A primary school teacher’s recollection, excerpt from a letter to a friend.
This morning, the kids asked me how everyone reacted when the portals opened. They wanted to know if armies were sent or if people welcomed the refugees or what. I didn’t know how to tell them that there was no reaction. Not really. It all happened so quickly. We talk about what happened after the portals so much but the portals themselves? Under ten minutes. That’s how long they were open. We don’t even have an exact count because by the time anyone had a thought to measure something, it was gonem Not even ten minutes. That’s how long it took to change the world forever. It was over before we even knew what happened. There wasn’t any warning. No lights, no ominous winds, no voices. The air just split open and people poured out. Running and screaming and crying. They were right there in the middle of the playground outside my classroom. I was teaching addition to the year ones. I didn’t even notice it starting, I only looked over when the noise started and the kids got upset. I had no idea what to do. No one did. We just stared in shock. The whole world did. What else were we supposed to do?