Children of The Shadow

Chapter 6

"Hey! I got a question!" a young boy shouted, waving his hand like he was trying to swat a fly. The teacher chuckled, turning around and saying, "Alright, go for it."

"Who named our country?" the boy asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

The teacher thought for a second before replying, "Well, most people think it was Lyndon Crandull since he was the first chief but actually... that's way off."

"Wait, how's that wrong?" the boy asked, looking confused.

"Because," the teacher said, smiling, "the real name-giver was a kid named Sam Moon."

The boy burst out laughing. "Moon? That's his last name?" he said between giggles.

The teacher grinned. "Yep, Moon was his last name. Now, listen—Sam was only seven years old when he got sent to England for a bit, and by the time he came back here, he was ten."

"Okay, but what did Sam did in England?" the boy interrupted, still giggling a little.

"Sam spent his time studying science and engineering," the teacher replied.

"But he was seven," the boy said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yep! Just like you, Sam was full of questions. He loved figuring out how things worked, and England had more resources for him to explore those questions," the teacher said. "He was fascinated by machines and nature, always wondering how stuff connected. When he got back, he had this idea that he wanted to name our country."

The boy tilted his head. "Why did he want to name it the country in the first places?"

"Well because he'd seen countries like England, and he wanted a name that fit our island. He came up with a name he thought was perfect e went to the chef, Naomi Robins, who agreed to the young boy's ideas, and our chef decided to officially name this country and that's actually why we celebrate National Youth Day—to honor Sam's creativity and spirit."

"Wait—that's how National Youth Day started?" Boy asked, his eyes wide with excitements 

The teacher nodded. "Exactly!"

"So then what happened to Sam?" the young boy asked.

"Well, by the time he was fifteen, Sam was already a famous inventor," the teacher replied.

The boy jaw dropped. "No way! Did he invent anything I'd know?"

"Yes, he did." "Sam invented an amazing machine called a life network," the teacher said with a smile.

The boy bounced up and down "I love life network" 

"Yep, Sam invented the original life network but sadly he died young" the teacher replied

the boy smile faded "Wait why did he died yong

"Sam was only 41 when he died. He fought in a war that was pretty rough—he put his own life on the line for the country he helped name."

The young boy stared at the teacher for a moment. "Was it during the revolution or the war?" he asked with sadness in his voice.

"Yes, it was during the revolution." Teacher answered. The boy stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again.

the boy stayed quiet, staring at the floor, then looked up with determination. "I've decided. I'm goanna be an engineer like Sam."

The teacher smiled, nodding. "I know you'll be a great one, Benjamin."

"Thanks, teacher," he said as he ran out of class. The teacher watched the young boy run outside to play with his friends for a while longer until they all scattered in different directions.