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The Hunt:

Challenge Series

Master Challenge #6

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Clay County, MS

3 Points

2 Guess Limit

“A Lesson Left Behind”

They sat me near the window.

Said the light was best there, when the shutters held still.

We came from farms and fields — some barefoot, most bone-tired — but Mama said even a mind can grow if the walls are strong enough.

I remember the bell. And the dust. And how the boards creaked like they were trying to learn the words, too.

The teacher lived just beyond the track — came on foot except when the flooded creek wouldn’t let her. She said the trains were louder than the children some days.

One day, we didn’t come back. Not all at once. Just less and less, until it was only wind and memory in the corners.

But the boards still hold the shape of our lessons.

And if you stand quiet enough, you might hear your name being called.

SOLUTION:

The clue "A Lesson Left Behind" points to the old Tibbee Schoolhouse. The first-person narrative strongly evokes the atmosphere and experiences of a rural, one-room, schoolhouse from a past era, with its students from "farms and fields," a dedicated teacher, and characteristic details like the school bell and creaking floorboards. The location in Clay County and key descriptive phrases such as the teacher living "just beyond the track," the sound of "trains," and the trouble crossing a "flooded creek" directly allude to the Tibbee Schoolhouse's location near both a railroad line and Tibbee Creek. The poem captures the common fate of such schools eventually falling into disuse ("One day, we didn’t come back"), leaving behind an enduring "lesson" in history.