Tara Taylor – It’s Not That Bad
Tara Taylor here again; struggling to focus. I have to pay attention to what the being in the front of the room is saying. They can strike at any moment. I don’t want to be caught off-guard. The creature’s forked tongue slips out of her mouth between words, and her razor sharp teeth glint in the dull light. Occasionally, little “sloosh” noises could be heard as tentacles carried their owner across the room. A more horrid sound came from claws as they scratched notes and diagrams onto the board. Large, dreadful eyes swept their gaze over the victims in the audience to make sure they were paying attention. Even when the creature had its back to us, there was a third eye on the back of its head, making it impossible to sneak a text or a quick bite of snack. A couple of people in the back of the room attempted to make wisecrack comments under their breath. The creature turned around sharply, glaring into their souls. The two immediately closed their mouths in terror.
Suddenly, the creature looked directly at me and asked a question. Then there were more than just those big eyes staring in my direction. It was like standing on trial. A jury of my peers were seated on long benches, judging my every action. One of the jurors sighed and absently played with his pencil. Another was busy taking extremely detailed notes, but would glance up at me every two seconds. The two from earlier began to whisper to each other – about me or not, I have no clue. I took in a deep breath before reluctantly, carefully answering the question. The creature smiled. The whole room seemed to get brighter, and the monster in front of me gradually turned into a human – its normal form. The jury transformed into fellow students, who were no longer interested in me. They just wanted class to be done.
The failure or success of my answer did not seem to matter anymore. It’s funny how moments can seem so crucial or decisive during the moment, but after it is done, it is relatively insignificant. I really need to stop overreacting because in reality, it’s not that bad.