Journey With the Comet

by Dana Wayne Haley

  “That’s right,” she replied, “but their teammates can also capture and hold them until they are tagged. And sometimes it will take more than one of you to capture and hold a much stronger opponent to prevent his—or her—escape. When I played Red Rover, I had the most fun while trying to avoid capture by running away from and dodging the attackers to escape to the other side of the schoolhouse. Remember, if you are tagged, then you automatically become a teammate of the attacking team; and when everyone has either been tagged or has escaped to the other side of the building, the attacking team has to throw the ball over the roof and then try to avoid being captured themselves, if their opponents catch the ball properly. And obviously, since the schoolhouse blocks the view of the opposing team, you children have to be on your honor when it comes to catching the ball properly.

  “Now, students, listen up; I always make a habit of watching the first few games to see who plays fair and who doesn’t. Those who don’t will not be allowed to play. In fact, cheaters will be sent inside the schoolhouse and will have to study during recess, for at least a week. That punishment will teach cheaters that crime doesn’t pay; don’t you think?”

  When Miss Hutchinson was done explaining the rules, the children chose sides and half ran to one side of the building while the others ran to the opposite side. Then they began to play the simple game of Red Rover. With 15 to 20 kids on each side, the game would last a good half-hour until the last kid was finally captured and tagged. However, contrary to what one might think, that kid was looked upon with great respect because he or she had evaded capture the longest. So, even though that player’s team had eventually lost, he was the real winner in the eyes of his friends because of his, or her, ability to run fast and dodge the grasps of the enemy.

  After sides were chosen for the first game, Leona happened to be on the same team as her sister and was delighted when her teammates chose Arlene to lead the first chant. Leona’s team was on the Ohio Street side of the school and she thought back of the first time she saw this schoolhouse with her father, barely six weeks earlier. She recalled running to the windows and peering at the room in which she would be “imprisoned” for the next 6 years. Leona wondered what she would be learning there, and she wondered if she would enjoy it or hate it. Then she remembered something her mother said so many times, about so many things: “Time will tell,” followed by: “but for now just enjoy the present.” And that’s just what Leona planned to do as she waited for the game of Red Rover to begin.

  “Three, two, one,” Arlene yelled, and then her team chanted in unison: “Red Rover, Red Rover, please throw the ball over.”

  After that chant, Leona looked up toward the schoolhouse roof and saw the white ball high in the air, maybe fifty feet above the peak of the roof. When it came down, the ball landed on the roof, about one-third of the way down from its peak, and then by chance it bounced in Arlene’s direction. Leona watched her sister run to the right, and on the run grab the ball with one hand just before it hit the ground. Then she and her teammates took off running to the other side of the schoolhouse. About half ran to the left and the remaining half to the right. Leona ran to the right, following Arlene. Her team managed to capture three of the other team’s members, and they waited until they heard the other team yell:

  “Red Rover, Red Rover, please throw the ball over.”

  Upon hearing the chant, Arlene threw the ball over the roof; and in a while they all took off for the other side when they saw the other team come running to their side of the school, indicating that the ball had been caught successfully. When that happened, Leona heard her sister yelling.

  “Follow me, Leona, and do what I do.”

  Leona did; and she safely made it to the other side, even though four members of her team had been captured: two younger and two much older. About halfway through the game, however, Leona was tagged by the other team. But before long she was back on her sister’s team. Arlene made sure of that, and Leona was glad she did. Not wanting to cheat, she tried hard not to get tagged by Arlene’s team, but she was happy when she was, especially since it was Arlene who captured her.

  “This game is really fun!” Leona told her sister.

  Leona always enjoyed playing athletic games that involved running and jumping, so she particularly loved playing Red Rover. Like Miss Hutchinson, the 8-year-old especially liked dodging out of the way in order to avoid being tagged and captured. However, being so small, Leona knew it was just a matter of time before she was captured again. Unfortunately when it finally happened it was far from being a pleasant experience. Just before she made it to the other side, someone pushed her hard to the ground. She looked up and saw a big boy with red hair standing over her. He grabbed Leona’s arms and pulled her to her feet. Then he lifted the 8-year-old and had her in a painful bear hug with her feet more than a foot off the ground. Soon a smaller redheaded boy tagged her hard with the ball. Even though Leona resented their rough treatment, when the big boy put her down she had no choice but to stay on their side; that was the rule. Fortunately, Arlene captured her on the next try and again all was right in the world. Arlene made sure Leona wasn’t captured again during that game.

  “You’re really good, Arlene,” Leona said after the first game ended and her team had won.

  Leona already knew that Arlene was quite adept at playing outdoor games, but she didn’t know just how good her sister was until she saw her competing against the boys in West Glenburn, doing as well and even better than most of them. Arlene was often an original member of the winning team, or the one who got captured last on the losing team. This made Leona even more in awe of her sister, whom she admired so much even before seeing her play Red Rover. Although she initially had trouble keeping from being tagged, it didn’t take the 8-year-old long to emulate most of her sister’s tricky maneuvers and to use her natural speed to become almost as good as her sister.

  —2—

  After four games of tag had been played that first day, it was almost noon. When instructed to do so by Miss Hutchinson, the kids went inside to get their lunches so they could sit and eat in the cool shade of nearby oak trees. As a result of playing hard all morning, their lunches, no matter how bland tasting, were eagerly consumed; that was doubly so for Leona who always looked forward to her mother’s meals. Even if her lunch had tasted like dirt, it wouldn’t have mattered because Leona was famished. However, she had nothing to worry about because her lunch was especially delicious. That morning Margaret had packed her daughter’s favorite lunch: a palette-pleasing peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and a molasses cookie, to be washed down with a pint of fresh milk that Leona had stored in the school’s icebox.

  As she sat with Arlene and her friends, listening to them talk and laugh, Leona caught herself laughing too, and quickly realized that she was going to like her new school. When Arlene and her friends went for a walk, leaving Leona sitting alone, Miss Hutchinson came over and sat on the grass next to her.

  “Hi, Leona. Welcome to West Glenburn. You’re in the 3rd grade this year, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, Miss Hutchinson,” she answered, amazed that the teacher could remember all forty names of her students.

  “You look puzzled, dear. What is it?”

  “I was wondering if you’re related to the people who owned the land across the road.”

  “Yes, Leona, I am. That was my grandparents’ home. I was born and raised in Winterport, but I used to visit with them all the time when I was little. In fact, that’s the reason I applied to teach at this school when I got my teaching certificate. I wanted to be near their place again, I suppose to keep alive the memories of my youth. I had so much fun playing in the field across the road. What do you like to do for fun, Leona?”

  “Lots of things,” she said without hesitation. “In the winter I like to go sledding and ice skating, and I like making snow angels. During the summer I like to go fishing, or play in
the woods; and when I feel lazy I like to lie on the grass and watch clouds float by. At night I love watching the stars twinkle and seeing shooting stars.”

  “Is there anything else that catches your fancy?” the teacher asked.

  “Oh yes! I love to read. Anne of Green Gables and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are my favorite novels, but I have lots of novels and I like them all. When I was little my Mama used to read bedtime stories to me; I miss that. But she still tells stories to me, and so does my Papa and Grandma; I especially like it when they tell funny stories.”

  Leona was all set to tell the teacher about her dreams of singing and dancing, but she was too shy. Even so, Miss Hutchinson saw the passion displayed in Leona’s eyes as she talked about the other things she loved to do. When Leona was finished and asked her new teacher about school, Miss Hutchinson couldn’t wait to tell the curious 3rd-grader about all the fascinating things she would soon be taught.

  —3—

  “You are going to learn about daring European explorers who sailed uncharted seas and oceans to discover America and other worlds, namely: Leif Eriksson, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and Ponce de Leon. Likewise, you’ll learn about those who explored early America; take for instance, Lewis and Clark, and their Indian guide Sacagawea—she was a woman, Leona. Their daring expedition westward crossed the Rockies searching for a water route to the Pacific.

  “When I teach geography you’ll learn lots of things about the world’s countries: like England, France, Spain, Italy, Egypt, India, and China; and all about the forty-eight U.S. states, and U.S. territories like Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. You’ll be able to point them out on a map, and tell me which state is which, just from their outlines on a card. You’ll also be able to name the capital, the most important cities, and the major industries of each state. And you’ll learn their nicknames; for example: Maine is the Pine Tree State, New Hampshire is the Granite State, New York is the Empire State, and so on.

  “Another thing I’ll teach you is about important documents, policies, and events that helped shape America: like the Magna Carta, our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Federalist Papers, the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War, the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, among others. And also, about early America settlers who feasted with native Indians as a sign of friendship, a year after they first arrived in the settlement town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.”

  Leona’s eyes lit up; and without a second thought she interrupted her teacher.

  “I know that story, Miss Hutchinson. That was the first Thanksgiving. My Mama told me all about it. She’s related to John Carver. He came to America on the Mayflower in 1620; and one of his relatives married an Indian girl. Her father was a famous Indian chief. So, I’m part Indian.”

  “Ya don’t say! That’s wonderful, Leona. When the time comes would you like to teach the other children about Thanksgiving?” she asked.

  The smile on Leona’s face told Miss Hutchinson all she needed to know: that her new 3rd-grader would be more than delighted to tell the story of Thanksgiving to her classmates. The nodding of the little girl’s head only confirmed it.

  —4—

  “What else are you gonna teach us, Miss Hutchinson?”

  “Well, Leona, you’ll learn how in 1776 the shot heard ‘round the world in Lexington started the War of Independence. And how the daring American colonials, led by General Washington, defeated the much stronger and better equipped Red Coats: the soldiers of the British Army.

  “George Washington was a great leader, Leona. He had a ragtag group of soldiers who only continued fighting because of his courage and leadership. His soldiers said he—unlike most military leaders—would often lead an attack at the front by riding his horse back and forth, shouting out instructions and encouragement to them. They say his cape had so many bullet holes that it was a miracle he was never wounded, let alone killed. There were so many miraculous things that happened during the revolution, that some think it was an indication that America’s independence was a result of divine guidance. Regardless, if not for Washington the American Revolution would have failed and we would still be a British colony.

  “I’ll also teach you about all the others who were instrumental in gaining independence for the United States: like James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, and Patrick Henry, just to name a few. Have you heard of any of these men before, Leona?”

  “Oh, yes. Mama and Papa told me a little about them,” she replied.

  “They did? What did they tell you?”

  “They told me that George Washington was called the father of our country.”

  “That he was, Leona. Washington was not only a great general, but he was held in such high esteem that he was unanimously elected president of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia; and if not for his patience, determination, and the enormous respect everyone had for him, the delegates would never have compromised and ratified the Constitution. But some think his greatest achievement was refusing to serve more than two terms as our first President, and for helping to define the U.S. presidency and how the government should work. When the king of England heard that Washington turned down the chance to be the president for life, he said that Washington truly was a great man.

  “In time, Leona, you’ll learn the details of what he and the others did. And, on top of that, you’ll learn to recite the Declaration of Independence and the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Those are very special documents.”

  “That’s what my Papa said, Miss Hutchinson; he read them to me. But what’s so special about them?” Leona asked.

  “You’ll learn, dear; all in good time. But I will tell you this: Our Constitution begins with We The People, and has a Bill of Rights that gives the people—us—the power over the government, and prevents the government from creating laws or doing other things that would take away those rights, or our power. We were lucky that our founders were well educated and had enough common sense to realize that governments left unchecked would become too powerful and try to take power away from the people. That’s why our Founding Fathers created three separate and equal branches of government to provide checks and balances: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. Anyway, you’ll learn all of that and more, in all good time.”

  “I can’t wait, “ Leona said.

  The teacher smiled.

  “Oh! I almost forgot,” Miss Hutchinson said. “There’s another document you’ll learn to recite. It’s one of my favorites.”

  “What’s that?” Leona asked with great interest.

  “Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. He gave it while dedicating the battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg during the Civil War. I just love its opening and closing lines. Do you remember how it starts?”

  The little girl shrugged her shoulders.

  “No? You will. It begins: ‘Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought fourth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.’ And it closes this way: ‘… we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’

  “Isn’t that inspiring, Leona? Abraham Lincoln was a great President too. He freed the slaves and kept our nation from being torn apart. It’s hard to say who the greater President was: him or George Washington? Probably Washington.

  “Anyway, Leona, I hope you are good at memorizing things, because I have all of my students memorize a short passage and recite it in front of the class.”

  “I’m pretty good at that, Miss Hutchinson. My sister Arlene likes to write funny poems and I memorize them; and my Mama encouraged me to memorize a few things too; the last one was the p
oem Trees by Joyce Kilmer and now it’s my favorite.”

  “Oh, that’s my favorite poem too, dear,” the teacher exclaimed. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Okay,” Leona said. Then she began reciting the poem:

  “I think that I shall never see

  “A poem lovely as a tree.

  “A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

  “Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

  “A tree that looks at God all day,

  “And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

  “A tree that may in summer wear

  “A nest of robins in her hair;

  “Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

  “Who intimately lives with rain.

  “Poems are made by fools like me,

  “But only God can make a tree.”

  “That was wonderful, Leona,” Miss Hutchinson said. “You can recite that in my class if you want.”

  —5—

  Next, Miss Hutchinson turned to the subject of science.

  “You’re going to learn how the planets circle the Sun; and how the Sun and its planets are only a small part of a much larger Universe, which consists of all the stars, planets, moons, comets and asteroids in the sky. And, we’ll learn about the Wizard of Menlo Park too.”

  “Who’s that, Miss Hutchinson? A Magician?”

  “Well, some think so, Leona. Actually, his name is Thomas Edison. He’s a very famous inventor. He invented the incandescent light and the phonograph. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he has many more inventions before he’s done.”

  “Oh, I know about Thomas Edison’s phonograph, but what’s an in-can-des-sent light?”

  “You’ll see, Leona. You’ll see. It may take a while, but sooner or later, you’ll see.”

  “Why was Mr. Edison so good at inventing things, Miss Hutchinson?” Leona asked.

  “That’s a real good question, Leona. Let me think. I guess some people just have a knack. Some people are good at math and some are good at writing poems. It just depends. But as far as Edison is concerned, I think the best guess that I can make as to why he was so successful can be found in one of his most famous quotes.