ELSIE

It was the morning of January 5th 1970 when five year old Elsie strod off to school beside her three older sisters. With lunch boxes and books in tow she was no longer left at home while the big kids went off to this mysterious place called school. She was a big girl now, just like them, and since September when Elsie started Kindergarten, this had become her daily routine. But by now the excitement of the big mystery was already fading and although she enjoyed school, most days had become like the rest.

However, today was a special day. The children had been informed some time ago that a new teacher would be arriving from a far away place and Elsie, who loved adventure, could hardly wait to meet her. She was not disappointed. Her new teacher's name was Mrs. Care and Elsie fell instantly in love! She loved everything about Mrs. Care, she was kind and funny and wore very stylish, very short, dresses in proper 1970's fashion. Little Elsie would arrive home everyday to announce the color of her teacher's undies to her mother who listened with a stern look on her face, while at the same time being amused by her daughters perceptive curiosity. However, the thing that Elsie loved most about Mrs. Care was her funny accent and the stories she shared of her home; a magical place called Australia. She taught them all about kangaroos, the coral in the ocean, Dolphins that you could see swimming by and a place called the Outback. It seemed the most exiting land one could imagine and at the age of 5 she made a vow that she would go to Australia one day.

Elsie never forgot about Mrs. Care and she remained true to her pledge, intending to visit this far off land one day. She would hear stories of people who had visited Australia and would sometimes see it mentioned in a travel magazine or on a TV show, but overtime, as the magical imagination of childhood left her, this vow became a distant memory. Life went on and soon Elsie had a daughter of her own. Although she never lost her sense of adventure and curiosity, being a mother and having to take care of the everyday necessities of life took priority. Life is not always easy and time has a way of withering away hopes and dreams.

Sometimes, in the quiet moments of the day, she would reflect about her childhood and always remembered those times with Mrs. Care fondly. She remembered the innocence and the awe she had for this kind and funny woman whom she had loved so much. Elsie felt grateful to have had such a wonderful teacher and influence in her early years. As she sipped her morning tea reminiscing, now at the age of 50, nostalgia and loneliness have started to set in. Her daughter will be graduating from College this year and will soon be off to make her own way in the world, and now Elsie would have to do the same, a thought that made her feel uneasy. Still healthy and young at heart with a lot of life left to live, what would she do now? She hadn't married and did not own a house or have savings, and one day seemed a lot like the rest.

Elsie shook her head, realizing she had been day dreaming for far too long and would be late for work. She sat her full cup of tea on the counter, grabbed her purse and swiftly made her way to town. She had no idea that her life was about to change.

Returning home that evening tired and hungry, much like days before she entered the front lobby, collected her mail, walked up two flights of stairs, unlocked the door, dropped her things onto the floor and made her way to the sofa to watch her favorite show. The long day slowly dissipated from her bones ... she hadn't noticed the envelope yet.

When Elsie felt sufficiently numbed and more relaxed, she headed to the kitchen to make dinner, picking up the mail on route and setting it onto the counter. It was then she noticed, from the middle of the pile, an unusual looking stamp peeking out from the corner of a large envelope. She pulled the thick envelope out from the pile and began to investigate. The stamp had a picture of a white building with big sails on it surrounded by ocean. There was a letter taped to the front of the envelope that piqued her interest. It was stamped with a return address from J & B Lawyers and Associates, but most interesting was where the letter was from.

Cutting the taped letter from the front of the envelope she carefully opened it, feeling that this was something special, but more so believing it was likely a scam or a time share or something of the sort. She pulled out an official looking letter that was addressed to Ms. Elsie M Hardle and it was from Sidney Australia. Chills came over her entire body as she began to read. Please be informed that on this day of February 18th 2015 that Elsie M Hardle has been named in the last Will & Testament of Mrs. Ellen J. Care. The letter went on to explain that it was Mrs. Cares' wish that Elsie would be found and given the contents of the envelope that she now held in her hands. Astonished, she stood silent for a moment and then re-read the letter a couple more times “How could this be? It must be a Scam! Of all her students why would Mrs. Care remember her” ... but it was not a scam.

Bewildered, she carefully opened the large envelope and reached in to pull out a little black book. It was worn on the edges and weathered in a way that something gets when it is well used and loved. She opened the cover to find a handwritten note addressed to her.

Dearest Elsie,

If you are reading this letter then it means that you have been found and my dying wish to pass this gift along to you has been granted. I am sure this is all coming as a big surprise and you must be wondering why you are hearing from a teacher you knew so long ago. I hope you are well and life has treated you kindly. I would have loved to hear about it in person but unfortunately, we did not find you in time.

The truth is that I always remembered you, the fiery little red haired girl who was so inquisitive and full of imagination and who loved Australia as much as I did. It brought me so much joy to share about my home when I was so far away from it, and your enthusiasm made my days there very worth while. I always imagined that you made it to Australia, but in the case that you have not, I am leaving you one of my most precious belongings, this book.

In this book you will find writings of all my favorite places in Australia that I intended to visit. Some I made it too and some I did not, as I am sure you know by now, life has a way of making its own plans. The first half of this book is filled with notes of my own experiences and a list of all the places I have yet to see of this vast and beautiful country. It is my hope and my sincere wish Elsie to gift you this book that you may continue this journey for me and fill in the blank pages with your own experiences, memories and adventures!

I have no way of knowing if this request is possible for you to accomplish and I understand if you cannot. However, in the remote possibility that you can embark on this journey I left one more gift for you. It is an account with $20,000.00 in it so that you may fulfill my request with no financial hardship. You only have to contact the lawyer’s office and they will arrange everything for you.

Sincerely, Mrs. Care

And one more thing ... Never Forget Your Dreams!

Elsie was in disbelief. Who could have imagined that all of these years she meant as much to Mrs. Care, as Mrs. Care had meant to her. A moment of grief and remorse came over her. She wished she could see Mrs. Care again and have the chance to let her know how grateful she was to have had such an inspiring teacher in her life. That she also, always remembered. A tear rolled down her weathered cheek.

It wasn't long after this unexpected happening that Elsie found herself on a plane, flying to a far off land somewhere down under, with a little black book in tow, to begin the greatest adventure of her life.