Her plan survived for almost ten minutes. She was at the board, writing something about cells. Every so often she would look over her shoulder. Billy was looking out the window. Everything was going completely normally.
Then her eye began to itch. At first it was subtle, barely an annoyance. Within minutes she was rubbing it continuously. Soon she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Ah. Class. Please excuse me." She stopped writing. Billy was looking at her intently now. Her eye was itching her too badly to worry about it.
In the bathroom, she inched up close to the mirror. She searched for some sign of whatever was bothering her. Every so often she took another swipe at her eye when it got especially bad.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. A glimmer of gold, gleaming in the middle of her eye. Slowly she poked her finger at it, trying to pry it loose.
The speck resisted. Her poking irritated her eye, and it watered. Suddenly the speck grew larger. Now it looked like a little circle.
She reached her finger in again. Still she couldn't get the speck out, and again her eye started watering. The circle grew larger.
A sharp pain made Mary cry out. The watering in her eye intensified immediately. A single tear spilled out of her afflicted eye.
The itching and pain immediately vanished. There was a clink, and the sound of something skittering across the floor.
Mary looked down. She gasped.
On the floor, a short distance away, there was a small gold circle. It was just like the one she had seen in her eye. Mary bent down and picked it up, already knowing what it was.
It was the ring.
She snapped upright, pressing against the mirror again. The dark circle of her pupil reflected back at her. Nothing was there. She stood there for a full five minutes, just to make sure.
Just as she turned to go back to her classroom, certain she had imagined the whole thing, the soft outline of a face briefly appeared, smiled and was gone.
***********************************************************************************
He awoke to blinding light. It was everywhere. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't manage more than a tiny slit.
Then her eye began to itch. At first it was subtle, barely an annoyance. Within minutes she was rubbing it continuously. Soon she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Ah. Class. Please excuse me." She stopped writing. Billy was looking at her intently now. Her eye was itching her too badly to worry about it.
In the bathroom, she inched up close to the mirror. She searched for some sign of whatever was bothering her. Every so often she took another swipe at her eye when it got especially bad.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. A glimmer of gold, gleaming in the middle of her eye. Slowly she poked her finger at it, trying to pry it loose.
The speck resisted. Her poking irritated her eye, and it watered. Suddenly the speck grew larger. Now it looked like a little circle.
She reached her finger in again. Still she couldn't get the speck out, and again her eye started watering. The circle grew larger.
A sharp pain made Mary cry out. The watering in her eye intensified immediately. A single tear spilled out of her afflicted eye.
The itching and pain immediately vanished. There was a clink, and the sound of something skittering across the floor.
Mary looked down. She gasped.
On the floor, a short distance away, there was a small gold circle. It was just like the one she had seen in her eye. Mary bent down and picked it up, already knowing what it was.
It was the ring.
She snapped upright, pressing against the mirror again. The dark circle of her pupil reflected back at her. Nothing was there. She stood there for a full five minutes, just to make sure.
Just as she turned to go back to her classroom, certain she had imagined the whole thing, the soft outline of a face briefly appeared, smiled and was gone.
***********************************************************************************
He awoke to blinding light. It was everywhere. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't manage more than a tiny slit.
