The Electronic IQ Test

MORNING OF FEBRUARY 20, 2008

I was back in school. It looked and felt like high school, but I was my current age. One morning I was running late trying to get there. I arrived at the school and would have been just in time for my fist class except I had to go and clock in for the day (yes, just like I do at my actual job) and I knew that would put me just a few minutes late into the classroom.

After clocking in, I was walking hurriedly down the halls when I realized they seemed utterly empty. Not only empty, but deserted and long-abandoned. The place was in utter disrepair. Still I continued walking, and the further down the hall I walked, I began to see a classroom here and a classroom there which had actual students in them. Before long, the entire building was in good condition, and all the classrooms were full and bustling.

I then realized I was standing in front of the office area, which was not closed off, but was a big, circular desk in the middle of everything where all the secretaries were just sitting. They were staring at me, as I'm sure I looked really confused after my strange ordeal walking down the hall. A particularly severe-looking lady behind the desk asked me why I wasn't in class, and I told her I was currently trying to find my way there.

So I finally made it to class--late, of course. The teacher was just getting started with the day's lecture. She shot me a cruel look when I sheepishly entered the classroom and took my seat, but said nothing. At this point I realized I had left my textbook in my locker, and only had my notebook and a folder of past assignments with me.

Naturally the teacher gave us an assignment to do during class that required the textbook. I asked to borrow one of the extra textbooks, and she told me I couldn't. So I was stuck, unable to do the classwork. I just began doodling in my notebook, and quickly began to forget my former frustration as I got lost in the drawings.

Next I vaguely remember walking on the lawn of the campus, supposedly after class. I was looking for Richard, because I had something to tell him, but I don't remember what.

Then I somehow ended up back in that office area again. There was an attractive girl sitting on a stool in front of me. The girl was fictional, but I "knew" her in my dream. She told me they were performing IQ tests, and she wanted me to guess her IQ before they tested her.

There was an LCD monitor attached to the stool she was seated on and it read "130" in red, digital numbers. I asked her what that was for, and she said that's what told you your IQ, but they hadn't run her test yet, so that wasn't necessarily her results. She asked me again to guess her IQ before they ran the test.

I knew this girl to be just very, very smart and bookish. I had no trouble believing something like 130 was probably at least her actual IQ. I began to wonder if it was some kind of trick question, and that monitor was already showing me the correct answer. As I pondered this, she pressed me again, with growing urgency, to guess her IQ!

I just spouted out, "I guess it probably really is 130 or something like that."

"So that's your guess? 130?"

"I don't know--sure--I guess--130."

Suddenly the digital numbers began rapidly fluctuating, and there were a series of electronic, shocking noises as the girl sat wearing a look of mild physical discomfort. Then the LCD monitor made a "ding!" sound, and the final reading stopped on 68.

I was stunned...I thought this girl was brilliant! She couldn't have only a 68 IQ! When she saw the results she jumped off the stool and ran to one of the teachers who was standing nearby. She embraced the teacher in sobs, apparently devastated over her results.