Today, the Mysticals were traveling back in time. Scorch had heard about an event called ‘Dash for Cash’ which made her curious. She said, “Imagine! There is all this money scattered around you and you can pick up as much as you want!”
Verum and Orak weren’t convinced. Felix wasn’t sure how he felt about this. So, instead of arguing, the Gifted Four decided to attend the event and see for themselves.
Orak’s tempus machine sped back in time to 11th December 2021. When the Mysticals stepped out of the machine, they were treading on the soil of South Dakota, a state in the United States (US). As the Mysticals looked around, they realized they were at an ice hockey game. A local team called Sioux Falls Stampede was playing that day.
As the Mysticals peered down from the crowd of spectators, they saw the ‘Dash for Cash’ event. A group was kneeling on the ice. The 10 people were supposed to gather as many $1 bills as they could within five minutes and scoop them into their clothes.
“Who are these people? And why are they scooping the bills?” said Verum.
“Let’s ask someone,” suggested Felix as he became visible to the people around. When he asked a nice old man sitting next to him, Felix found out that the 10 people collecting the dollar bills were actually school teachers.
“And why are they gathering the money?” said Felix.
“It’s a part of a charity event organized by the Sioux Falls Stampede and the CU Mortgage Direct bank. You see, the teachers in South Dakota are among the lowest-funded in the country,” the old man explained, “And in the US, teachers often have to pay for any teaching tools they require for the class themselves. These teachers were selected from 31 who applied to participate in the event.”
“Thank you,” said Felix and seemingly walked away. To his friends, he said, “This doesn’t sit well with me. Such a charity event seems demeaning to the teachers.”
“You’re not the only one to feel so. Many have raised a question and criticized the event,” said Verum, now looking into her crystal ball, “That’s why the hockey team, as well as the bank, apologized. Each of the teachers had received at least $500 and now, they were paid another $500. Moreover, $500 will be donated to the 21 teachers who weren’t selected.”