We have just returned from the most wonderful school, The Chinquapin School in Highland, Texas. A student body consisting of 150 students, all of whom are on scholarship. The majority Hispanic. A smaller number African American, Caucasian and Asian. Nearly all come from economically disadvantaged homes; 85% will be college graduates. Many are the first in their family to graduate from high school and most will be the first to go to college.

Quite a number of students said thank you at the end of the class. Their manner of doing this suggested they really meant it. Listening,learning and gratitude are often missing in American schools in general. But at Chinquapin everyone was thankful. All listened.

I gave the students a tenth century Icelandic riddle that is not that easy to solve because you have to know where to look in the library. You also have to use intuition, reasoning and imagination and have a little bit of luck besides to find the source of the riddle.

Try it yourself. To solve, you must explain what the Thing is and why the ten feet and three eyes.

Who are the two who ride to the Thing?
Three eyes they have together
Ten feet and one tail.
And thus they travel through the lands.

I offered a free book to anyone who could crack the antique code of the greatest warriors, finest poets and storytellers and best shapers of early democracy rivaling any civilization you care to name in the world.

And by day's end,a 7th grade boy named Esteban had the trail to the answer, if not the key that unlocked the door in the cloud.

And the riddler, enemy of all Frost Giants, walked out the door into the sweet Texan rain.