The Sad Life of a Pencil

PositronWildhawk It was a normal day. I went into school, the buzzer sounded, and I made my way to Physics class. As a top-grade student, I would normally be prepared for anything, especially this practical test. But I opened my pencilcase, and my heart slumped in its ribs. I had no pencils. How could I draw a diagram? I couldn't be sure I wouldn't make a mistake, and if I did, I'd be dead!

I borrowed a pencil from my friend, and it was the start of my experience in what was already an ongoing tragedy. The pencil made a hollow sound as I tapped it against a desk. Was there any solid graphite under the surface? As I put pressure on its fine, delicate point, it snapped. No big deal, I imagined, this pencil is perfectly used to having its head scratched against a surface, but to having its torso rotationally shredded? No! How can it go through such horror on a regular basis? I kept regrowing its tip-head, as it snapped every time, still feeling sorrowful for it. The very thought of being constantly decapitated! It was just too immoral for me to look.

Eventually, my pencil was half the individual it was. Stumpy, blunt and soft. In just trying to use this pencil, I'd made its life unbearable. It must be the fault of the manufacturers; why can't those Chinese sweatshop workers work harder, for the sake of these pitiful pencils? It's a violation of civil rights, and it must be undone!

I took that pencil home, forgetting to return it to my friend. Separated, isolated, broken inside. Though I am a caring individual, I could not return this pencil to its former size and shape. I had homework, and I could not compromise my future, however I had to place this pencil through more frustration!

It was much the same as before, putting it through the constant suffering of decapitation and dwarfing, which had its accumulating effects. Eventually, my graph sketching was a horrific sight, as I had to hold what was now a four centimetre stick so awkwardly, like a splinter in my skin. I was in agony, seeing this ethical injustice, but the true misery came as I had to apply more and more pressure. Force divided by surface area had its consequences, and I heard the remorseful crack of wood and graphite, as hundreds of tiny shards shattered across my desk. Continuing, like my dismal dead pencil, was pointless.

I wish we could live in a world without this. A small, pointed partner is a useful component of our academic training, and then our academic careers. It has the rights we have to be treated with respect, so we should do what we can to help them, not speed up how they die. Not make them die under these horrible conditions. Does the robust and refillable pen not offer a way around this? Whether the pencil shall regain its dignity in society, is IIB or not IIB. That is the question: whether 'tis nobler in the mind to exploit the tips and biros of contemporary cuneiform.

Comments

That was a good creepypasta. - visitor (2/19/2015)

Wow. - JaysTop10List (2/19/2015)

Now, this may seem exaggerated, but to an artist, it's a truly hair-ripping, soul-crushing issue... (WHYYU PRISMACOLORS GOTTA DO THIS? ) - keycha1n (2/19/2015)

Profits. - PositronWildhawk (2/19/2015)

This is a serious debate for one of the most serious problems in this world! - Turkeyasylum (2/19/2015)

After reading this, I guess I won't ever want to know about "The sad life of a chewing gum". - Kiteretsunu (2/20/2015)

Now is the mintier of our discontent, made glorious flavour by this gum of York. - PositronWildhawk (2/21/2015)

"2B or not 2B…" Brilliant Hamlet reference. - PetSounds (2/20/2015)

Haha! I just notaced that! - visitor (4/6/2015)

Mmm... That was really interesting. - funnyuser (2/21/2015)

Sounds like a chick flick - bobbythebrony (2/23/2015)

That is very wise. - visitor (3/1/2015)

Haha that was very funny! But is it supposed to be sad? Then brouhaha I guess... - MusicalPony (3/1/2015)

*Clapping slowly* That was sad - Delgia2k (3/3/2015)

Sarcasm? - PositronWildhawk (3/3/2015)

Yep - Delgia2k (3/6/2015)

Delgie. No way. That's just not you! - PositronWildhawk (3/6/2015)

An emotional poem about pencil lead…Something you will only see on TheTopTens. - BlueTopazIceVanilla (10/10/2015)

GEINIS IDEA! anyways,NOOO! THE PENCILS! Stop killing them! Stop using them for your needs,stop shredding their pointed heads! stop snapping them! USE PENS INSTEAD - Nateawesomeness (1/29/2016)

I'll be using pens from now on. (sarcasm) - visitor (9/13/2016)

This needs to be turned into a oprea musical. - elmoworldrocksisback (6/25/2017)

The pencil was pretty old, and it was beginning to shrink and lose its parts, it slowly lost the qualities that made it the strong, sturdy pencil that that it originally was - kinda similar to an adult shrinking as he gets old, and getting the Alzheimer's disease and slowly begins to lose the qualities that made him the strong person that he was. - styLIShT (4/15/2018)

Ooh that was kinda poetic - styLIShT (4/15/2018)

You need to do the sad life of a toothbrush, comb, handkerchief or underwear - styLIShT (4/15/2018)