Compared to the morning homeroom session, the first
couple of lessons pass rather uneventfully. During the short break after our
second lesson, I decide to go outside to stretch my legs and go to the
bathroom. As I head back towards the classroom, something suddenly collides
with me with tremendous force, almost knocking me over.
"Aah! Sorry, sorry!" says a voice, that I soon
recognize as Meiko's. "I should have known that was going to happen!"
Meiko turns round to face me, looking apologetic and a
little embarrassed, and very quickly I realize three things. One, in order for
her to have hit me with such force, she must have been running in the
corridors, which is against school rules. Two, she's holding her camcorder in
one hand, and a compact mirror in the other. She must have been filming
something while she was running. Three, in order for her to have had to turn to
face me after colliding with me, she must have been running backwards. The
first seems normal for the rather energetic Meiko. The second is a bit of a
stretch, but running backwards…?
"Are you okay, Ken?" Meiko asks me.
"Why were you running backwards just now?" I
blurt out.
"Huh? Hey, I asked you a question first!" says
Meiko.
"Yes, Meiko, I'm alright," I reassure her.
"Now, why were you-"
"Running backwards?" says Meiko. "I'm experimenting!"
"Experimenting with… what, may I ask?"
Meiko seems pleased by my apparent interest. I wouldn't
say I'm interested, per se, more confused. Nonetheless, she immediately
launches into an explanation. "Well, you know those scenes in horror
movies where the guy's getting chased by the monster through a dark forest or
something?" she begins. "There's always a first-person bit where the
camera angle looks ahead of him, showing the area he's running through. But I
figured, wouldn't it be better to have it looking backwards while he's running?
It'd place more emphasis on the fact that he's being chased by something,
rather than just the fact that he's fleeing. Also, it'd make it seem like he's
looking back over his shoulder at whatever's chasing him, emphasizing how
scared of it he is. Add in some extremely fleeting glimpses of the monster - or
monsters, or whatever - and you have one scary chase scene."
It really seems like Meiko has thought this theory of hers
through. But… "Shouldn't you be testing that theory somewhere scarier, and
with less people to bump into?" I ask. "Like a dark forest, for
instance?"
"Well, I thought of the idea just now during second
period, and I was so excited, I wanted to try it out right away!" says
Meiko. "I reckon it'd work… assuming you don't run into anything while
filming, of course. But then, that's what I have the compact mirror for."
She holds up the mirror. It can't be more than three inches in diameter.
There's no way she can see where she's going using that.
"Didn't exactly work, though, did it?" I point
out.
Meiko lets out an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of
her neck. "Yeah, I guess not, heh…" She shrugs nonchalantly.
"I'll work something out." She always seems so cheerful and carefree,
so full of energy. It's like there's caffeine and candy floss flowing through
her veins instead of blood. It's weird to think that there's still a chance
she's my stalker.
"Well, I hope so," I tell her, "if it'll
stop you from running in the corridors. There's rules against that, you
know."
"There's rules against running forwards in the corridors," Meiko says with a mischievous
grin. "Nobody ever said anything about running backwards!" I shake my head in disbelief at the sheer audacity
of Meiko's actions. I don't think I'll ever meet another girl like her for as
long as I live.
Before I can lecture Meiko any further, the bell rings to
signal the end of break. "Oh crap!" says Meiko suddenly, her face
turning pale. "I need to put the camcorder away, and then get to class,
pronto! Well, anyway, it was fun talking to you, Ken! See you in class!"
Meiko dashes off, completely ignoring what I'd told her
five seconds ago about running in the corridors being against school rules.
Well, at least she doesn't run into anyone this time. I, meanwhile, head off
for the classroom at a much more leisurely pace, arriving with plenty of time
to spare before the bell rings again for the start of our next class.
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