Jason heard his mom calling him. Instead of answering her, he slipped deeper into the tall weeds behind his house. He closed his eyes, thinking of what he had done.
He had gotten up that morning in a good mood. Raspberry pancakes were on the table when he walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“After breakfast, Jason, I want you to go into town with me,” Mom said quietly. “It’s your sister’s birthday, and we need to shop for her gifts.”
Jason was eager to go, even if the gifts weren’t for him. Buying presents was always fun.
As they drove to town, Jason couldn’t help but ask the question that had been on his mind since yesterday when Aunt Nancy came. “What’s in the big box that Dad took to the barn, Mom? Is it something Aunt Nancy bought for Megan’s birthday?”
“It’s a surprise, Jason, and I don’t want you going near that barn today. Do you hear me?”
Jason sat staring at the road ahead. He knew that nothing would change her mind. Only now he was more curious than ever!
Back home, Megan ran out to meet Jason, her eyes wide and excited. “Jason, Jason, I’m six years old!” she cried, jumping up and down.
“I know, I know.” Jason gave her a big hug.
Soon the house was buzzing with excitement. Megan sat on the stool watching while Mom and Aunt Nancy prepared the birthday dinner. Dad wouldn’t be back for at least two hours. Jason wandered outside trying to think of something to do, but his thoughts kept returning to the box in the barn.
He started walking toward the barn, not at all sure what he’d do when he got there. He was hoping for just a glimpse of the box. Instead he heard a strange noise coming from inside the barn. He wished he could just turn back to the house, but his legs carried him into the barn. Jason saw the box. It was sitting between two bales of hay. He could hear loud wailing cries. Leaning over, Jason carefully lifted the lid. There was the most cuddly puppy he had ever seen!
“You must be pretty scared, huh, fellow?” Jason said quietly as he held the wiggly dog. “Megan’s going to love you!” He secretly wished the puppy was for him. After all, Mom and Dad knew that he had been wanting his own puppy. Probably Aunt Nancy didn’t know that, and anyway Megan would be happy.
Soon Jason was playing happily with the puppy, and he forgot that he wasn’t supposed to be in the barn. Taffy, their big brown horse, stuck his head in the window as if to say, “What’s going on?” Jason jumped, remembering that he wasn’t supposed to be there. The puppy ran off as fast as it could out of the barn and into the field.
Jason stumbled out of the barn looking wildly for any trace of the puppy. “Come on puppy! Oh, please come here!” he called, his eyes welling up with tears.
Now here he was, two hours later, hiding in the weeds. He’d looked everywhere, but the puppy was gone. He had ruined his sister’s birthday.
“Jason! It’s time for dinner!” Mom called even louder now. Just when he was determined to stay forever in the tall weeds, he heard his sister’s voice.
“Jason! It’s time for my party, Jason!” Megan yelled excitedly.
Jason rubbed his swollen eyes, trying to look normal. He couldn’t ruin everything for her. “I’m here, Megan,” he called.
“Are you OK?” she asked with genuine concern.
“Sure. Let’s hurry.” Jason grabbed her hand as they ran back.
As soon as they reached the house, the party began. Jason tried to pretend that everything was fine. When it was time to open Megan’s birthday gifts, he sat in the big easy chair, hoping no one would notice him. Finally the last present was open.
“I’ll be right back,” Dad said.
Jason knew Dad was going to the barn. Megan would probably never forgive him for losing her birthday puppy. Everyone, even Aunt Nancy, would be angry when they found out the puppy was gone.
“Jason! Come here!” It was Dad calling from the front yard.
Jason slowly got out of the chair. It was hard to move, but Megan grabbed his hand and said, “Come on, Jason! Let’s see what Dad wants.”
Jason followed Megan out the door. Mom and Aunt Nancy followed close behind.
There was Dad standing with the box next to him in the grass. “Jason, I want you to open this box and see what’s inside.”
Jason looked up and saw that Dad was smiling. He turned and saw that Mom, Aunt Nancy, and Megan were smiling, too. What would he say to them when there was nothing in the box? But as Jason looked down, expecting to see nothing at all, he jumped back in surprise. The puppy looked up at him, with sleepy eyes.
“Wow!” said Jason, bewildered.
“The puppy’s for you, Son,” his father said.
“I thought you’d like a gift, too, even if it isn’t your birthday,” said Aunt Nancy, laughing.
Megan started clapping. “Isn’t he wonderful, Jason?” The puppy jumped up, ready to play. Jason and Megan spent the rest of the day with the puppy.
Later, when he was getting ready for bed, Jason turned to his father and said, “You know, Dad, I feel bad about something I did today.”
Dad waited patiently as Jason explained what had happened. “And I still can’t figure out how my puppy got back into his box!” he added.
“Well, Son, on my way home I saw your puppy running along the side of the road. I figured he had gotten out of his box somehow…. You must have felt terrible during the party,” Dad continued. “I get the feeling you’ve learned a lot today.” He pulled back the covers on Jason’s bed.
Jason looked down at his new puppy, who was sleeping soundly in a basket by the bed. “Dad, I think I’ll call him Buddy.”
Dad smiled and tucked the covers snugly around Jason.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Reading Passage 040810
I’m not the only one to have suffered that sick feeling that comes with the loss of a purse or wallet. Across Asia, and around the rest of the world, thousands of travellers experience theft, yet little is revealed officially. In many cases, police underestimate the frequency of incidents because they don’t want to discourage tourists.
Beth Rosnick, for example, had her purse stolen, and in less than an hour the thieves had used the numbers on her credit cards to steal $5,000 from her account. Then they opened accounts at two department stores and enjoyed themselves shopping. It was weeks before bills came in – and she discovered how much they had bought with her money. When it happened again, two years later, she had kept copies of her card details in her hotel room, and with a trusted friend at home. This meant that she was able to contact her bank and report the theft immediately, making the cards unusable.
For me, I’m not sure which was worse: the heart-stopping moment when I realised all my cash and credit cards were gone, or the agonising hours on the phone with bank staff in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Bank: “I’m sorry you’ve lost your card, sir. We’ll be glad to send a replacement card to your hotel, which should arrive tomorrow.”
Me: “But – I don’t have a hotel. I don’t have any money to get to a hotel. That’s my problem.”
Bank: “I’m sorry to hear about your problems. If you can give me the name and address of your hotel...”
This continued for four hours, repeating my story to seven staff in two countries and two languages before I could get an emergency cash advance to continue my travels. I had all my cash and my credit cards in my wallet. Had I kept them separate, spread around my luggage, the loss of my wallet would have been a minor inconvenience.
Beth Rosnick, for example, had her purse stolen, and in less than an hour the thieves had used the numbers on her credit cards to steal $5,000 from her account. Then they opened accounts at two department stores and enjoyed themselves shopping. It was weeks before bills came in – and she discovered how much they had bought with her money. When it happened again, two years later, she had kept copies of her card details in her hotel room, and with a trusted friend at home. This meant that she was able to contact her bank and report the theft immediately, making the cards unusable.
For me, I’m not sure which was worse: the heart-stopping moment when I realised all my cash and credit cards were gone, or the agonising hours on the phone with bank staff in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Bank: “I’m sorry you’ve lost your card, sir. We’ll be glad to send a replacement card to your hotel, which should arrive tomorrow.”
Me: “But – I don’t have a hotel. I don’t have any money to get to a hotel. That’s my problem.”
Bank: “I’m sorry to hear about your problems. If you can give me the name and address of your hotel...”
This continued for four hours, repeating my story to seven staff in two countries and two languages before I could get an emergency cash advance to continue my travels. I had all my cash and my credit cards in my wallet. Had I kept them separate, spread around my luggage, the loss of my wallet would have been a minor inconvenience.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Roald Dahl - Little Red Riding Hood
Taken from "Revolting Rhymes".
As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come in?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!''
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
Comes home from walking in the wood.''
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and hat.
He put on shoes, and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,
``What great big ears you have, Grandma.''
``All the better to hear you with,'' the Wolf replied.
``What great big eyes you have, Grandma.''
said Little Red Riding Hood.
``All the better to see you with,'' the Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviar.
Then Little Red Riding Hood said, ``But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.''
``That's wrong!'' cried Wolf. ``Have you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.''
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, ``Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat.''
Things to think about:
1) What makes this story interesting?
2) Did you expect this sort of ending? Why or why not?
3) Find out the meanings of the words you do not understand!
As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come in?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!''
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
Comes home from walking in the wood.''
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and hat.
He put on shoes, and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,
``What great big ears you have, Grandma.''
``All the better to hear you with,'' the Wolf replied.
``What great big eyes you have, Grandma.''
said Little Red Riding Hood.
``All the better to see you with,'' the Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviar.
Then Little Red Riding Hood said, ``But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.''
``That's wrong!'' cried Wolf. ``Have you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.''
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, ``Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat.''
Things to think about:
1) What makes this story interesting?
2) Did you expect this sort of ending? Why or why not?
3) Find out the meanings of the words you do not understand!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
A thought...
Why is it that cars are made of metal and not rubber?
If rubber was used, the impact of any accident would be greatly reduced. Injuries sustained would not be as serious and in some cases, there might not be any injury at all.
What do you think?
If rubber was used, the impact of any accident would be greatly reduced. Injuries sustained would not be as serious and in some cases, there might not be any injury at all.
What do you think?