Teacher of Silence

It was required to take Silence before he could graduate. A class that no one talked about and no one mentioned. People just took it and moved on. It made him curious, as every single other class was talked about with great fervor.

The students were talking energetically as usual before the teacher walked in. As was normal, they fell silent as soon as she did so. She stood at the front of the room, an eerie smile plastered across her face. “Welcome to Silence,” she said. “You will begin by putting all books away.” She paused to give them time to respond. After they did so, she continued, “All mouths will be completely shut for the rest of the hour. No sounds will be made. You will learn to understand what different silences are. The first lesson will be the silence of fear.”

She flicked a finger and the lights turned off, plunging the room into utter blackness. No one made a sound, afraid of what would happen if they did. He was afraid of the dark, and couldn’t go to sleep without at least a small light. He knew there was nothing in the room that would harm him, but the fear of the possible scared him worse. He began hearing things: the teacher coming up from behind him to whack him for making noise, perhaps a constant beeping, or a malevolent sounding soundtrack playing over and over.

He sat hesitantly in his chair the entire hour, almost a nervous wreck. The lights flicked on, and he glanced around at the others like a terrified shrew. There were a few who had fallen asleep, but a majority of them seemed to have a fear of the dark as well as he did. Now he was afraid for tomorrow.

“Welcome to Silence,” she said the next day. “You will begin by putting all books away.” She paused to give them time to respond. After they did so, she continued, “All mouths will be completely shut for the rest of the hour. No sounds will be made. You will learn to understand what different silences are. The second lesson will also be the silence of fear. You will never be hearing from your parents again.”

She flicked her finger, this time bars covered the windows and doors, keeping them in. “Please stay seated.” She sat at her desk.