I am back in Japan, visiting the junior high school. I walk into the teachers' room, which seems a little more cluttered than I remember - possibly because there is a third row of desks which periodically appears and disappears, depending on where I am standing. There is a collection of teachers there, I spot Furukawa-sensei and Matsunaga-sensei as I walk over to my old desk and say hello. There is a new ALT sitting at my desk (I've never seen him before); he smiles and says that my desk has been moved "over there", gesturing with his thumb.

I sit down, open the drawer and find several objects wrapped in plastic bags. Picking one up, I am about to open it when the Tea Lady runs over and makes me put it down. She's smiling, so I suspect these are gifts that I'm supposed to 'find' later on. I get up and head outside, where I run into a group of my old students (now graduated from high school). I say hello and laugh as they recognize me and blurt out "JJ?". I recognize Maki and Aya, but can't remember the other students' names. We chat for a bit (in English!), and cross the street to the 7-11.

I'm busy telling them how proud I am that they didn't give up in their studies and how great it is they can have a conversation in English, when a caucasian fellow walks up to me. I recognize him as an ALT from the same time I was in Saga (again, I can't remember his name, but I think he arrived in my third year). We're running through the usual banter, when I notice that the store has suddenly become very crowded. I glance over my shoulder just as Don pushes his way through the crowd.

I laugh, drop to my knees and say: "What the heck are you doing here?". As I stand back up, I see a grinning Kathy and then Don envelops me in a huge bear hug. I am laughing, the room starts to spin and I can see the smiling faces of all my friends around me. I hear a voice say: "here it comes," and all of a sudden I start crying. Huge, body-racking sobs course through me, but Don just hangs on and everyone moves in around me.

I wake up, and feel... healed, somehow.