Journey to Rainbow Island (26 page)

The teacher was silent.

At that moment, there was a loud banging noise on the roof of the classroom. For the first time, Yu-ning noticed that the roof had two wide rows of windows that met in the middle—like an old solarium. Though the windows were painted black, there were handles at the ends of the rows, which Yu-ning assumed were for opening them. The windows made a loud popping noise, and dust floated down from above onto the heads of the children. “What is going on here? What kind of trick is this?” the teacher asked, now feeling utterly confused.

Then, with a loud whooshing sound, the windows opened outward, and sunlight poured into the room. As the teacher and all the students gazed up in shock, there, hovering in the sky, was Suparna, who dove down and swooped into the large classroom. It was a spectacular vision. The shining, colorful bird had a smile on his face, and his bright colors illuminated his lustrous wings. The classroom immediately brightened as he appeared, and the light began to disperse, spreading across the entire school grounds.

“Suparna! Oh, you did see me!” Yu-ning was so excited to see him again. She waved and bowed reverently. He smiled broadly at everyone and stood in the middle of the classroom, the children having scrambled out of the way to give him space.

Suparna didn't say a word but simply nodded at Yu-ning and then at the stunned teacher. “Hello, miss. I assume you
are the teacher here. Don't be afraid—I am not here to harm you, nor is Yu-ning. Listen to her wisdom, and know that her heart is true.” Then, turning to Yu-ning, he said, “I will be waiting for you outside, Yu-ning. You know what to do!” In a matter of seconds, he darted back into the sky and disappeared over the roof of the school. Slowly the colors faded.

“Oh my,” Percy said, astounded. “That is him, that is Suparna! It's true! Everything Yu-ning said is true!” He followed Yu-ning's example and bowed. Soon, with their teachers attending the board meeting, all the students had left their classrooms and congregated in the hallways outside Yu-ning's classroom. They were also bowing together.

Sensei gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. Her face was pale as her eyes remained fixed on the exact place where Suparna had vanished. She collected herself and walked slowly to the front of the room to sit at her desk. She sat there for a long time, staring at the class and Yu-ning and Percy. She smiled and nodded gently at them. Percy understood instantly that she was telling the children to do as they pleased.

Percy was beaming. “Yu-ning, I don't know how you did it, but you transformed Sensei! It's a miracle!” Percy shouted joyfully.

“You did it too, Percy, you did it. You told her what's in your heart; you said what you feel in your heart!” Yu-ning replied.

Sensei invited all the children into her classroom. Thirteen classes of twenty students from kindergarten through twelfth grade were assembled. In all, 262 children wedged into the classroom with Yu-ning and Sensei. Yu-ning walked
over to a shelf and removed several stacks of white paper and several cases of colorful pencils. She brought them over to her desk and started handing several pages out to each student.

Percy was looking at the pristine white paper with wide eyes. After she distributed the paper, Yu-ning gave a simple instruction: “Whatever inspires you.” She sat down next to Percy at his desk. There was a frenzy of commotion in the classroom, but the spirit was joyful and reflective. Some children were working together in groups, others in pairs. The creative energy was powerful and flowing throughout the room.

“Percy, here,” Yu-ning said enthusiastically. “Do you want to draw with me?”

Percy nodded cheerfully. “Sure! I love to draw!”

“We'll each draw,” Yu-ning said, picking up a pencil. “I can show you my picture and you can show me yours!” Yu-ning was excited as she quickly drew a small circle and leaned over the table to pick out another colored pencil.

“All right!” Percy agreed. They were both giddy with excitement, delighted to be drawing freely. As they drew they talked, laughed, and shared their work together.

Sensei rose from her desk, turned off the ceiling lights, and walked over to the windows, opening each shade. Bright sun streamed in. She stood there astonished by the colorful transformation of her once dismal and cheerless classroom. She was standing in the front next to the eraser board, looking amazed and staggered by the events of the day. She smiled and waved tentatively to Yu-ning and Percy across the room. They waved vigorously.

“Sensei, thank you for allowing us to create from our hearts,” Percy said.

“Yes, Sensei, I'm drawing a picture for you,” Yu-ning added. “I'm drawing Rainbow Island for you. It is beautiful and colorful.” Yu-ning smiled joyfully.

“Rainbow Island. I want to go to Rainbow Island,” Percy said to Yu-ning.

Yu-ning smiled and nodded. “Suparna and I will take you there. We're taking everyone there who wants to go—even Sensei.”

In the midst of the joy, a stern-looking woman dressed in a white blouse, black pants, and black jacket stormed into the classroom. “What is going on here?” she said in a loud voice, her face growing red. “What are all of you doing out of your regular classrooms? And Sensei, I've come to get you for our faculty meeting, and this is what I find?”

Percy clutched Yu-ning's arm and whispered, “That is the headmistress, Mugoi Sensei.”

Sensei stood up and looked the headmistress square in the eyes. “Hello, Headmistress. I understand your concern; however, you need to know that I am in control of my class and have directed this session in free drawing.”

“This is unacceptable, Genju Sensei. You will get back to the daily curriculum as scheduled, and you will do it now. Then, I need you in the conference room immediately.” The headmistress turned to leave, signaling to Genju Sensei that the issue was settled.

“I am sorry, but no—I will not be teaching from the curriculum today—” Sensei stopped, lowered her head, and placed her hands on her hips, as if gathering her thoughts. Then she raised her head slowly and looked at the headmistress with fresh resolve. “You know that I have always abided by the rules of this academy and instructed the lessons
rigorously. However, these children taught me today that I was wrong. The academy is wrong,” she said firmly.

“What are you saying? This is not acceptable, Genju Sensei! I don't want to have this conversation in front of your class, but I feel as if you have given me no choice: I hired you, and I can fire you. You dare insinuate yourself into the teaching of your colleagues by accepting their students into your classroom? You must tell them to disperse at once and return to their proper classrooms. Do your job, or you won't have one.” This time the headmistress did leave, without giving Sensei the chance to respond.

A stunned silence fell over the classroom as the headmistress left. Yu-ning placed her hand on Sensei's arm and asked, “Why is she so angry?”

Sensei touched Yu-ning's cheek affectionately and said, “Because we aren't following the school rules. When we don't follow the rules, she feels helpless, and that makes her try to prove her strength through anger. She was my headmistress too, when I was a student here. I have followed her rules my whole life. But now, I'm done.” She turned to Yu-ning and Percy and said, “I'm so very proud of you both. You showed her what it means to speak your heart and mind, and you showed me how to do this too. Bravo. Thank you.”

Sensei turned to all the students. “Children, you learned a lifetime of education here in this classroom today. Learn from Yu-ning. Find your inner power and light and shine from there.” Children from five to eighteen were beaming and nodding with wide eyes. Sensei fiddled with her buttons nervously. “Now,” she said pensively, “the question is, what to do? How do we proceed?” The academy was a boarding school and all the children and some of the teachers lived on
campus. Sensei was trying to figure out the logistics to liberate all of them. She could think of no solution.

Percy sighed happily and looked at Yu-ning. “What do we do now, Yu-ning?” he asked.

“Let's go outside and see if we can find Suparna,” Yu-ning said excitedly.

The children all began to cheer, and Sensei nodded. “Good idea. We could all use some fresh air.”

They exited the classroom, talking and laughing happily. The entire school had gathered, almost every person either having seen Yu-ning's visit and the appearance of the “rainbow bird,” or heard about it from someone who had. Once out of the positive energy of the classroom, however, it was as if each person had been programmed to walk the halls with fear and trepidation. Yu-ning tried to lighten the mood. “It's all right, everyone. You don't need to stay in this school if you don't want to. You have choices, and you can come outside where the air is fresh and the sun is warm. Don't worry!”

As they continued quietly down the hall, Percy pointed to a dark room. “All the teachers are gathered in a meeting in there. This is where they discuss how to enforce the rules and create different forms of punishment,” Percy continued, with panic in his eyes.

“We better hurry and get out of here,” a five-year-old boy said.

A senior student holding the boy's hand added, “Yeah, let's just go. Don't go in there, Yu-ning.”

Another older girl spoke up and said, “I think we need to confront the headmistress about—well,
you all know
.”

“What do you mean, Ariadne?” asked the girl who was holding the boy's hand.

“My sister, Anne. And Caspar. All the other orphans who have . . .
disappeared
!” When Ariadne said this, the children all became very quiet. It was obvious this was a taboo subject that few ever spoke of.

The five-year-old boy said, “But Headmistress says those kids all went off to a better school.”

“Don't believe everything she says,” added Ariadne.

“Ariadne!” Yu-ning said. “It was your sister, Anne, who sent me here! I have just come from seeing her. She has been working in a factory far to the north—but she is free now. She is on Rainbow Island, my home!”

“You've seen my sister?” said Ariadne, hardly believing her ears. “Is she all right? Is she safe? I haven't seen her in more than three years.” Ariadne was overcome with emotion, and sought comfort in the arms of one of her fellow students.

“This is the reason I am here, everyone—to take away those of you who want to go, who want to leave this school. I have seen enough to convince me that many of you are here against your will. Is that true?” There were nods and whispers of agreement from most of the students. “For those of you who do not wish to leave, you may stay. The choice is yours. But for those who wish to leave, you can come back to Rainbow Island, and attend a school that will never treat you with hatred or abuse.”

“But some of us aren't orphans,” said Percy. “Our parents won't know where we went, and we will miss them.”

“Percy, once you are on Rainbow Island, we can tell your mother where you are now. She will be able to visit you any chance she can, or even come live on our Island if she wishes.”

Yu-ning turned to Genju Sensei and said, “There is something I must do, Sensei. I must confront your headmistress
about the children she sold into slavery—the children who had to go away to Darqendia Island.”

“I had no idea, Yu-ning, that the children were sent away like that,” insisted Sensei. “Whenever a child went away, Headmistress always told the faculty that it was to another school, on Gracia Island . . . But sold into slavery?” Sensei began to cry, realizing that those poor children had been suffering in sweatshops all these years.

Yu-ning turned toward the door of the conference room and placed her hand on the knob. She heard One's voice in her head, saying, “Speak your truth. Tell these teachers the truth.” Yu-ning nodded quietly to herself. She looked at the whole group of people very gravely and said, “No, I can't leave yet—I need to explain to them why we are leaving. I need to tell them about the missing children.”

A twelve-year-old girl spoke up. “But we are only kids, and they will not listen. They think they are always right.”

Yu-ning shook her head. “Don't worry. We need to tell the truth. There are more of us, and they cannot control us any longer. They cannot do anything to us.”

Sensei said, “Yes, you must tell them just what you have told me, Yu-ning. You must speak from your heart. I have lived in fear all my life until this moment. All that stops now.”

Sensei came forward and whispered into Yu-ning's ear. Yu-ning slowly nodded her head in agreement. Sensei turned and walked briskly down the hallway toward the main offices.

“All right,” Yu-ning said. “Let's go.” Yu-ning lifted her small hand to knock on the door. She paused briefly before she tapped the door three times.

“Enter!” a stern voice boomed.