The third grade was never the same or so they told me. |
I will never forget my third grade teacher. Because Mrs. Huff had been dead for 100 years before I ever came into her third grade class. Now understand my parents told me the story about how before I was born there was a great storm! After that storm there were not may people left. Someone figured out how to bring some of the dead back. Thus Mrs. Huff, my parents did joke about make sure she does not ask for brains. I learned later that before the storm there were horror movies about the dead coming back and wanting to eat peoples brains. Mrs. Huff never once mentioned these movies. She did have green skin and always wore sunglasses. I later learned that most of the risen as the dead were called eyes were white. But her voice was clear and she taught us all the states and there capitals. Though she did have to correct herself. The storm had removed some of the states from the map and other states capitals had moved since she was last alive. I remember how rough and dry here skin was when she was correcting one of my papers, and her arm brushed mine as she pointed somehing out. The oddest thing was what was not there. Some how Mrs. Huff had no smell unless someone had spilled some paint or food, and she had gotten some on her when she was cleaning it up. Strange something about the way they brought the dead back. Mrs. Huff was always very careful around any heat source. There were meetings with the whole school about the extra fire extinguishers for the risen. Mrs. Huff and the rest of the dead were very flammable. So in third grade I learned about what things were like when Mrs. Huff was alive. Sometimes if the class was caught up with that days assignments Mrs. Huff would tell about what life was like during her time. Mrs. Huff was very clear about the horrors of her time and how things had changed with the great storm. I would sit and wonder about how people could have been like she described, with part of the population in jail or going back again and again. Or how just two political parties would try and run the country supposedly. Mrs. Huff thought they made noises like they were different but time showed they were one and the same. Third grade and Mrs. Huff, Showed us the current map of the world and our country. She used it as a history guide showing with an overlay that outlined the former borders, and those parts that were now water that had history that we could only visit now by submarine. It was one of these geography slash history lessons that a Monitor came to are class with the Principle. The Monitor was almost like Mrs. Huff except only the brain had been brought back and the rest was a robot. All the Monitors looked almost identical except for there names and anything they chose to adorn there plastic metal bodies. Our school Monitor was Mr. Nardo and he had just come to our school so this was his first day here. The Principle introduced Mrs. Huff to Mr Nardo and then said continue class. Mrs. Huff had not moved or spoken since being introduced to Mr. Nardo. I remember that although Mrs. Huff had never raised her voice with emotion she did now “We are looking at the Civil War battle fields that are still above water Mr. Nardo” Said Mrs Huff in a loud voice. I would never hear her that loud again, but Mr. Nardo jerked and nodded and took a seat in the back of the class. Now my class was trying to behave but a Monitor in our class. My parents told me they were the everything for the risen, police, doctors everything that a risen could need were handled through the Monitiors. Mrs Huff noticed the class being distracted and finally said “Mr. Nardo would you come to the front of the class and introduce yourself please other wise the rest of the day will be wasted.”said Mrs Huff. Mr. Nardo stood up and walked to the front of the class he turned to us and said “ As a Monitor to this school I must observe Mrs Huff and the other risen here as the law requires.” he paused “When I first came into this class room I had thought I had not met Mrs Huff, but she taught me in third grade as well!” So no I don’t think I will ever forget my dead third grade teacher. |