Under the flickering fluorescent lights of the cramped university office, Michael sorted through stacks of papers, his fingers brushing over the edges of essays and assignments with a familiarity bred from countless hours of work, each one a unique blend of insight and desperation.
The walls, lined with bookshelves crammed with well-thumbed volumes and papers, bore silent witness to his dedication. Here, in this academic sanctuary, Michael found a semblance of peace, a world away from the cutthroat realm of research that had once consumed him.
The door creaked open, and Professor Ellis entered, her presence immediately filling the room with an energy that seemed to make the very air buzz. She was a force of nature, her brilliant mind and sharp wit having guided Michael through the final, gruelling stages of his degree. Now, she was not just a mentor but a colleague, albeit one who viewed the world through a lens vastly different from his own.
"Michael, have you given any thought to what we discussed last week?" Professor Ellis asked, her eyes keen behind her glasses, as she perched on the edge of a cluttered desk.
Michael paused, a half-sorted stack of papers in hand. "I have, Professor, but I'm still not sure. I enjoy the work here, the teaching, the...simplicity of it."
Professor Ellis frowned slightly, her gaze intensifying. "Simplicity is a luxury that minds like yours can't afford to indulge in forever, Michael. There's a whole world of discovery out there, research centres that would leap at the chance to have someone with your talents."
Michael set his pen down, a slight frown creasing his brow. "It's not that simple," he muttered, avoiding her gaze. "I'm...comfortable here."
"Comfortable, or hiding?" Professor Ellis pressed.
Seeing his hesitation, Professor Ellis leaned forward, her voice softening. “I know you’re still hung up from that… incident, but hiding your light under a bushel here isn't the answer.”
She patted his head. “You have a rare gift, a brilliance that could change the field. It's a waste to spend it all on marking papers and guiding undergrads. You know what they say, those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach."
Michael chuckled hearing the last part and met her gaze, the weight of her words pressing down on him. "I just don't know if I'm ready to go back to that life."
With a sigh, Professor Ellis stood, her decision clear in her resolute stance. "I'm going to have to push you out of the nest, then. I've decided to let you go in two months. It's not because you aren't valued here, but because I can't stand by and watch you squander your potential."
The words hit Michael like a physical blow, his heart sinking. "You're firing me?"
"Yes," she said firmly, her voice carrying a mix of determination and a hint of regret, "because I believe in you, Michael." In the quiet of her own thoughts, Professor Ellis wrestled with a twinge of guilt and self-reproach. She understood the paradox of her actions—no child, prodigy or otherwise, was born with the duty to serve humanity at the expense of their own happiness. Yet, she couldn't shake the conviction that Michael was languishing, his true potential dimmed by the shadows of trauma.
In this moment, her decision felt both a curse and a necessary push, justified by the belief that Michael would never truly be fulfilled until he was given the chance to flourish to his fullest extent.
‘Sorry, kid, this is my greed,’ she confessed to herself, internally condemning her own duplicity.
“And if you need a recommendation, you know I'll sing your praises louder than anyone."
As Professor Ellis left the room, her steps echoing down the hall, Michael was left in stunned silence. The safety of the academic cocoon he'd wrapped around himself was being stripped away, leaving him exposed to the vast, uncertain world beyond.
