace, two paces, the professor kept ignoring him... three paces, four paces, five. He broke through the ranks of the seats, his urgent footsteps creating ripples in the sea of students he was wading through, expanding circles of mirth and disbelief at this intrepid warrior who was doing the undoable. He threaded his way through to the back of the class, turning, side-stepping, spinning, each footstep bringing him closer to his goal of the last row. And then suddenly, just like that, he was ensconced in a seat at the back of the class, his backpack perched neatly on the chair next to him. He let out his breath in a long, soundless sigh of relief, winked at the girl sitting next to him, and flashed his sauciest smile at the gallery of students who were gawking at him in awe. He glanced at his watch, and thought to himself, "Hmmm. An hour and a half late for a two-hour class... That's got to be an unbreakable record!"
The scene that greeted his eyes was one of a professor writing on a blackboard, lecturing to a group of students. A perfectly ordinary college scene, but one that was different from the norm in one crucial respect; he was attempting the seemingly impossible, to enter a class that was more than half over.
He took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and strode in. Time seemed to suddenly slow down; it was as if he was seeing a movie frame by frame, each action of each actor happening at one-tenth its usual pace. As if in a dream, he saw himself glancing at the professor in a mute appeal to be granted entrance, but the professor was looking elsewhere. He looked ahead; five paces to the first row of seats. He moved soundlessly towards it, each step taking what seemed like an infinity to complete. One pace, two paces, the professor kept ignoring him... three paces, four paces, five. He broke through the ranks of the seats, his urgent footsteps creating ripples in the sea of students he was wading through, expanding circles of mirth and disbelief at this intrepid warrior who was doing the undoable. He threaded his way through to the back of the class, turning, side-stepping, spinning, each footstep bringing him closer to his goal of the last row. And then suddenly, just like that, he was ensconced in a seat at the back of the class, his backpack perched neatly on the chair next to him. He let out his breath in a long, soundless sigh of relief, winked at the girl sitting next to him, and flashed his sauciest smile at the gallery of students who were gawking at him in awe. He glanced at his watch, and thought to himself, "Hmmm. An hour and a half late for a two-hour class... That's got to be an unbreakable record!"
