3 -P.O.V. Pieces

 

View #1:

The dizzying sensation of almost-but-not-quite falling off the precipice of waking into sleep; the swirling winds pulling at him, trying to force him over as their blankness swirls out the voices down to a soothing murmur instead of the raucous noisomeness it would otherwise be.

            Nothing else exists but the softly varying murmur, the falling, and the cocoon of warmth. And then nothing exists.

            Until suddenly it does again.

            The whirling winds this time do not pull but lift instead. And he floats back onto the precipice with dizzying speed. Light permeates the curtain around his consciousness.

            Voices become more than just a dull roar.

            “Aaron!” he jolted upright, “Did you hear what I just said?”

            For a moment all he could think of was the warm desk he’d left behind by sitting up. Then he shook himself awake and floundered for an answer, piecing together parts of the voices that had just finished their swirling noise and solidified.

 

 

 

 

 

View #2:

 

He was warm;

This boy,

Warm strips

across

My head,

my face.

 

Warm wet

puffing

slowly

Then cool

rushing in

taking its

Place

warm, cold

damp-

even-

slow,

Slow.

 

The warm strips

Do not move

I am warm

warmer

warmest.

 

Then they move

Quick

Sharp

the Cold

moves in

and I

am no longer

warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View #3:

I saw him sitting there, watched as his eyelids drooped slowly, slowly, further down until his pupils were no longer visible, then his irises, and finally they were shut.  Not that there was anything I could do about it; he was across the room from me.

            I knew he would get into trouble if the teacher caught him sleeping- who wouldn’t? If I could have awakened him by the sheer intensity of my staring at him I would have ten times already. But he was hopeless.

            I tried to pay attention to the class so no one would notice where I was watching. The less the attention I give him, the less likely it is that anyone would notice him. He is my friend, after all.

            So I participated and tried to act normally. I don’ think I did too well at it though.

            Even people around him stopped participating, letting my side of the room take the attention.

            But there’s always a spoiler- one in each classroom who takes such glee in getting others into trouble. That’s what Sam is. A little, no good, goody-two-shoes, teacher’s pet, snitch.

            She ruined it. Raised her hand way up high and spoke out loudly that her side of the room never got any attention.

She knew what she was doing, too.  She sat on the other side of him, right next to him, so anyone who looked at her would have to see him sleeping there.

And when Aaron got called on here was no mistaking the smug look on her face. She knew it. Which is totally against the student code.

Maybe you don’t help, maybe you don’t take the heat, but at least you don’t tell. You just don’t.

            Somehow, though, Aaron heard some of what had gone on. I’d never seen anything like it- he actually repeated some of the conversation. He must have been just on the verge of waking up.

            Either way, the way Sam’s jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed- it was classic. She deserved it, but I also knew she was not about to make life easy for him from then on.

            As for our teacher’s reaction- Aaron was asked to please look more awake in her class next time.