"My name is Yuri Sadisuto, and I am just like you."
As I stand in front of the class, I can already feel the audience's eyes glaze over. Looking over the classroom, not a single set person is focused on me. Even then, the show must go on. I adjust the collar on my brown wool sweater, the room is a bit hot even for the fall, or is that just my nerves eating away at me and making me think it's hot.
"Just like you in that, I want to understand what is going on in the universe, I want to understand its secrets. In my club, the supernatural exploration club, we seek to discover those secrets."
It's finally time. I thought to myself.
Shut up. The other voice in my head thought back.
As my heart beats a little faster, I clench my open hands, pushing my finger nails into my palm; there's a little bit of relieving pain.
"We investigate the existence of super heroes, magic users, aliens, and psychics."
Immediately, several people perk up.
They think you're insane.
Would you shut up?
"We seek to discover that such entities not only exist, but are currently among us."
Someone laughs under their breath, another laugh, this time exaggerated to make sure I hear it. I can feel the little beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
Great, now they're making fun of you.
Look, let's just get this over with already.
"Anyone who is interested in such pursuits are welcome to join the supernatural exploration club."
And now it's time to get out of here as fast as possible.
"I have a question."
Before I can run out of the room, someone raises their hand. It's a man in the back, long black hair and wearing a black leather jacket.
Don't make me talk, please don't make me talk.
What an asshole.
"Yes, of course. Ask away."
"Yeah, are you serious?"
"Am I serious? Am I serious… You know, that is an excellent question. I'm very serious. This is a serious club that seriously investigates the supernatural."
"What, like ghosts and stuff?"
"Exactly." I snap back.
I had indeed looked for ghosts in the past, I distinctly remember one night spent in the city's most famous haunted site, the civic theater. I had just bought a variety of different "ghost hunting" equipment and that, on top of my own home made gear, was used to search for spirits haunting the theater. Ultimately, I never found any ghosts, nor any tangible trace of them. But just because I didn't find them that night, doesn't mean they do not exist.
"Wait, you guys seriously investigate ghosts?" The heckler interrupted my recollection, I can feel the tone in his voice, it's the same tone everyone has when they hear about the ghost part.
"What guys? She's the only club member." Another person in the back chimes in.
"So, you, all alone, go ghost hunting?"
"I have looked for ghosts, yes."
"Hah!"
Look at his smug face.
Hey, dickhead, don't make fun of the crazy lady!
"Look, it's not funny; supernatural phenomena including the paranormal need to be investigated."
"And what was that part earlier about the super heroes? You believe in those too?"
"I believe they could exist."
A few more people openly laughed, seemingly emboldened by the heckler.
"Would you guys just shut up?" This time, it was someone near the front, a young guy wearing an orange button up long-sleeve shirt.
"Let the lady believe what she wants." He looked back at the heckler when saying it.
The heckler did not respond, he instead threw back his head.
"Alright, if that's it for today, I'm gonna awkwardly walk out of here." I say, then slink out of the room.
Worse class yet.
I liked the one where they just sat silently and thought amongst themselves how cringe and stupid you are.
Getting back to the club room on the third floor, I slip my shoes off and close the door behind me. The club room that I have spent the last year in looks just the way it did when I started this club, still has the same musty odor it had back then too. The room is the size of any other classroom in the building. There is a brown couch in one corner, a computer desk in another, a large wooden desk near the front of the room surrounded by wooden chairs, and a large blackboard mounted to the wall. There was also a sizable closet near the front.
It was pretty much like any default club room here.
You never were one for decorating.
Making my way over to the couch, I sit down and lean my head against the wall.
"I cannot believe I just did that. God, this is the most embarrassing day of my life.
Most embarrassing day of your life so far.
Would you shut up?
I pull out my phone and begin to scroll through YouTube.
*Knock knock*
"Come in" I say.
The same young man who defended me just minutes ago walks into the room, I can see a bright smile upon his face.
"I'm here to talk about joining the club."
"Joining the club?"
"Yes, I was considering becoming a member."
Is he serious, or is he making fun of me?
"Oh, ok. I'm sorry if I seem a bit unprepared, I never had anyone actually want to join. Uh, we are the supernatural exploration club. We seek to find the truth about things like super heroes, magic-"
"I heard the original pitch in the classroom. I want to know what you actually do here. How do you go about investigating the supernatural?"
"Yeah, so we go about our investigations in a variety of ways. For instance, just last month, I set a trap for time travelers."
"A trap?"
"It's in the closet."
Going into the closet, I pull out one of the many devices inside.
"This is a time stasis device. In theory, it should prevent time travelers from traveling to any point before the day it was turned on."
"In theory?"
"Well, since I didn't end up finding any time travelers, I just assumed it didn't work."
Perhaps the time travelers have found a way around my stasis device. I've had several ideas that time travel could be non-linear and we could actually work in three-dimensional concept of time where time travel itself is part of the timelinem
"You could also assume that time travel isn't possible."
"Yeah, but I'd rather believe my invention just didn't work."
"Your invention? So you built this thing?"
"Yeah."
"What's your major?"
"Engineering. But I'm minoring in physics, so that's how I figured out the whole stopping time travel thing."
Time travel? There's no way he doesn't think you're crazy.
"Engineering. You must be pretty smart to take those kinds of classes."
I've never really considered myself smart. These things that I build just come naturally. Like, one day the thought of what I'm going to build just pops into my head; from that point, it's just following the instructions in my mind on how to build it.
"Meh, I don't know. It's not like I've managed to build something really cool."
"Like what?"
"Like an Iron Man suit."
"That's from a movie. I wouldn't expect someone to build that for the next ten to twenty years."
"But that's the beauty of building it now. It's precisely because it's impossible that it's incredible."
"You like the impossible."
"I love the impossible. That's why I'm here."
"So, to get down to it, you invent things to find the impossible. Is that right?"
"Yes."
"Then I want in."
He genuinely wants in? What is he, nuts?
I'd think I was nuts if I were him.
"That's fine with me. But I must ask, what drew you into this club?"
"It's just interesting."
I have the man fill out a form to join the club, and looking it over I see his name is-
"Terri."
"Yep."
At that moment, it felt like something was off. He said his name was Terri, but to me, that felt so wrong. Perhaps I just didn't think it fit him, but that really wasn't it.
"So, Terri, I'll submit this form, but you're basically in the club at this point."
"Excellent."
"Indeed, it is excellent, because now that you're a member you get to see my latest invention for capturing the impossible."
Back in the closet, I roll out a large metal device. It looks like an old metallic space satellite, like something the Soviet Union would have launched. On top of it a large satellite dish.
"What is that thing?"
"I call it the orbital magnetic attractor."
"The what now?"
"It's basically a big electro magnet that can be finely tuned to attract very specific pieces of metal."
Terri starts looking the machine over, clearly captivated by its amazing design.
"A big magnet, huh? So how strong is it?"
"Strong enough to pull metal from space."
"Space?"
"Hold on, I have a whole speech for this part. Did you know that there are thousands of tonnes of metallic junk up in the planet's orbit?"
"Like old satellites and stuff?"
"Exactly."
Walking over to the chalk board, the smell of chalk dust left by all my past uses of the board hits my senses. I pick up a piece of chalk and start drawing a crude sketch of the satellites orbiting earth.
"So, this device targets those big pieces of metal and pulls them down to Earth."
I draw an illustration of magnetic waves attracting the metal. It's a very simplistic and childish drawing, I've never had any skill in art.
"You're gonna pull metal satellites down to Earth? Aren't they gonna destroy whatever they hit?"
"Again, exactly. You see, this device is basically a weapon of mass destruction. The idea is to create a situation where someone would have to stop it, say a super hero for example."
"I don't understand."
"I'm using this to create a catastrophic situation where, if super heroes exist, they would have to intervene to save lives."
"Ok. That sounds genuinely crazy."
He called you crazy.
Well, at least he's honest.
He didn't say I was crazy, he said the idea was crazy.
"I see it as perfectly logical. Either super heroes exist, in which case they'd be morally obligated to step in and do something about this, or they don't and nothing will happen."
"And in the nothing will happen universe?"
"Relax. I would never allow anyone to get hurt. This baby not only attracts metal, it can also repel it too. I'll just repel the satellites back into orbit at the last minute."
"Not that I don't believe your machine can do what you claim, but, no, actually, I genuinely don't believe it."
"Then let me show you proof that it works."
My finger hits a few keys and buttons on the front of the machine and it starts emitting a low humming noise.
"Ok, now what?"
"Well, it'll take a few hours, but by the end of today, people will start reporting that the satellites are falling out of orbit."
"Well then, anything else to do while we wait?"
"Not really. Unless you want to just sit in the chair and be bored waiting for the news report."
"I think I'm gonna go home. If that's okay with you."
"Yeah, sure. Just be back here tomorrow."
Terri walks out and I make my way back to the couch and continue to scroll on my phone.