Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
This is the Doctrine’s contribution to Doug’s new bloghop: The M of M. Click here and join the fun.
The prompt, this week is:
AUSTRALIA
‘Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.‘
Stepping back from the chalkboard, white mist descending to the floor in subtle, if not un-appreciated irony, Professor Macnamara turned towards the empty auditorium. A single red light glowed from the camera, placed as the professor’s vanity insisted, in the center and middle of the half-moon of empty seats. Red ‘Exit’ lights beamed their advisory to no one, save the woman on the stage.
“Can anyone tell the class why Ernst Haeckel’s observation is useful to the current threat to mankind?”
Walking towards the sterile cloth-draped banquet table, the reign of monochrome was briefly overthrown as she was bathed in the video prism of a computer-screen full of half-profile thumbnails of her students.
“Yes, Yvette?”
‘It suggests that a novel virus may contain the solution to its eradication in any subsequent mutations.”
“Very good.” A light flickered impatiently around one of the thumbnails; seeing no other request to be heard, Jean reluctantly clicked the ‘Unmute’ on Pierre Hanga-Raruraru.
“But didn’t that strategy prove ineffective in Australia?”
The computer display dimmed as the ‘Class Ending in Three Minutes’ message scrolled over the grid of remote med students.
“Sorry, we’re out of time. Please remember, end of term projects are due next week, upload as ahead of the deadline as possible. The new Quarantine Protocols forbid any attempts to deliver them in person.”
About clarkscottroger
Well, Clark, that was a pretty serious piece of scientific thingmy-whatsit!
Loved the reality of the teacher avoiding the too-bright student.
Excellent.
yeah, my imagination do seem to be pretty permanently infected with ‘whatsititis’
(I smile as I type. … let’s see, ISAIT … nah, lacks the panché l-you-know-what-l)
A whole new version of ‘saved by the bell’ for Prof Macnamara, whose character comes across clearly from her behaviour.
And you create a stark picture of ‘study in a time of plague’: ‘red exit lights,’ the words ‘sterile’ and ‘monochrome’, and the wonderful sentence, ‘… she was bathed in the video prism of a computer-screen full of half-profile thumbnails of her students.’
Great story, Clark.
thanks, jenne (I like visuals especially when they are reflections of an external feature but significant to the story)
Oh, to have been a student in those halcyon days of the plague. ;-) To the extent that this bear of little brain understood the proposition, I’m not sure whether to be a platysourpuss or a he’skiddinya. :-)
(don’t tell anyone… but I googled he’skiddinya just in case, cause, you know Australia?)
Fun prompt, for giving an excuse to spend more time wikipeding your mythological ‘country’ than I spent typing the story.
Try ‘echidna’ – he’skiddinya – geddit :-) As for the prompt, my cunning plan worked like a dream.
The entelechy says “Good to see that Ernst is remembered”
Dude!
Excellent wordifying* Seriously, learning new words is half the fun of participating in a writing-prompt bloghop
*not a ‘real’ word.
Excellent.
Thankee, Miz M
That opening paragraph is as good a scene-setter as I’ve read in a long time. Enjoyed this.
Enjoyed this 🙂