“You won’t feel a thing even if it spins.”
14
TUH School
Do you dream when you sleep? I do.
I once had a dream that I was standing on a cliff with someone, someone I didn’t know and someone that I could only see from the back. We were both standing there, watching the sunrise and sunset from different planets. All the planets looked different and unique; some of them even had multiple suns. It was a beautiful sight and something so extraordinary that I would remember for the rest of my life.
But in the end, it was just a dream.
Fairy and I stood in the bus heading to the schools, it was so quiet and steady I thought we weren’t moving at all. Students of all kinds were happily chatting with each other. After a while the interior wall started to turn transparent again and we slowly emerged in a small square room. As soon as the bus made a complete stop it vanished and the passengers began to disperse.
“Where did the bus go?” I looked around blankly.
“We already arrived, we don’t need it anymore”
“Okay…” I replied. “How come this station is so small?”
“We’re going to the school, why you need the station to be big?”
“… But it’s very… never mind.”
We followed the crowed moving toward the exit, I suddenly stopped.
“What happened?” Fairy’s body flashed.
“It looks… strange to me.”
“What looks strange to you?”
“Is everything shrinking? Or it’s just me?” I rubbed my eyes.
To get to the exit you had to go through a long hallway. Standing in front of it, I noticed that the size of the hallway and the students walking through it seemed to get smaller and smaller, until all I could see was a tiny dot at the exit.
“You’re right, they’re turning smaller.” Fairy said.
“Really? Why?”
“Because we’re going to ZERO.”
“So are you saying… we’re becoming… ZERO?”
“YES.”
“But how about when we were at the other station, we weren’t in ZERO yet?
“Actually, once you’re in TUH you’re in ZERO. This is just the way we try to get the students to understand this concept. Remember I told you TUH is not a physical place, neither time nor space exists here.”
Soon after we left the station through the exit and to my surprise I didn’t feel the hallway or myself getting smaller. Once outside, the first thing that caught my eyes was how breathtaking the sky was. It was just like in my dreams, only a hundred times more beautiful and marvelous. Planets of different sizes, swirling galaxies and millions of twinkling stars were all around me. I stood there with my mouth opened just taking in this astounding scenery.
“Did you know that all these planets are friends?” Fairy said while peering up at the sky with me.
“Huh? Aren't they just some huge chunk of rock?”
“Oh no. They’re just as alive as you and me. They communicate and interact with each other. Each of them has its own personality and character. They even have their own culture.”
“Really?”
“Yes, like I said before, we beings are just like the little tiny cell in their bodies.”
“Wow… it’s hard to believe.” I said.
“Fairy, can you see Earth from here?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“Over there.”
“Where? I can’t see it.”
“It’s that beautiful blue planet over there.”
“Where!? I can’t see it!”
“That’s because your mind and vision are still saddled with too many burdens, preventing you from seeing it. Next time we’ll let you take some classes, maybe after that you’ll learn how to get closer to ZERO and be able to find your planet.”
“I can’t wait!!! Can you also see your planet from here?”
“Yes, it’s that lovely yellow shinning one over there.”
“Sounds so pretty.”
“It is.”
“Don’t you miss it, Fairy? You must have been here for a long time.”
“I miss everything about it. But I can see my planet whenever I look up. I can feel my friends and family whenever I want to feel them. They’re always in my memories, I never feel lonely here.”
“How do you do that?” I exclaimed.
“ZERO, kid.” “Anyway, you’re now in TUH School! This is where students from different planets come to learn! And of course, this is also where you’ll find your students from Earth!” The feathers on top of Fairy’s head danced rapidly.
The campus was spectacular. The floor we were standing on was like pure clear crystal, reflecting dazzling colors all around. The school buildings on either side were all so extraordinary that you couldn’t pick out which one was more fantastic. Some were simple with unique designs, some changed colors and shapes, some shook, some bounced and some even made sounds.
“It’s incredible here! I can’t even image what it looks like outside TUH School where those Tuhers work! It must be super high-tech or fancy!” I shouted.
“Well… No actually.”
“What do you mean NO?”
“TUH School is for the young kids, that’s why it looks so fantastic. For Tuher, we don’t need it.”
“NO?
“NO, we don’t. Everything goes back to its original and simplest form.”
“Isn’t that boring?”
“Actually, it’s quite fun and beautiful. “
“I don’t believe it.”
What could be more beautiful than this sky? What could be more amazing than this campus?
I started to wonder maybe that dream wasn’t a dream. But… if it wasn’t a dream who was that standing there looking at the sky with me?
“It’s that beautiful blue planet over there.”
15
TUH Student Hall
Danny, my 4th foster parent, was a coach for an elementary school baseball team. His team, The Blue Monkeys, was very good. They would always win and no team in their division could beat them. But since the outcome was always the same, the excitement of competition was gone and little by little the kids started losing their enthusiasm for the game. They didn’t cheer or scream even after a homerun.
One afternoon, while the team was practicing, some high schoolers passed by. They stopped and watched the team practice pitching and hitting, but instead just watching quietly they were quite rude. They made fun of the boys, were rude and would laugh out loud every time one of them dropped the ball or missed a hit. Danny finally lost it and got angry. He furiously marched over to those boys and challenged them to a game. What Danny didn’t realize was that these kids were on their school’s baseball team; The Crazy Wolfs, was the best high school team in town.
So, one hot summer afternoon, Irina, my foster mommy and I sat in our folding chairs, drinking lemonade while we watched this grudge match.
The game went on for a long time, both teams brought their best and through eight endings the score was still tied at zero. Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and no one on base, The Crazy Wolfs was at bat. The sun was setting and everyone was exhausted, but no one wanted to be the first to give up. I had never seen Danny and his boys as serious about a game like this one before. Then it happened, the pitcher threw a fastball and the batter connects, it went high and long. Everyone gasped while their eyes followed the path of the ball. A homerun!
The entire field was silent, no one screamed or yelled and no one laughed. To my surprise the batter just stood there for a moment, dropped his bat and walked over to the pitcher. He put his arm around the pitcher, who was obviously devastated and said - “What a great game! You kids ROCK! Let’s just calls this a tie!”
Danny bought everyone pizza and ice-cream after the game. That evening they cheered, screamed and laughed together while enjoying their foods.
Fai
ry checked the map Secretary gave me earlier and found out that one of our students was in a nearby building, so we marched off to find them. It was an incredibly tall building, so tall that even straining my neck to look up I couldn’t see where the top was.
“This is TUH Student Hall. When students want to do more research or have some fun outside of their schools, they come here.” Fairy said.
We went through the front door and saw a few students chatting and laughing, but I didn’t recognize any of them. The first floor of this building was big but mostly empty. On the floor, at the center of the room was a silver circle that worked like an elevator, you stepped onto it and it moved you up to the next level. But to my amazement, when I looked up, I saw that there weren’t any floors to stand on at any of the levels and students at the upper levels appeared to be floating in midair.
At one of the corner on the first floor, there was a long white counter and behind it stood five strange looking creatures. They were shaped like a pyramid with a face on each side and six arms extending in all directions. Students stood in line at the end of the counter, waiting for these pyramids to serve them a plate of this white tofu-like cube.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s like a cafeteria.”
“Cafeteria? They only serve that tofu thing?” I sniggered. “Luckily I am not hungry yet.”
“You won’t feel hungry in TUH.” Fairy chuckled. “Remember time doesn’t exist here, you don’t grow up and you don’t feel hungry. It’s just something fun for students to do.”
“But that food doesn't look fun to me.”
“We called it Tuhkie.”
“Tunkie?” It looked nothing like Twinkies to me. “What does it taste like?”
“Well, it tastes like… anything you want.”
“Anything? What does that mean?” I narrowed my eyes.
“Why don’t you try it yourself?”
Fairy stood in line and got a Tuhkie for me. The look of this tofu certainly didn’t help my appetite. I peeled off a small piece and put it in my mouth and instantly it dissolved.
“How was it!??” Fairy’s body flashed excitedly.
“Well? It doesn’t taste like anything, because it taste like NOTHING!” I frowned.
“What were you thinking about when you ate it?”
“Nothing! It looked so blend I wasn’t thinking about anything?”
“So, that’s why. Let’s try it again. Tell me what your favorite food is.”
“Chocolate.”
“Okay, now think about the best chocolate you have ever had and then take another bite of the Tuhkie.”
“WOW!!” This time when I put the Tuhkie in my mouth I was absolutely blown away. It tasted like the best chocolate I had ever eaten, there were no words to describe how good it was.
“I told you!!” Fairy’s body blinked.
I couldn’t wait to try bigger bite, the sweet taste made me feel like I was on a chocolate cloud nine.
“Now you should have a little better understanding of what I said earlier about the simplest form and how it’s more fun and beautiful.” Fairy waved its petals.
“Ummm… what should I eat now??” I was not listening to Fairy at all because I was still mesmerized by this magical tofu.
“OH YES!” Those whiskey drinks that actors in westerns and action movies drank came to mind. I had always wondered what that tasted like. In the movies they always seemed happier after drinking it so it must be very delicious.
“NO MORE!” Fairy abruptly snatched my cube and threw it on someone else’s plate.
“HEY!” I complained.
“We have no time for fun today, kid!”
We stepped onto the silver circle in the middle of the room and immediately it began moving upwards towards the next level. It was strange sensation to look down because it felt like we weren’t standing on a solid surface, just floating while slowly moving upwards. As we got higher and higher, I could feel my legs going soft and buckling underneath me. I had to keep telling myself not to look down for the fear that I might faint.
“Let’s go. I think the student we’re looking for is here.” The elevator made a complete stop and Fairy flew out of the elevator first, but I was hesitated to follow because there weren’t any floors to walk on.
“Don’t be scared!” It stretched out one of its feathers to me. Terrified, I reached out and held on to it. With my eyes closed I took one step outside the circle and amazingly I could feel solid ground. I opened my eyes and saw the floor, walls, and rooms materialize right before me. Looking up from below I couldn’t see any of these features but here they were, as real as anything else.
The sounds of loud cheering caught my attention as we ventured further into this floor.
“What’s happening over there?” I asked.
“It’s a racing contest. It used to be my favorite game when I was a student. Let’s go check it out. I think your student should be there.”
“What kind of racing contest is it?”
“The race is between two teams. Each team has four Racers and one Designer. Each Racer picks a vehicle to race one lap around the track with a total of four laps. The team that finishes first wins”
“It sounds… interesting.” Actually, I was just humoring Fairy because it sounded like a boring rely race we had on Earth.
“NO, it’s very different.” Fairy must have heard my thought again. “The first lap is basically a race to the checkpoint with whatever the vehicle each Racer chooses. But whoever reaches the checkpoint first the Designer from the other team gets to redesign the game environment to anything they want.”
“Oh? So the losing team gets to design the game?”
“Yes, they get the first crack at designing the game environment but once both Racers cross the checkpoint the other Designer will join in. The two Designers basically compete with each other behind the Master Control Room to slow and impede the other team’s Racer. The Racers won’t know what type of environment they’ll face until they’re on the track. It all depends on the Designers.”
“Wow, it sounds like a live video game.” Now I was interested.
“The next game is starting soon. Let’s go get a seat. You should also look for your student in the crowd.” Fairy said.
I bet Achilles would love this game.
“COME ON, Fairy are you kidding me?”
At one end of the tack, two Racers lined up at the starting line getting ready to start. One Racer was in a silver body suit sitting on a very futuristic looking motorcycle. The other Racer, who resembled a banana with a face, was wearing a yellow body suit sitting on what looked like a huge bouncy ball.
“I don’t think that’s fair, I already know who’s going to win!” I shrugged.
“You never know.” Fairy giggled. I shook my head and began looking for our students in the crowd, but I didn’t see anyone I knew.
The race began with a loud bang and as I predicted the Racer in silver raced out ahead for an early lead. The Racer in yellow was falling way behind while it frantically jumped up and down with the bouncy ball. I was scratching my head, because I couldn’t believe how absurd this whole thing was. But before I was about to give up on this lame game, the Racer in yellow began speeding up at an incredible pace and bouncing faster and faster. So fast in fact I could barely keep up with it. In just few short second it caught up with the other Racer and was following close behind. It was so completely unexpected the crowds, including me were screaming with excitement. However, in the end the Racer in silver reached the checkpoint first, but it a very close race.
“Wow. Unbelievable!” I exclaimed. “But I was right. The Racer in silver won.”
“The race is not over yet.” Fairy snickered.
The second lap was about to start and the whole environment became completely different. The team in the silver sent in a Racer that looked like a giant spider. It didn’t have any vehicle but with its eight long legs it raced across the
track like the wind. However this time around, tall trees and plants were popping up all over the track and effectively slowing down the spider. Soon after, the team in the yellow sent in their second Racer, a snake-like creature with no arms or legs. It also had no vehicle, but with it slender body and great speed, it slithered around the obstacle like there weren’t even there.
The race became really interesting when the battle between the two Designers began. Deep pits, sharp spikes and traps started materializing and popping up everywhere on the track. Both Racers were forced to slow down to avoid them but nevertheless the amount obstacles only increased with no sign of letting up. The track suddenly turned into a jungle covered with trees and tropical plants making it difficult to see which Racer was ahead. Then the light on the checkpoint flashed, everyone held breath waiting to see who won that lap.
A baboon-like creature in yellow suit appeared at the starting line, making these funny and arrogant gestures. The crowds screamed and howled with delight.
“They caught up!” I clapped my hands.
The third lap had begun and the environment drastically changed again. The team in the silver sent in a giant mantis-like creature.
“How come they don’t use any vehicles anymore?” I asked Fairy.
“It’s a tradition. First and the last lap they focus more on the racing with vehicles. Second and the third they focus more on the environment design.”
I nodded.
The environment turned into something that resembled a gymnastics competition. First, they had to climb onto the top of a towering pillar and then swing themselves onto another pillar with a rope. Then, they had to walk across ten balancing beams set at different heights. After that, they had to dive into a river with a large waterfall at the end of it and swim against the rushing torrents. When they reached the waterfall they had to put on these funny wings and fly up against the water coming down on them.
Could you image how funny it was to see a mantis swing on a rope or a baboon walk across a balance beam? The crowd was cheering loudly and occasionally laugher would break out. But the two Racers were not fazed or embarrassed at all by the laugher. They were concentrating and focusing on winning the race. I had tears in my eyes and couldn't help wonder who was in the Master Control Room?