Wednesday's Ichthyology class was the only class that took place during Blathers' sleeping hours. He'd made sure to select his time slots as late as he could but the only time slot available for this class was at 3:00pm. That was the latest it was offered and unfortunately for Blathers, that was far too early for him.
He showed up to class on time regardless. He'd leaned against the wall just outside the lecture room and briefly dozed off. The doors swung open and the stampede of students from the previous class woke him right up.
He found a seat in the front row and waited for the professor to arrive. It was quite cruel to ask an owl to be wide awake at 3:00pm, so he thought maybe he'd take another snooze before the professor arrived, just to rest his eyes. He closed his eyes for what felt like only a second.
He opened his eyes and was completely disoriented. The lecture room was full of seated students, most of whom were quietly chatting. There was a portable TV at the front of the room and beside the TV there was a snoring beaver in the professor's chair.
Blathers looked around in a panic. There was something scrawled on the chalkboard in very poor handwriting. It faintly read 'Prof. Chip' and 'Movie time'. The film on the TV seemed to be an old documentary on sea bass. The clock showed it had already been an hour since the class was scheduled to begin.
Blathers tried to focus and take some notes but ultimately stopped as he felt the use of an old documentary as a teaching tool was absurd. He opened his textbook and started reading its first chapter. His eyes felt heavy and he could feel them slowly shutting. He snapped awake and the students were packing their things. Ichthyology class was over. Professor Chip almost fell out of his chair which woke him up.
"Huh? Oh! Seems like class is over, nyuk nyuk nyuk. Alright students, see ya next week!"
Blathers wiped the drool off his face, packed his books and quickly rushed over to the professor, "Excuse me! Professor!"
Professor Chip unplugged the TV and was getting ready to roll it out of the room, "Huh? Yes, what can I do for ya?"
"I wanted to formally introduce myself, my name is--"
"--No need! I don't really take attendance, nyuk nyuk nyuk!"
"Yes, well, I just had a few questions because I believe I missed some of the class. Was there a... lesson today?"
"Hmmm... Well, this class is pretty straight forward. You're here to learn about fish! In my professional opinion, the best way to learn is to do! And seeing as I can't take the whole class fishing, I brought the next best thing." He said as he gave the TV a smack.
"I see. Will next week's class also be a documentary?"
"Not sure, I haven't decided yet. Not a bad idea, though! That book you're holding's a textbook, right?"
"It's this semester's Ichthyology textbook."
"Great! There's probably loads of pictures in it too. Just read that and come to my class to watch the ol' fish films and you'll be all set, nyuk nyuk nyuk!"
Blathers had a look of disappointment as he followed the professor out of the lecture room.
"Don't sweat it, this class will be a breeze. You've got nothin' to worry about, kid!"
Professor Chip rolled the TV down the hall and Blathers walked off into the opposite direction.
It was 6:00pm and there weren't many classes at this hour, which meant the university campus was not as busy as it usually was during the day. The evening was also prime library hours as it meant there weren't many students taking up space inside.
The library on campus was quite magnificent. The outside had medieval gothic inspired arches with enormous stained glass windows. It contained several grand and beautifully constructed towers all around the perimeter walls. The biggest tower was at the front and centre and housed a bell at the very top. The university library had hundreds of thousands of books and consisted of three different floors. The interior was all fashioned with old wooden shelves and tables. There were many chandeliers hanging from the ceiling but they were only lit in the evening and all through the night. During the day the large gothic windows were enough to keep the inside bright and well lit for all of its readers. The library was always quiet, as is accustomed to be in most libraries. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of pages being flipped and the occasional shoes walking on the ceramic tiles.
Blathers enjoyed spending his free time at the library. He was surrounded by knowledge and students who'd seek it. It was quite a peaceful place to be. Everyone was blissfully seated and reading the content of their chosen books. Blathers felt at ease here and could finally relax.
He selected a few books about aquatic life and found a nice spot at an empty table. The atmosphere in the library helped Blathers ease his mind from the stressful thoughts he had of his previous class. He opened the books up and began to read.
There was a loud bang and Blathers' eyes shot up from the book. A large empty trash bin rolled into view from behind one of the bookshelves. A few students in some red varsity jackets ran up to the trash bin to pick it up. It was about four young men and they quietly giggled amongst themselves. Blathers returned to his reading.
Suddenly another loud bang gave Blathers another startle. The trash bin was knocked over again, except this time someone was inside of it, head first. Someone shushed them and they giggled not so quietly this time. They helped their friend out of the trash bin. Blathers glared at them, confused about what kind of horseplay he was witnessing. The student who was helped out of the trash bin picked the bin up and set it upright again. The four boys walked away and Blathers continued his reading. Before he could be startled once more, he looked at the trash bin, and almost as if on cue, one of the other boys cannonballed into the bin. The boys let out a laugh and there were many people shushing them at this point asking them to be quiet.
Blathers angrily shut his book and went over to the front counter to check the book out. He saw the group of boys laughing and high-fiving each other as the one in the trash bin was struggling to get out.
Blathers left the library with his new book and decided he would just read at home where he could be away from the irritating students causing a ruckus.
"Oh? You're home early, Blathie." Celeste greeted him at the door.
"Yes, well the library tonight won't be a suitable space to get some reading done, unfortunately. It's been plagued with infants who have no idea how to comport themselves in a space of quiet learning!"
"Hmm? What's that sticking out of your bag?" Celeste pulled out the university event flyer Blathers had received the day prior, "Games event? You?" She burst out laughing.
"Give me that!" Blathers said as he yanked it from his sister's hand.
"I can't picture you attending any sort of event, let alone a competitive one!" she couldn't control her laughter.
Blathers stomped into his bedroom and shut the door. He took a look at the flyer that he'd forgotten was in his knapsack. He gave it a crumple and tossed it into the garbage can, where it hit the rim and fell to the ground.
----- Author's Note -----
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A Young Academic Named Blathers
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