Growing up, I was always known as the girl with an active imagination. I’m not sure where I got this trait from, but it wasn’t from my father—he's a realistic man. As for my mother, well, she didn’t seem to be that type either. She often caught me daydreaming and would say, “Don’t try this at school; your peers are likely to laugh at you.” Meanwhile, I was left wondering what exactly I wasn’t supposed to try at school.
The next day at school, it was time for English class. I immediately started frowning. "Don’t be surprised," I thought.
“Why are you frowning?” my friend asked curiously.
“I just never get into the flow when that teacher is teaching, and I wish the school would change him,” I lamented as I walked to my class.
As the teacher walked in, the head teacher followed, accompanied by someone else. At that moment, I was curious and eager to know what was going to happen. Deep down, I wanted my wish to come true, and fortunately, someone was there to replace our English teacher.
At that point, I became the happiest person on Earth. The new teacher introduced herself as Mrs. Nelson. She sounded different; her voice echoed sweet melodies whenever she spoke, and from her tone, I sensed a profound intelligence.
Mrs. Nelson was a literature lover and was known among the other teachers as a stickler for grammar. The thing that attracted me most to her was her observance of her students’ minds; she paid close attention as if it were her only job description.
With Mrs. Nelson, English class became fun, so I never missed her lessons—I would choose to skip lunch rather than miss her class. As time passed, the challenging aspects of the subject seemed to disappear.
Often, whenever she arrived at class, she would ask us to close our eyes and envision ourselves shortly. In those moments, I would find myself wandering to a fantastical world where only perfection mattered—a place free of disaster. My imaginary walls felt so real that I could almost touch them.
These moments were the best for me because I could create stories and plot twists, which I would pen down in my special notebook to ensure I didn’t forget the imaginary scenarios swirling in my mind.
One fateful day, it was once again time for English class. Mrs. Nelson walked in and asked us to bring out our textbooks. Along with mine, I pulled out my special notebook.
We were busy dissecting the material when I found myself lost in thought. Suddenly, I heard a knock.
“Where is that coming from?” I asked, still lost in my subconscious.
The knocking grew louder, then boom—suddenly, I regained my senses, and Mrs. Nelson was standing in front of me with twinkling eyes full of amusement.
“Care to share what’s so fascinating?” she asked, dripping with curiosity.
I was caught red-handed. Those words echoed in my mind. To my surprise, Mrs. Nelson asked me to come to the front of the class and share what I found so intriguing. At that moment, I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
My body shook as I slowly walked to face my fears. When I got to the front, I stood like a statue, clutching my special notebook. Mrs. Nelson gently took it from my hands and began reading my imaginary scenarios aloud.
I felt my face flush when I realized I had been exposed. No one had ever read from my special notebook before; now everyone knew what I had been writing about my whole life.
Mrs. Nelson continued reading, and the whole class became as quiet as a graveyard as they listened to my stories. I stood there, seconds turning into minutes, waiting for her to finish. Finally, she was done, and the entire class erupted in laughter and applause.
Mrs. Nelson handed my notebook back to me and gazed at me with a look I had never seen before. Then she whispered, “Don’t stop daydreaming. Just learn to harness it.” Those words resonated with me. A smile spread across my face as I walked back to my seat.
When I got home that day, I felt butterflies dancing in my stomach as if I had just won the lottery. My mom noticed the excitement on my face and didn’t even ask—she knew I would tell her the whole story behind it, but then she didn't have time for that.
Thanks for reading 🧡