Where I've been all this time. . .

The strangest thing happened to me tonight. That is, yesterday. . . wait a minute, let me check. . . yes, Friday, July 18th, 2008. I had returned from a Mary Kay party at my daughter-in-law's house where I had ordered several items of make-up. I didn't need them, of course -- using make-up on my face is like doodling on the Mona Lisa. But I wanted to help out A's sister, who is just getting started with her business. I'll probably give the products to someone less fortunate.
At any rate, I had returned home and sat down at my computer to once again begin working on my remaining lesson assignments when there was a knock at my front door. I opened the door to see a man dressed in a blue tunic and a scarlet cloak, nervously clutching some kind of scroll in his hand. He called me Miss Dawn, handed me the scroll (through the barely open door), and told me that it was time to fulfill my destiny. The scroll was filled with squiggles and symbols I'd never seen before, but as I studied it the squiggles began to move and join together and form themselves into words. It said that the time had come for me to do what I was born to do, and that Hector (the messenger) would escort me to the land of Paladia at once -- and it was signed, King Grimwald. For the first time, I notice the large Hummer-type vehicle parked in the alley behind Hector. I tried to tell him that this really wasn't a good time, that I had lessons to write, a deadline to meet, etc., but he told me I would be back in plenty of time to finish my work. I wanted a moment to tell the rest of the household that I was leaving and to lock the door behind me, but he promised that I would be back before they even knew I was gone. So I figured, what harm could it do, and I followed him into the Hummer and fastened my seatbelt. Surprisingly, the vehicle took off straight up into the air, then soared along silently for what seemed like hours, across cities, farms, oceans, and mountains.
At last we came to a beautiful land full of sunshine, rolling hills, sparkling rivers, and fields of flowers. Strangely, the grass was blue and the sky was green, but it was still beautiful. On the top of the tallest hill was a beautiful pink castle, and Hector brought the Hummer down to rest in the castle courtyard. In spite of the long journey, I felt invigorated and alive. I was taken in to meet the king, a stately man with silver hair and a golden beard. After welcoming me to Paladia, I was taken to my quarters to refresh myself. As I glanced in the long dressing mirror, I was startled to see that I had changed! Not only was I young, but I was thin! My complexion glowed, my eyes sparkled, and my long dark hair glistened. Baffled at the transformation, I turned to Lydia, the young woman who had brought me to my room. This is the effect that Paladia has on people, she explained. Time seems to slow down and youth is restored. Well, that was fine with me, so I chose a beautiful gown from the closet, changed my clothes, and was taken to the dining hall. Over dinner, the king and Hector -- who turned out to be the prince -- explained why they had brought me there.
It seemed the king had been interested in setting up a distance learning school for all the children in the kingdom. He had been watching me for years (through his Window of Worlds), and he had seen how hard I worked for my students. He knew that his Prime Teacher would need to have the same creativity, talent, and senseless devotion. He also knew that teaching over ether waves would not be so very different from teaching over the Internet. After consulting with the wise men and wiser women, he concluded that I was the only one who had the skills and the experience for the job -- that and the fact that he had been turned down by Maria Montessori and John Holt. Maria didn't like the uniforms, and John Holt didn't like the dental plan. Well, to make a long story short, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and I took the job. Of course, I first had to learn their language (only the royals could speak English) and all about their country's history and geography. This took about five years (by our time). During that time I traveled their country, learned their customs, and taught them how to crochet.
I was given a classroom in the castle to decorate any way I saw fit. Since I was the Prime Teacher, I decided what was to be taught and when. After all, with time slowed down, there was no hurry. Each year, I had a class of 15 students who came to my castle classroom. All other students in the kingdom attended school in their own homes through their Learning Wall. They could see and hear both me and the students in my classroom, and participated with us virtually. Each year, a different set of students would get to be in my castle classroom, and since time moved so slowly there, eventually all 750 children got to attend my class at least once. Since all the children in the kingdom were gifted, there were no discipline or academic problems.
At last the day came when I realized that I had accomplished what I had come there to do, and it was time for me to turn my Teachership over to someone else and return home. Lydia had been my faithful teacher's aide this entire time, so I passed the golden ruler to her. I knew that returning home would mean returning to my heavy, aging, and aching body. I knew it would mean returning to a neverending, thankless, rewardless job. But the memories of my former life had begun to fade, and I needed to get them back. On the day I left, nearly everyone in the kingdom turned out to bid me a fond and tearful farewell. I climbed into the Hummer with Hector and traveled for hours and hours, across mountains, oceans, farms, and cities, landing gently on the alley in front of my office door -- which was still unlocked.
And now here I am, back where I was when I heard that knock on my door. I was told that my memories of Paladia will fade quickly and that my memories of this life will grow stronger and stronger until they completely overpower my memories of Paladia and they seem like nothing more than a dream or a fantasy. And I know it is true. I can feel them melting away even now. But for a while, the two sets of memories may become intermingled and overlapped. So, if it seems that I am sometimes hesitating and searching for a word or a date or a face, remember that I have some jumbled memories that I'm trying to sort out, and be patient with me.