Farewell Tadpoles

Coming back the Finca after a truly relaxing and refreshing vacation has been really great.  I feel that I’ve really been able to get back into the grit and grime of Finca days with fresh eyes and new energy; nonetheless, there was one rather grave surprise upon my return. 

Before I continue, I must say that I am forever and eternally indebted to Mary Clare for covering my classes for the entirety of my vacation and for being an all-around great gal.  I especially want to thank Bobby and her for extending their Finca adventure for an extra two weeks.  I guess they just couldn’t get enough!

Well, enough beating around the bush.   I was welcomed back the Finca with a note from Mary Clare on the computer summarizing the work that she had done in my absence, where they had left off, how the kids behaved, etc.  Among a few lines apologizing for missing gluesticks, tape, and that little man that goes with the car that we used for physics experiments (whom Fernando had last seen), Mary Clare dropped the following ominous message: “Now I must address a loss much more serious in nature that I had hoped I would never have to discuss with you. Further elaboration on this topic is in another document in my folder entitled ‘IOU’.”

My immediate reaction—oh no! Something worse than losing that little toy man!  He’s just so perfect for demonstrating inertia!...wait, maybe someone was critically injured during the egg drop experiment…or maybe she let one of the kids borrow my pen with the four colors (It’s black, blue, red, and green for crying out loud!).  Ok, so I settled down and mustered up the courage to open the fated document.  To my surprise this is what I read:

IOU some tadpoles.

My deepest apologies for not taking better care of those little creatures…As soon as you asked me to feed them everyday I thought I heard their little voices crying out, “Please don’t leave us to our doom Kevin! She looks worse than Darla from Finding Nemo.” In not telling you about those whispers I heard that day I ensured their demise and secured my own place in history as the girl with a higher aquatic death count than that terrifying dentist’s daughter [sic.]. Please accept my apologies and know that I will forever try to atone for this mistake! 

Below is the gravestone I designed for them should you feel like using it.

Tomb of the Unknown Tadpoles June 26, 2012- July 15, 2012 Beloved sons, daughters, friends, and compañeros de clase “One fish, two fish, red fish, dead fish.” -Dr. Seuss

P.S. If there happen to be tadpoles in your aula it was because they resurrected, not because I told Fernando, David, and Denis to find some more. 

Don’t worry, Mary Clare, I forgive you.