Pre-Baccalaureate Prophecy

(Note: You might want to read this first�)

Life for me began the day I graduated college, and not for any other reason than because I was sure it was the day I was going to die. I and my friends had foreseen that the very hour after the ceremony, as we were walking the street outside campus that intersected with a raildoad track, a train would pass and kill us all. And it wouldn�t be like we would intend it to happen at all. In fact, we could be walking like it was any other school day�except for the fact that we would be on black graduation robes and caps�and we would be so busy feeling happy and proud and relieved that college was over, that we wouldn�t even notice an oncoming train.

And that was what happened�or at least to my friends. We were to walk, the four of us, together out of the campus after the ceremonies were through.

As we were on the way out of the gate, though, and I was looking in the direction of the railroad tracks, wary of any oncoming train, I happened to pass my glance over those stalls on the alleyways making fake diplomas for a fee. These fabricators were notoriuos for producing authentic looking fake diplomas because, from what I�d heard, they have connections with the very press the universities hire for making real diplomas.

I suddenly became conscious of the rolled up parchment I had stuck in the front pocket of my pants. Instinctively, I reached for it, and only upon unrolling it did I remember that that piece of paper that had been handed to us with congratulations on the stage during the ceremonies was but a fake diploma itself. In fact, it was worse than fake; it was a blank sheet of paper and might not have even been for me at all, as it could have been handed to just anyone. The real certificates, of course, considering the number of graduates, were to be claimed within the next six months to a year after the ceremonies.

It could have been OK, and I could have died with my friends that day, except that I had to wonder how my name would appear on my authentic diploma. It was thus wondering that I was reminded of my long-standing issue with my university concerning the official spelling of my name.

So I stopped, pulled out the programme from my bag, and looked up my name from the list of graduates. I was pretty sure the way the names were printed there would be a good indication of how the names would be spelled when printed on to our diplomas. And sure enough, I spotted the misspelling in my name that might as well have nullified all my years in school and convicted me a fraud.

�Guys, wait,� I said, holding the programme up to them. �Lousy school officials still can�t spell my name right. Gotta talk to the registrar before this��I pointed to the spelling error��gets printed on my official records.�

They just laughed as I turned to go back to campus. They stood where they were after I�d stopped them, and if only I�d known they wouldn�t stay put, I guess I would have done something, like asked to them go with me, or not go back at all. Then perhaps the horrible thing that was to happen to them was prevented, or if not, then it could have happened to them with me with them, like a true pal.

Instead they moved forward, and they were no more than mangled body parts, scattered pieces of internal organs, and three relatively undamaged graduation caps when I returned to them.

By standers�a couple of new graduates like us, pedestrians, and squatters living on either sides of the railroad tracks�looked on, and I had to squeeze my way through them to get to what was left of my friends.

The first thing I did after getting over the hysteria was ask any witnesses if the deaths looked in any way like intentional�you know, like it was something my friends did to themselves to fulfill a pre-baccalaureate prophecy.

�No,� bystanders told me. According to them my friends were playfully tossing their caps in the air like any proud graduate would. Suddenly the wind blew, and their caps were blown towards the railroad tracks. They chased it, so ecstatic were they that they failed to notice a train coming their way.

�They were unaware of it to the last second,� the bystanders said. I could almost see the happy faces of my friends, just before�and perhaps even upon�the train�s impact. And that at least gave me relief� if not comfort.

�Well,� I said to myself, �at least someone can bring the news to their parents.��and picking up the graduation caps��and return these to the graduation costumes rentals people.�

� Jay Santos 2004.