Slow Time

It was a Thursday afternoon, and Katie was in school. The teacher droned and droned and droned about a number rule. But math was not on Katie's mind. She yawned and checked the time: the minute hand showed half past two and still had quite a climb. "I wish," she thought, "the bell would ring: this pace is far too slow. If only I could speed things up, if time would let me go!" No sooner said, than it was done: she heard the school bell's song. The class released its prisoners in one impatient throng. As soon as Katie left the school, she was at home — how strange! It felt as if no time had passed, which was a welcome change. There was some action on T.V. She settled in her chair. The show was over in a flash: Now, that seemed hardly fair! At supper Katie licked her chops, and loaded up her plate but didn’t even get a taste: too bad — she was too late! And then she had no chance to play, for it was half past ten. She went to bed but barely slept and had to rise again. At school she was amazed to learn that this day was the last before the summer holidays. The year was over fast! So Katie thought of all she'd do under the lazy sun when winter came and put an end to Katie's summer fun. She got her skis and put them on, but how far could she go when sudden spring snuck up on her and melted all the snow! She never noticed when and how she managed to grow tall. She went to work and drove a car but had no fun at all. She hated calendars and clocks: her carefree days had flown. Poor Katie had no time to rest with children' of her own. She'd only changed their diapers once before the wee ones walked, and ran and read and went to school and even rolled and rocked. She knew that soon she would become a grandma — old and grey, so Katie screamed: "I'm still a kid! I want to seize the day!" But then she heard the teacher's voice: "Your desk is not a bed. Stop snoring, Kate, and listen up. It's time to use your head. I have a problem of a sort that's tailor-made for you. How much is left till three o'clock if now it's half past two?"