The Day They Revolted

Their school was run by an autocrat. Classrooms were run by henchmen. Each class was made up of about 18 children each sitting around desks pushed together to form a long conference table. On command, they’d be given a question, expected to answer simultaneously, then all shift seats to the left. If a child gave an incorrect answer they’d be relegated to the corner, left to sit on the cold floor to contemplate their regret.

Children who dared to speak out of turn were forced to stand on a bucket on front of the sink and have their mouth washed out with soap, while the other students watched. This didn’t happen often anymore. The kids knew better. They were numb at this point, after all these years, going through their daily rituals waiting for each day to end.

One day, the children revolted. They were tired of being treated like robots. They calmly tied up the teachers and sat them in a corner. When the police arrived, they took away the principal and teachers, leaving the children alone.

The children looked at one another. There was a long pause — everyone was holding their breath in anticipation of what would happen next.

The children didn’t break out into a riot and tear apart the school, reveling in their sudden freedom. Something unexpected happened. They slowly started talking to each other. Normal voices, no panic — just subdued, cautious elation. Their voices hadn’t been used for anything but giving regimented answers for so many years, they were hesitant to act human. They milled around and talked about what they really wanted to learn, breaking off into groups. Someone found a computer in the teacher’s desk and they looked up topics online. Others sat in piles together talking about the War of 1812, or DNA replication, or John Keyes. Some kids left campus to explore on a nature hike. Some stayed and used the classrooms and chalkboards. Some read books out loud to each other.

When onlookers showed up they could do nothing but stand there, numbly watching their children mill around, relaxed yet industrious. They had their own thoughts and will. The adults could only stand there and take it all in…

In Dreams is a collection of short snippets from real dreams. REM fiction.