..when you grow up

There they sit, the preschooler class encircling their mentor, the substitute teacher. "Now class, today we will talk about what you want to be when you grow up. Isn't that fun?" The teacher looks around and spots the child, silent, apart from the others and deep in thought. "Johnny, why don't you start?" she encourages him.

Johnny looks around, confused, his train of thought disrupted. He collects himself, and stares at the teacher with a steady eye.

"I want to code demos," he says. His words are becoming stronger and more confidant as he speaks.

"I want to write something that will change people's perception of reality. I want them to walk away from the computer dazed, unsure of their footing and eyesight. I want to write something that will reach out of the screen and grab them, making heartbeats and breathing slow to almost a halt. I want to write something that, when it is finished, they are reluctant to leave, knowing that nothing they experience that day will be quite as real, as insightful, as good. I want to write demos."

Silence. The class and the teacher stare at Johnny, stunned. It is the teachers turn to be confused. Johnny blushes, feeling that something more is required. "Either that or I want to be a fireman."