The Change of the Seasons: Teacher's Pet

Chapter 12
Epilogue (With Author's Note)

Chapter Description: A season heralded, a people changed forever anew, a conflict reaches its breaking point, a clash all but inevitable.

[size=2]And thus the fall season nears its close.

A woman, stressed and aged from a long career as a teacher, found new beginnings in her second childhood and rediscovered that even young students could teach those older than them.

A girl, headstrong and demanding for a life denied to her, found love in her greatest rival and realized the true meaning of family.

Such are the Change of the Seasons. We know of their coming and yet we are always changed in their wake. Through the power of New Springs’ magical water, the elementary schoolteachers in this strange valley town found themselves as schoolchildren once more as their best students rose to assume their previous roles. Parents became children to their own children as well as to their own spouses.

Age, the only real thing that separated adults from children in seasons past is becoming increasingly meaningless. And while the 3rd grader Lizzy Baxter and her teacher Rebecca Brownwood begin new lives in their role reversed families, living a sweetly comfortable existence filled with happiness, New Springs will continue to change the lives of those around them. A new world was beginning inside Old Lake Valley. A world where Grownups unhindered by age, ruled over Growndowns not bound to the forces of time itself.

Those that had instigated this new world currently stood underneath Old Lake Beach. Inside it’s complex sewer system.

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“So this is it?” Sarah Longview asked.

“Indeed it is.” The man named Seth Morrison answered.

The massive room they stood in was somehow hidden underneath the beach town’s water treatment plant. Large pipes from above channeled themselves into a sophisticated pumping station along with a computer console that was powered by gigantic generators directly below the bridge they stood on.

Jonathan Medlock put a gentle hand on Sarah’s shoulder, “So this is my grandfather’s work?”

Seth turned to face his subordinate, “The foundation was his work. But it was Jacob who designed the pumping station as well as the generators”

Jonathan was speechless, “My little boy did all of this…”

“Of course it took a lot of effort to get all of it running again after decades of disused.” Seth said as he raised his hands in self-praise. “You should really thank me for upgrading the computer console’s firmware.”

“How much did this all cost Seth?” Sarah asked him.

“A small fortune.” Seth admitted, “It will need even more before its completed.”

“So I take it you’ve been using more than my winery’s profits to build this thing?” Sarah assumed.

“I’ve had to siphon funds from various sectors of the New Springs Authority.” Seth admitted. “But mostly from sectors controlled by our allied families. The Founder’s Council are old men, not accountants, we should be good.”

“Should isn’t exactly reassuring.” Jonathan said.

“You can say that again.” Sarah said clearly sharing Jonathan’s thoughts, “I think it’s time we step up our plans.”

“It’s still too early for the coup d’état. Half of the First Generation families are loyal beyond a doubt to The Founders. Resorting to violence to seize control would turn the entire town against us.” Seth frustratingly expounded.

“I never suggested we had to kill them.” Sarah said with the distinctive smirk that often formed on the Grownup’s face when the will of New Springs spoke through her.

Jonathan suddenly erupted into a fit of laughter, “What? Are we going to assault to Founder’s Sanctuary with super soakers and hope for the best? We’ll have to use snowballs by next month!”

Sarah looked blankly at her ex-boyfriend, “Well I never thought to do that but-“

Seth interrupted their nonsense, “The Founders drink directly from the source of New Springs. It’s where they derive their divine mandate to rule over the valley.”

“Maybe it’s time to parlay Sarah.” Jonathan suggested. “I don’t think The Founders are bad men, they just want to keep everything in order. We could push for reform, I’m sure they would hear us out.”

“Hear you out and then immediately exile you, if not worse.” Seth told him bluntly.

“I just want to avoid conflict.” Jonathan said, “My kids are happy here I won’t ruin their second childhoods by turning this valley into a war zone.”

Sarah stood silent during the entire exchange, but the wicked smile that spread across her gorgeous face was telling. Both men recognized that.

“The Founder’s may have whatever self-given decree to rule over the people of New Springs and Old Lake Valley but in practicality it’s Enforcers and Overseers like us that are basically responsible for the transformed people of this town.” Sarah claimed, “In other words…”

“They don’t have the right to rule over Grownups and Growndowns.” Jonathan finished for her. “It’s not a bad bargaining position, but we’re a minority in New Springs not to mention-”

“We accelerate The Change of the Seasons to transform everyone in New Springs.” Sarah explained, “Total demographic change. That’s how we take over. The only adults and children left in town will be forced to live with us or move somewhere else in the valley. New Springs would become a town for Grownups and their Growndowns. They could not deny us any longer.”

“And you think this pumping station is capable of doing that?” Seth asked condescendingly. “It won’t be fully operational until the spring equinox at best.”

Jonathan stepped in, “You want to dump just enough of your formula into Old Lake to be evaporated into the atmosphere before the winter storms hit. I am right Sarah?”

Sarah gave Jonathan a prideful smile, “Your comment earlier reminded me of when we were little kids. It’s the perfect opportunity: The persevering cold, my amplifying formula, and the spread of the northward winter storms would cover the entire town. Every kid playing in the snow worthy of responsibility would be a Grownup soon thereafter while the adults would be regressed into Growndowns in droves well into Christmas and beyond.”

A humorous grin came across Seth’s goatee face, “That would pretty much do it. You wouldn’t get most of the teenagers probably if they shut themselves in from the snow but you could get nearly everyone else.”

A fiery zealotry came over Sarah Longview at that moment. Her eyes beamed with determination and her teeth shined brightly through her grin.

“Pray Seth!” Sarah proclaimed. “Pray that New Springs rejuvenates you into a young Grownup rather than regress you into a little Growndown! For I promise you two that by the passing of the New Year, New Springs will belong to us Grownups! Those unfit for their adulthoods will live benevolently under us as Growndowns for all eternity!”

Seth Morrison cackled at Sarah’s proclamation, enjoying the wild ride this gothic teenager turn fanatical woman was taking him on just as much as his revolution against the Founder’s Council was all but realized.

Jonathan Medlock stood skeptically with his arms crossed to both of them. Doubtful that the envisioned utopias of Seth and Sarah would ever be fulfilled and yet here he stood with them both. Contrary to what Sarah had just professed, it was actually Jonathan that was praying to New Springs at this moment. Praying if this was the best possible course for them to change the valley, indeed the whole world itself for the better.

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Teacher’s Pet has come to an end. But as fall changes into winter, so too will the fates of those in and around the strange little valley town known as New Springs.

The Change of the Seasons will continue in: Hail to the King

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Author’s Note: I wanted to sincerely thank those readers that have stuck it out this far with me. This story was a completely different beast of a tale while I was still writing Part 1 last year.

It shouldn’t be too long until I take you on another trip into New Springs, it should be quite an interesting season.[/size]