Nobody slurps through the school door and makes her way to her desk. She sits down, takes out a blank notebook and her blue pen. Morning pours in through the tall windows, golden and quiet.
Nobody scratches the page with her pen. The letters come out like tangled scribbles, a nest of angry ants. It isn’t what she wanted to write. She sighs and looks at the ink stains on her fingers.
She tries a second time, erasing furiously until the paper grows thin and tears. The page is left a mess of broken lines. I can’t do it, Nobody thinks, pushing the ruined page away.
A green notebook slides beside her. It is new, its cover still shiny and spotless. Nobody looks up. Luca gives her a little nod, then returns to his drawings.
Luca opens the green notebook and draws three symbols: a storm cloud, a cracked cup, and a tangled ball of yarn. Which one? he asks, tapping each drawing with his finger. Nobody stares at the cloud.
Nobody points to the cloud with a trembling finger. The classroom chatter fades away. She opens the green notebook and, very slowly, writes: angry. Then she adds: sad. At last, the words seem to find their place.
The teacher hears the rustling pages and comes over, peeking into the green notebook. She bends toward Nobody, her curious eyes behind her cat-eye glasses. Now I understand, she says in a gentle voice.
The teacher places a hand on Nobody’s shoulder and nods, her eyes lighting up with a smile. Nobody takes a deep breath. Her pencil rolls off the desk and stops against her sneaker.
At recess, Nobody runs in the schoolyard with the green notebook held tightly in her hands. Two classmates come over, curious. She shows them the cloud and the cracked cup, laughing at the tangled ball of yarn.
The classmates ask if they can add their own symbols. Nobody nods and hands them the green notebook. One draws a sun, and the other a bird in flight. The notebook becomes more and more beautiful.
The bell rings. Nobody lingers for a moment, tracing the familiar shapes on the green notebook with her fingertip. Then she stands up, hugs the notebook to her chest, and walks back to class with a light step.
Back in class, Nobody sits at her desk. She opens the green notebook and picks up her blue pen. This time the letters come out straight, one after another, like little soldiers in a line.