a bottle he carried inside his coat.
“You, girl, what’s the temperature of this water?” The girl he had pointed to in the front row stood up, leaned over, and put her hand against the container. She replied that the water was cold.
“Ok, can you please come up here?” Fortst gestured to the boy whom the other students had moved their desks away from. Though a large, stocky boy, he was not as tall as Fortst. The boy got up and stood next to Fortst, who immediately put his hand up to his face to shield himself.
“Wow, that’s warm. I’ve got a feeling you’ll have a lot more friends come winter. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Dennis,” he said.
Fortst put one hand on Dennis and the other in the bowl of water. The students watched, and after a few seconds bubbles formed in the water. Gradually the water came to a full boil, his hand still inside the bowl. Finally, removing both of his hands, he gave a short bow and the students clapped.
“Thank you, thank you. All right. The plan for today is first we’ll have a lecture and then this afternoon we’ll decide your ranks based on the results of a one v. one tournament,” he said, while pouring the water back in his bottle. The mention of the tournament perked everyone’s interest. A few students threw up their hands and asked questions about the format of the competition. Fortst waved them all off.
“No, no, no. This one’s a surprise. You won’t know until you get there. We’ve got a lot to cover first.”
The students leaned back in their chairs, already losing interest, while the teacher roused himself for his first lecture.
“The most important thing I can teach you is to know your surroundings. You’ve got to know everything about where you are at all times or else you could be in serious trouble. You’ve got to understand it. Look out the window here. What do you see? Trees, the forest, uneven terrain, and brightly colored leaves. But, who can tell me why the leaves change colors?”
Fortst stood near the window, gazing over the silent students before him. He waited patiently, making it clear that he expected an answer. His pupils, however, remained motionless. Feeling it was silly to stall the class when she knew the answer, Mira raised her hand.
“Yes, you in the back.”
“Leaves change colors because they have less of the green-colored chlorophyll, which turns water and carbon dioxide into food for the tree. Because there is less light and water in the fall, trees make less chlorophyll. The colors come from the food, called glucose, and the wastes that remain in the leaves.”
Fortst stared at her blankly. Some of the students had turned to look at her, their faces equally blank.
“I was just going to say because it gets cold. Okay, then why don’t those trees with the needles change colors or become bare?” he asked, pointing to an evergreen, and clearly trying to save face.
“Those kinds of trees, called coniferous trees, are better suited for colder climates, and so they have needles that use less energy and keep them all year round. They still have chlorophyll and turn the gas into food, in a process called photosynthesis. Trees with big leaves that change colors and fall are called deciduous trees, by the way.”
Now all of the students had turned to look at her. Fortst was obviously speechless.
“What kind of tree is that?” he asked.
“It’s a pine tree.”
“What about that white one?”
“That’s a birch tree,” she answered, even though she couldn’t see it.
Flustered, Fortst returned to his podium. He leaned down over it with his face in his palm.
“Well, that was my whole lesson, so just give me a minute to think of something else.”
The students began talking to each other again, only this time Mira thought it was a fair bet they were talking about her. After some time, Fortst looked over at the pile of teaching materials in the corner. He pulled out a large map and hung it on the wall
“You, girl, what’s the temperature of this water?” The girl he had pointed to in the front row stood up, leaned over, and put her hand against the container. She replied that the water was cold.
“Ok, can you please come up here?” Fortst gestured to the boy whom the other students had moved their desks away from. Though a large, stocky boy, he was not as tall as Fortst. The boy got up and stood next to Fortst, who immediately put his hand up to his face to shield himself.
“Wow, that’s warm. I’ve got a feeling you’ll have a lot more friends come winter. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Dennis,” he said.
Fortst put one hand on Dennis and the other in the bowl of water. The students watched, and after a few seconds bubbles formed in the water. Gradually the water came to a full boil, his hand still inside the bowl. Finally, removing both of his hands, he gave a short bow and the students clapped.
“Thank you, thank you. All right. The plan for today is first we’ll have a lecture and then this afternoon we’ll decide your ranks based on the results of a one v. one tournament,” he said, while pouring the water back in his bottle. The mention of the tournament perked everyone’s interest. A few students threw up their hands and asked questions about the format of the competition. Fortst waved them all off.
“No, no, no. This one’s a surprise. You won’t know until you get there. We’ve got a lot to cover first.”
The students leaned back in their chairs, already losing interest, while the teacher roused himself for his first lecture.
“The most important thing I can teach you is to know your surroundings. You’ve got to know everything about where you are at all times or else you could be in serious trouble. You’ve got to understand it. Look out the window here. What do you see? Trees, the forest, uneven terrain, and brightly colored leaves. But, who can tell me why the leaves change colors?”
Fortst stood near the window, gazing over the silent students before him. He waited patiently, making it clear that he expected an answer. His pupils, however, remained motionless. Feeling it was silly to stall the class when she knew the answer, Mira raised her hand.
“Yes, you in the back.”
“Leaves change colors because they have less of the green-colored chlorophyll, which turns water and carbon dioxide into food for the tree. Because there is less light and water in the fall, trees make less chlorophyll. The colors come from the food, called glucose, and the wastes that remain in the leaves.”
Fortst stared at her blankly. Some of the students had turned to look at her, their faces equally blank.
“I was just going to say because it gets cold. Okay, then why don’t those trees with the needles change colors or become bare?” he asked, pointing to an evergreen, and clearly trying to save face.
“Those kinds of trees, called coniferous trees, are better suited for colder climates, and so they have needles that use less energy and keep them all year round. They still have chlorophyll and turn the gas into food, in a process called photosynthesis. Trees with big leaves that change colors and fall are called deciduous trees, by the way.”
Now all of the students had turned to look at her. Fortst was obviously speechless.
“What kind of tree is that?” he asked.
“It’s a pine tree.”
“What about that white one?”
“That’s a birch tree,” she answered, even though she couldn’t see it.
Flustered, Fortst returned to his podium. He leaned down over it with his face in his palm.
“Well, that was my whole lesson, so just give me a minute to think of something else.”
The students began talking to each other again, only this time Mira thought it was a fair bet they were talking about her. After some time, Fortst looked over at the pile of teaching materials in the corner. He pulled out a large map and hung it on the wall
Similar Books
