Random stories

I was grading papers when she knocked on the door. She was the best student in the class. She aced all the tests and I was surprised by her aptitude.

We had never spoken informally. I figured that her parents were professors or some types of educators. Her work ethic was impeccable.

She said, “This isn’t correct.” She dropped her graded paper on my desk.

I said, “I’m sorry. I have forgotten your name, Miss …”.

She frowned and pointed at the top of the page. Like a disrespectful brat she said, “My name is right there on the top. You’re not very observant, are you?”

I was pissed at this point but I played along in order to end this situation as quickly as possible. I read her name and I asked, “How may I help you, Miss Shein?”

“Lucy. Call me Lucy,” she replied. She continued as she pointed to a red “x” mark on her test page. “This glyph is a perfect translation.”

I thought to myself, *These arrogant kids think they know everything. I’ve been here for centuries. I spoke this language before these people ‘discovered’ it.*

I said, “No. this glyph means ‘those who travel at night.’ You answered, ‘those who travel at twilight.’ It’s minor. Take the constructive criticism and move on.”

She said, “Nope. The etch at the top left is pronounced ‘spin’t g’diyah’. This is daylight .

The etch on the top right is pronounced ’spin’t g’diyay’. This is darkness.

The etch at the center of the glyph is ‘spin’t g’diam’e” That is twilight.

My brain locked for a moment when I came to several realizations at once. I had never pronounced these words before in class. Her enunciation was perfect. …And she was exactly correct.

I looked at her finger pressed to the page. My eyes roamed to make eye contact. She smirked and said, “It’s minor. Take constructive criticism and move forward.”

I scoffed despite myself. I said, “Yeah, you’re right.” I wrote 100% at the top of the page. After taking several deep breaths I asked her, “T’gnaah nay nan?”

She answered perfectly, “k’noo dee ai’wa.”

Essentially I asked her what color the comet was. She said that it was bright green.

We continued in English. I asked her, “Lucy, why are you taking this course?”

Lucy replied, “Easy credits. I’m a doctor and I want to breeze through quickly. I hate school.”

I asked, “Where were you when the comet passed?”

Lucy said, “We were hiding in a cave. We were in the northern plains by the river. You?”

I answered, “We were on a boat toward the center island. I jumped and held my breath for as long as I could. I guess it was long enough.”

She said, “And now here we are. I didn’t think that there were others until I signed up for your course.”

I nodded. “There are several of us, actually. We’ll discuss that after you graduate.”

Lucy bit her finger nail seductively and said, “Okay, professor.”

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Submitted by Fenix_Glo on Tue, Feb 21, 2023 to /r/WritingPrompts/

The prompt

You're an immortal who makes a living teaching dead languages at universities, periodically relocating to avoid suspicion. One of your students this semester has the aptitude of a native speaker.