It happened almost all the time. The formation of ideas both fictional and nonfictional, at high speed in my mind.
Source
When I was younger and did not have an Android phone, I took the closest notebook I could find and began to scribble on it as fast as I could, ensuring to captured every detail just the way it was coming to mind.
It was always like there was this gigantic theater in my mind where actors came and left as they pleased and every time they came, I was given the task to document all that they did.
I was in class one afternoon when a name came to mind. It was an Ibibio name, Ayamma, and being that I am really familiar with the language, I knew what it meant. I just decided to start writing around it before I lost the inspiration coming to mind.
I was scribbling furiously at the back of my notebook, completely oblivious to the middle-aged woman standing just in front of my desk when I suddenly heard my name.
I lifted my head only to find my lecturer staring into my eyes. She seemed to be quite furious.
“I've warned you people to stop taking notes and just listen to my explanation. The notes will be passed later on your class platform. What did I say last?”
I bit the insides of my cheek quite embarrassed at the fact that I was completely lost in ‘Ayamma’s’ world and didn't hear a word of what my lecturer had been saying, not to talk of what she said last.
“I'm sorry ma, I wasn't listening” I mumbled.
“You weren't listening and you were writing? What have you been writing?” Then she picked the note up, moving her lips without saying anything audible then she looked up at me. “See me in my office after this class”
I nodded remorsefully, being summoned to the lecturer's office on such accounts was never a pleasant visit. At least she didn't send me out of the class, plus I had recording everything since the previous class so I didn't feel left out.
I walked over to her office when she was leaving the class, meekly taking her handbag and pile of textbooks for her as she walked out.
“Your name is Treasure, yes?”
I nodded, my heartbeat doubling immediately. She took a good look at me and then sighed.
“Free writing during class, that is a serious offense so long as I am concerned,” I remained silent, “But that story I saw you scribbling, I want you to turn it into a script and submit it to me by our next class”
“But ma…”
“That's the only way I'm letting you off. Or else I'll punish you for being absent-minded in class and that means you have to leave my class for a month”
I opened my mouth again but no words were forthcoming so I closed it. She smiled satisfactorily when she saw that I wasn't trying to argue anymore and asked me out of her office.
“So what are you going to do now?” Jane, my girlfriend who was seated beside me when the whole drama occurred, asked. I shrugged.
“I'm going to write her script”
“But it's supposed to be your idea. Is she going to get it from you or what?”
I didn't know and I told Jane so.
“I think you should be more careful with this your writing stuff. You shouldn't be writing in class”
“I don't do it because I just want to. I have to write as the inspiration comes, or else I'll lose it.”
“Madam inspiration. I hope you're inspired enough to finish that script by next week though” she said and walked away.
One of the things I detested was having a time limit on the writing I was doing. I loved to write at my pace, just in case I wanted to tear down the entire story and start again.
There was no time to make choices because of the situation so I made sure I wrote every day until I was done with ‘Ayamma’.
I took the typed script to her office just before it was time for her class the next week. I could tell she had a faint smile on her face but she didn't want to show it.
“I don't own this, you do. I just wanted to make sure you are done so you wouldn't think of writing in my class today”
I thanked her and took the script she handed over. I was about to leave when she called me back.
“I don't suppose you would want to carry my books today, would you?”
I smiled and took them from the table, walking behind her to our next class.
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