Calc Academy for Non-Computers: A Whimsical School Story

by Arya Rishi

Aurelene Atraman is a teenager living in the gray old town of Eherston. She goes to Calc Academy for Non-Computers—a school converted from a prison, filled with strange classes like Verbal Calculus and Illogical Thinking. Most days are fine, as long as Aurelene focuses on schoolwork, maintains her poker face, and tries not to cross paths with the principal’s advisor, the eccentric Mr. Withercox.

But where Aurelene’s heart really lies is Sylverhurst—the next-door town where the roads and plants are sparkling silver. Among their hills are plenty of odd a giant sphere in the middle of the street, a lattice tower for musical performances, and Aurelene’s favorite—a Wheel of Chimes that plays mesmerizing tunes that can never be recorded. While Aurelene knows the Withercox family’s ancient ties to Sylverhurst, she’s unaware of their mysterious operations occurring deep underground.

Meanwhile at Calc Academy, frustration brews. Mr. Withercox, beloved by most students, is impatient to achieve greatness. In a stroke of brilliance, he assigns the students to write “proofs of Non-Computership”—not that they really know what that means. But while undergoing a trial to prove their own consciousnesses, Aurelene and her friends—including the raving pessimist, Linnia, and the practical genius, Axis—find out what Mr. Withercox is really up to. And as soon as they confront him, he disappears without a trace.

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2024