Montana Freethinkers

Promoting skeptical enquiry into religion, philosophy, politics, history, and economics in Montana and beyond.

The Empty Egg

Darwin was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn much. His teacher, Mary Miller often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he would suddenly speak clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Darwin just frustrated his teacher. One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Jefferson's entered the empty classroom, Mary said to them, "Darwin really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems, who know how cruel children can be. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students." Mrs. Jefferson cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a hardship for Darwin and us if we had to take him out of this school. " Mary sat for a long time after they had left, staring into the freezing rain outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her bones. She wanted to empathize with the Jefferson's, but she didn't know what to do. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Darwin was only a distraction. Further more, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying? As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, so she got onto her knees and prayed, "Lord Jesus, help me to be more patient with Darwin", From that day on, she tried to ignore Darwin's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "Thank you, Miss Miller, for letting me stay." he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Mary's face turned red. She stammered, "Why-why that's very nice, Darwin. N-now please take your seat." Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Mary saw the opportunity and told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?" "Yes, Miss Miller, "the children responded enthusiastically--all except for Darwin. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them. That evening, Mary's kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Darwin's parents. The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Mary found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Mary held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine." Next, Mary found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed. Then Mary opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Darwin's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly, Darwin spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Mary replied, "But Darwin, your egg is empty?" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, and preaching Jesus' means nothing to me. " Time stopped. Before she could speak again, The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Mary sat there looking thunderstruck. The cold inside her melted completely away replaced with hot anger. Three months later, Darwin died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket.

Author unknown