The Day I Became Linus Pauling

[sunset from my studio]


The cook says,
'I was once like you,
fresh from the ground. Then I boiled in time,
and boiled in the body, two fierce boilings.

My animal soul grew powerful.
I controlled it with practices,
and boiled some more, and boiled
once beyond that,
and became your teacher.'

— Rumi, "Chickpea to Cook," tr. Coleman Barks

January 14, 2009

Idea for story while half-asleep this morning. This is the sort of stuff that is happening more right now.

The Day I Became Linus Pauling

10 or 11 yo 5th grade girl, intimidated by science, thinks she can’t do it, with unsupportive science teacher, wakes up one morning and she is not in her own bed. She gets up, walks downstairs, and a lady about the age of her grandmother says, Good Morning, Linus, and kisses her on the cheek.

She dresses and goes outside to try and find her way to school and when she walks in the front door, it’s not school. It’s an office. And everyone says, Good morning Dr. Pauling! How are you this morning, Dr. Pauling? Are you ready for your speech tonight? Are you ready for your lecture this morning at M.I.T.?

She goes to teach at MIT and she opens her mouth to say she really isn’t supposed to be here, that she’s a 5th grader who can’t do science very well! But instead, she gives a lecture on Chemistry!

She steps to the board, terrified she will blow her cover…instead all kinds of complex equations go up in chalk on the board! She cannot believe it and receives all kinds of accolades for her teaching! Brilliant college boys come up and want her autograph! That night she gives her speech. Again, she swallows hard, and opens her mouth to say that this is is all a big mistake, but instead a lecture comes out, all about science!

She goes to bed in Dr. Pauling’s bed next to Mrs. Pauling and when she wakes up, she’s in her own room. She wonders if it was all a dream.

But at science class that day, her hand shoots up to answer questions without even trying. At first a wrong answer comes out and she thinks, Oh, No. but then her hand shoots up of its own volition at the next question, and she thinks, Oh no! She is called on. She swallows hard, and prepares to say, I don’t know the answer. Instead, the correct answer comes out of her mouth! She can’t believe it! Maybe it wasn’t a dream after all!