46

Today was the 27th of December.

Graduation day!!

The students had finished their exams on the 2nd... and on the 20th, their report cards were given out within the school premises.

With this, the semester had officially come to an end.

Those who had passed, would of course be able to graduate.

But those that failed, would take one more semester to better themselves before they could graduate.

In this way, Graduation ceremonies would always be held at the end of every semester.

.

'Ringgggggggggggggg!!'

A golden colored twin bell alarm clock rang out loudly.

Henry quickly got up and turned it off.

If one were to describe the alarm clock, they could imagine it like a head with ridiculously large ears.

The clock had 2 bells, which looked like ears... as well as a tiny metal stick between the bells.

When it was time for the alarm clock to ring.... the stick would move from side to side, hitting both bells one after the other.

Honestly, Henry was really impressed by this 'Alarm Clock' that his parents had bought for him 4 days ago.

It was truly a lifesaver.

Today was his graduation day, and there was no way that he would be late for such an occasion.

The event would start at 11 A.M... but as graduates, they were required to come in by 10:30 A.M maximum.

For this ceremony, Henry had bought 3 guest tickets for his family.

His mom had to work today.... So his dad, his 16 year old elder brother and his 10 year old sister would be attending the ceremony.

2 hours had passed, and everyone was finally ready to head out.

They had decided to set out together, since the event would take place at 11 A.M... and it would take 55 minutes to walk there.

Of course 8 days ago, Baymard had received its first snowfall.

On the first 2 days, the snowfall was light.... and on the third day, the snow had decided to give itself a break.

On the 4th to 6th days, it fell down hard.... it seemed like the heaven's were having a mythical battle up in the sky.

And after this intense battle, the snowfall had suddenly decided to back into hibernation.

Although gone, it still left its lingering presence around Baymard.

The ground, trees, streams, and roofs, had all been hugged by the snow like a day old baby.

The entire area was covered by a thick blanket of white.... making the streets look like an unfinished canvas.

But the thing that surprised Henry was that, standing outside now... the roads kicked clear and devoid of snow.

As they walked towards the school.... they could see several snow clearing machines, cleaning up the streets and walkways for them.

The workers would also sprinkle salt here and there on several places as well.

Baymard had really changed.

Right now, he was still amazed at how effective these winter clothes were.

Rather than feeling cold, he had begun to feel hot under his many layers of clothing.

His hands, feet, head... and even his neck was protected with a thick scarf.

Along the way, they met several other people walking towards the school.

Of course amongst the group, he saw his good friend Matilda as well.

She was walking with her father, and older sister.

"You excited?" She asked playfully.

"How could I not be?

I think I'm both excited and nervous at the same time.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect." He said wryly.

"I know what you mean.... but for me, I'm more nervous about preparing for a job interview than anything else.

What if I get turned down for my dream job?

I told you that I want to work at the Horse Ranch remember." Mildred said worriedly.

Her ancestors knew damn well how she felt about the Ranch.

Ever since it was created in June, she had been dreaming about working there for the rest of her life... so what should she do if she was turned down?

"Hmmm... you don't need to worry too much about that.

His majesty had said that on the first day of January, we'll get something called a 'Newspaper'.

Apparently.... this paper will tell us what jobs are available, and when the interview for them will be held.

He also said that every department within each workplace will be hiring people, so think about it.

If you don't get into one department within the Horse Ranch, try the next one.

And if your true goal is to be a caretaker for the horses, and you get hired in the other departments there..... then all you have to do is work in that department for a while, and then transfer to your dream area when there's an available spot."

Mildred's eyes lit up, and she wasn't depressed anymore.

"Ehh... then that means that what I should focus on is getting into the Ranch first right?"

"Yup!!... that's it."

.

They walked for a whe more, and finally arrived at their destination.

There were a lot of families around the premises as well.

"Aye.... Henry, isn't this your name?" Asked his father.

On one of the hallways, there were large 4 frames hanging on the wall.

The frames had columns and rows in them, forming several boxes.

Each box had the names of every graduate enclosed within them in alphabetical order.

The names were written in Black, built the column lines, row lines and frames were all in gold.

Of course the background paper used was white, and the main header read: [Graduating Class of Fall 1024]

Looking at his name, Henry's family felt immensely proud of him.

"Son... will this stay here forever?" His father asked.

"Hmhm... that's what his majesty said."

"Hah.... I'm so proud of you my boy!"

"Way to go bro!!" His older brother said while giving him 2 thumbs up.

"Congrats big bro", said his cute little sister.

The other families around were also proud about seeing their children's names as well.

The parents began entering the main hall after they showed their tickets..... while the graduates followed their teachers and headed towards another massive empty room.

Time passed by quickly....and just like that, it was time for the ceremony to begin.