Written On Trains

A X F - Sept 3, 2019

It started with the exquisite looking letter A. Then around it, with every fifth period on a Monday, a pencilled rose bloomed. 

Slowly, the graffiti on the wall evolved.

Though sketched at her favourite corner, Az never thought the 'A' has anything to do with her.

So she hunched over notes, one class after another, focused on the lecturer.

A dozen roses after, the graffiti grew larger. Whoever started it had a penchant for nature. Thorns and leaves appear, and soon puffs of clouds loomed over. It was truly becoming a respectable art installation.

Then one day Az came late to class. She missed her regular spot next to the wall. Another student sat there, and a friend noticed something:

"You know Az, I could only see the whole pencil graffiti when you're sitting there. That boy who got to your favourite seat just now was too tall, I couldn't see the circle of roses."

"Notice the way the clouds were drawn? They seemed to float around Az. They framed her head nicely, especially when you hunch over her notes," another classmate chipped in.

Az the studious simply grinned bashfully. She had secretly admired the art, and sometimes imagined herself turning into a caricature blending into it, but her friends need not know that.

Classes went on as the semester progressed, and the graffiti grew even larger. A bird has entered the picture, on its left foot tied with a piece of paper.

The sketch framed Az's sitting profile perfectly that her friends began to seed more weird ideas into her head.

"I think one of our English 111 classmates is in love with Az," said her friend who had discreetly took a photo of Az, sitting, hunched at her desk, against the wall with the graffiti.

"The bird with the note is flying at Az's eye level. Bet he's confessing soon," another one said.

Az tried not to entertain her friends' theories. But being so close to the wall, she noticed small letterings on the picture, specifically on the paper tied to the bird's feet. But she dare not crane her neck for proper look.

"Good job, Az. You're the only one to score an A for this technique of research writing. Perhaps, you'd be able to tutor a mate who had just scored a D? He's the only one in this class failing," the lecturer said one day, after making her wait till everyone has left the room.

She agreed.

"Stay after the next class, please," requested her lecturer.

Az was introduced to Fai at the end of the next class. As the class would remain empty for the rest of the day, Az started tutoring immediately. The guy was shy, he couldn't articulate his thoughts well.

"I... I'm not sure how, where to start."

"Maybe start with why the research is important?" she suggested.

They worked on a couple of topics.

"Your ideas are more pronounced now. Maybe if you reiterate your three main points as conclusion, you'll bag some marks," she remarked. They collaborated for a couple more assignments before the mid-sem test.

"B+, Mr Fai. Well done," said the lecturer 3 weeks later. 

By then the graffiti on the wall had filled nearly the whole wall, save for a spot that resembles a silhouette of a sitting girl. That spot, obvious to everyone now, had been reserved for the girl who had played tutor.

"Congrats, Fai. How do you feel? Confident enough for final test?" Az checked after class.

"I feel like... I like A... I'd like an A," he answered, as usual his thoughts jumbling.