This is the first piece of fiction that I am putting up. It is the introductory piece and the rest of the story is going to be different, but here it is.
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Seven times three is twenty-one.
Seven times four is twenty-eight.
Seven times five is thirty-five.
Huddled on her bed in the dark, Thi counted to herself softly. She did the multiplication in her head to keep her mind off things. It wasn’t interesting or fun, all it did was pass the time. That was the point.
Seven times six is forty-two.
Seven times seven is…. What was it again… Right, forty-nine.
Seven times eight is fifty-six.
Today was the same as yesterday, which will the same as tomorrow. Each day seemed to blend into the next. She thought it would have been different after she had entered collage. Nothing that she did was important, even her classes seemed like nothing more then a waste of time.
When the career councilor had asked her, “What do you want to major in?” all she could answer was “Anything is fine.” Thi had no plans for the future and had no idea what she would do after she graduated.
Twelve times seven is eighty-two.
Twelve times eight is ninety-six.
Twelve times nine is one hundred and eight.
Thi worked as a waitress after classes. It was lousy pay and even lousier tips. She didn’t even need to work, since she didn’t have a family and got good grades she was able to survive on financial aid. However work did play two important roles, it kept her busy and bored.
Fifteen times four is sixty.
Fifteen times five is seventy-five.
Fifteen times six is ninety.
Nothing ever changed. She had left the orphanage that she had been in since before she could remember and still nothing had changed. It was better this way. She had to believe that, she had always been told that so it must be true. It was wrong for her to be happy.
Forty-seven times twenty-two is one thousand thirty-four.
Forty-seven times twenty-three is one thousand eighty-one.
Forty-seven times twenty-four is one thousand one hundred and twenty-eight.
Alone. Thi didn’t have anyone she could call a friend. She didn’t make any attempt to make friends, she even ignored those who tried to make friends with her. The only person she even know was her dorm-mate Shila. Shila always come back to the dorm late after some kind of party. Thi made sure Shila was in bed and asleep, it seemed like Thi’s duty.
One thousand four hundred fifty-one times two hundren thirteen is three hundred and nine thousand and sixty-three.
The clock ticked the minutes of boredom which slowly turned into hours and days. She bore is stoically.
The matron of the orphanage had said, “This is who you need to be if you are going to be a productive member of society.” The ten year old Thi hadn’t understood.
The adult Thi now understood. The current her had a place in the world, a future. So the real her hide behind boredom because there was no place for that her, the real her was unneeded.
So in her fear she did multiplication to forget.
Two million, five hundred twenty-four thousand, eight hundred and five times one million, two hundred forty-three is two trillion, five hundred twenty-five billion, four hundred eighteen million, five hundred twenty-seven thousand, six hundred fifteen.
Why then, why did she she watch birds with envy.