You’ve had the same mechanical pencil for what feels like forever. The click is just right, the eraser works (most of the time), and the lead never breaks at the worst possible moment. This pencil has been with you through every math test, every English essay, and every history note. It’s perfect.
But today, when you reach into your pencil case—gasp—it’s gone.
Your heart skips a beat. This is no ordinary pencil. This is the pencil. The one that’s been with you through thick and thin. And now, it’s missing.
The Search Begins
You start with a thorough investigation. First, you check your desk. Nothing. Then, you rifle through your backpack, pulling out old homework, snack wrappers, and a mysteriously sticky notebook, but no pencil. You even check under your desk like it might’ve fallen into another dimension.
At this point, it’s clear: this is a major emergency.
Do you:
- Give up and use one of those cheap school pencils that never write properly and feel like they’re going to break with the first touch of the paper?
- Or start asking your friends if they’ve seen it? Maybe someone just borrowed it?
The Suspicious Find
You decide to ask your friends, casually hoping someone will say, “Oh, I found it!” But as soon as you ask around, you start feeling suspicious. Everyone looks way too calm about your missing pencil. Either they know something, or they’re all in on this together.
Later, as you’re wandering around the classroom, you spot a pencil in someone’s case that looks way too familiar. It’s the same brand, the same color, the same click. Wait a second… is that your pencil? You try to stay calm, but something doesn’t feel right. You decide to investigate further.
Do you:
- Casually ask, “Oh hey, is that your pencil? It looks just like mine!”
- Or act cool and wait until class is over, planning to “accidentally” ask about it then?
The Accusation
After class, you get a closer look at that pencil. It’s definitely your pencil, or at least looks like it. You’re now facing the ultimate dilemma: do you confront the person and accuse them of stealing, or do you give them the benefit of the doubt?
You take a deep breath and casually ask, “Hey, where did you get that pencil? I think I’ve lost mine, and it looks kind of… familiar.”
They look at you with wide eyes, genuinely confused. “Oh, I’ve had this for ages. It’s totally mine! Maybe you just left yours somewhere?”
This raises even more questions. Did you leave it behind at lunch? Did it somehow vanish in the halls?
Do you:
- Politely thank them for the info and continue your search. You’re getting closer to finding the truth!
- Or gently accuse them of having borrowed it without asking and demand to see their pencil case for any signs of mechanical pencil hoarding.
The Realization
After what feels like an eternity of searching and mildly dramatic pencil interrogations, you’re starting to give up. Maybe it’s truly gone, lost forever in the abyss of your backpack. You’ve checked every pocket, sifted through every corner—and still, no sign of your mechanical pencil.
But just as you’re about to admit defeat, you dig one more time.
And there it is.
Your pencil.
It’s wedged between a notebook and a crumpled candy wrapper, exactly where it’s been the whole time.
A wave of relief floods over you, and a grin spreads across your face. It’s back! It’s really back!
You pick it up with a mix of joy and disbelief, holding it like it’s the most precious thing in the world. After all that panic, it turns out it was just buried under a pile of stuff. It never went anywhere—it was always right there, just waiting to be found.
The Aftermath
You laugh at yourself. After all that panic, the pencil was right there the whole time. You vow to never let it out of your sight again, keeping it close and safe.
But deep down, you know that’s a promise you’ll never be able to keep.
By Sarah Tea ‘30, Middle School Editor
