Name:___________ RL 6“Was It a Dream?”by Edith Robarts

Rita grew quite tired of gathering wildflowers while her brother Frank sat by the water busy with his fishing-rod."He must be tired of it by this time! He has been fishing for two hours!" she said, and, swinging her bunch of flowers, she walked to where her brother was sitting.

"Do leave off fishing for a while, Frank!" she pleaded, leaning against the tree beside him. "There is such a funny-looking animal running about over there in the grass. Come and look!"

Frank laughed.

"I know your funny-looking animals, Rita!" he said.

"Aren't you really tired of sitting quite still?" went on Rita wonderingly.

"I don't think about it," answered her brother. "I want to catch the fish, and to do that I must sit still."

Rita walked a little way from him and threw herself down upon the bank.

As she lay looking into the water she suddenly felt herself grow very sleepy. A little while after, the water began to get so clear that she could see right through it. It grew more and more so until it became just like glass. Rita could see the very bottom of the pond and the fish swimming quickly backwards and forwards.

Then she heard some very funny little voices coming up from the water. This made her look closer, and she soon discovered a small group of fishes who seemed to be speaking very eagerly together. She saw they were gathered round Frank's line, on the end of which hung a tempting piece of bait.

"I tell you, my son," Rita heard the largest fish say to one of the smaller ones, "that is a trap. I have seen hundreds of poor fishes try to swallow that worm, and they have been pulled up out of the water and I have never seen them anymore!"

"But, mother!" cried the smaller fish, "if I only had just one bite! Look what a beauty it is! I am sure there can be nothing to harm me!"

"Inside that worm," continued, the big fish, "there is a hook which will catch into your gills, and you will not be able to get away. Then the man at the top will pull you up and up, and you will be killed and eaten by him!"

Still the little fish looked longingly at the bait. Rita wanted to call out and tell him what his mother said was quite true; but somehow her voice refused to come.

The other fishes who were gathered round listening did not say anything, but Rita saw that some of the smaller ones looked at the worm just as longingly as the little one who had spoken.

For a few minutes there was silence in the water; then all at once, at a moment when it thought its mother was looking the other way, the little fish made a dart forward and tried to swallow the bait. The next moment it was wriggling about in a most pitiable manner and giving faint little cries for help. Its mother swam towards it in great distress.

"Come and help!" she called, in a trembling voice.

All the other fishes surrounded the line, and some caught hold of the little fish's tail and held on.

Just as Rita was getting very excited indeed she gave a great start and jumped up from the bank.

"What was that?" she exclaimed aloud.

"Why, I've got a splendid catch. It must be a monster! The line is so heavy I can hardly pull it in!"

It was Frank's voice. Rita suddenly remembered where she was and that she must have fallen asleep. She walked slowly to Frank, thinking about her strange dream.

She had only stood by him a minute when—splash!—out flew the line from the water and over went Frank on his back.

It was so funny that Rita could not help laughing heartily—especially as Frank was not at all hurt.

"It's all very well for you to laugh!" he said, when he had got up again; "but that was the best catch I've ever had, and the wretched fish must have got off the hook!"

Rita grew very thoughtful. Could her dream have been true? It really did seem strange. Anyway, although she felt sorry for Frank, she could not help feeling very pleased that the poor little fish had got free!

“The Birthday Party”

 Maria woke early on Saturday morning. She looked around her bedroom, stretched, and yawned. As she began to crawl out of bed, she remembered what today was… the birthday party! Maria quickly changed out of her pajamas and into jeans and a tee shirt. She yanked a comb through her tangled hair a few times and then headed downstairs.

Even though it wasn’t Maria’s birthday party, but her little brother’s, she was still excited. Jacob was turning five today, and her parents had planned a great party. There was going to be a balloon man! This was the part Maria was most excited about. She had been to a friend’s party a few months ago where they had a balloon man. He had made Maria a balloon shaped like a dinosaur, and she had kept it up until a few weeks ago when the air had started to go out of it.

“Mom!” Maria called. “What time is the party again?”

“Oh, your brother’s friends won’t be here for a few hours. Maybe you can help me in the kitchen while you wait.”

Maria walked into the kitchen and began helping her mother frost the cupcakes. She kept looking at the clock while they worked. Then, the phone rang.

“Hello?” Maria’s mother answered. “Um-hm. Oh, I see. Well, I guess there is nothing we can do about that.” She hung up the phone.

“What’s going on?” Maria asked her mother.

“Well, that was the balloon man. His son was in an accident, and he has to go to the hospital. He’s not going to be able to make the party.”

“Nooo!” cried Maria. “He was supposed to come! What will we do at the party without him?”

Maria’s mother sat down at the kitchen table and thought. Finally, she got up and went into the garage. Maria could hear her parent’s voices through the door, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought of how boring the party would be without the balloon man.

Finally, Maria’s mother came back into the kitchen.

“I told your father about the balloon man not being able to make the party, and he had a great idea. He’s going to be the balloon man instead!”

Maria was shocked. Did her father know anything about balloons? Would he know how to twist and tie them into strange animals? And what would he wear? The balloon man wore a clown costume, and Maria was pretty sure her father didn’t have one. She began to smile as she imagined him dressed up in rainbow colors with a bright red wig on his head.

“Well, does Dad know anything about balloons?” Maria asked.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Maria’s mother smiled.

Maria helped her mother finish in the kitchen, and then she went upstairs to get dressed. When she came downstairs, she found many of her little brother’s friends sitting on the couch. Suddenly, her father burst out of the downstairs bathroom. He was wearing a clown costume!

“The balloon man is here!” he yelled out.

All of the little kids started to scream. Maria watched in disbelief as her father pulled a packet of balloons out of his pocket and started taking animal requests from the children. Her father knew how to make balloon animals! After he had finished making them for the children at the party, he came over to Maria.

“Dad, I had no idea!” Maria said.

He smiled at her. “And what animal would you like, Maria?” he asked.

“A dinosaur, please,” she smiled back at him.

After he had finished making it for her, he gave her a hug. “It’s a great party after all, isn’t it?”

Maria looked around at all of the children, laughing and eating cupcakes.

“Yes, Dad, it is.”

“Gold Rush" 

Robert urged his horse to hurry toward the train station. He’d been in California for several months, trying to find gold. Finally his wife and children were to join them. Most people who had come out for the Gold Rush were men, but Robert was sure his wife, Cindy, and children would be happy to live by this newly discovered coast of America. Letters were few and far between. He'd last heard from Cindy six weeks before. She'd said that the children were excited to see the house that he was building and that they hoped the family could visit the ocean. 

When he reached the train station, Robert could feel the air crackling with energy. Eight other men leaned against the wall, waiting for their families to arrive on the train that would appear out of the dust-filled air. One man, who was wearing a denim shirt, cocked his head. "I keep thinking that I hear a train whistle, but I guess I'm just hopin'," he said with a half-laugh. Robert nodded his head.

Then, Robert thought he heard something in the distance. He looked at the man in the denim shirt. 

"Did you hear that too?" the man asked. 

"I did!" answered Robert. 

"Well, I reckon the train will be here before long," said the man. "My name is Earl. I've been out here for three years. I'm sure my children have grown so much."

"How old are they?" asked Robert.

"Oh, they'll be 10 and 13 now," answered Earl.

"Well, I wonder if they have gotten to know my children during this train ride," said Robert. "They're about that age, too."

The train whistle sounded again, much closer this time. Earl forgot Robert's words as he used his sweaty hands to comb his hair and double-checked his teeth in the dirty mirror hanging on the train station wall. Robert's heart pounded in his throat. He put his hands in his pockets because he did not know what else to do with them. 

Once more the train whistled, and the men at the station could feel the ground begin to rumble. Despite his nervousness, Robert was filled with happiness. He had not realized how much he missed his family.

"The Brash Young King"(a Laotian folktale)

 

Once there lived an old king who trusted his white-haired advisors. By following their advice, the king had prevented war from breaking out with neighboring countries many times.

The king's son, however, had no patience with his father's elderly counselors. "Father, these graybeards are afraid of their own shadows," the young man would say. "Our kingdom would be stronger and more powerful were it not for them." The old king would shake his head. "My son, there is wisdom in years. You must learn this when you become king one day." As it happened, the young man did not have long to wait. His father suddenly became very ill and never recovered. Soon thereafter, the new king issued his first royal decree. "Henceforth," it read, "His Majesty will listen only to the counsel of the young." The old advisors were curtly thanked for their service to the old king and sent home. The young king surrounded himself with young advisors. They recommended sending threatening letters to neighboring countries in order to demonstrate that the new king was a man of strength and action. The new king did so and was very pleased with himself. One week later, an emissary from a particularly large and powerful country arrived in the young king's palace. "My Lord received your letter, Oh Great King, and this is his response. He sends you this stick from a young tree of the forest. When I return tomorrow, you must tell me which end of the stick comes from the higher part of the tree. If you fail, your kingdom will be conquered." As soon as the emissary had left, the king turned to his advisors. "Surely we have nothing to fear from this man's threats?" The advisors were too ashamed to meet the king’s gaze. One finally said, "My Lord, our armies are no match for theirs. We honestly never thought anyone would risk going to war over a letter." The king fumed. "If that is the case, we have no choice but to answer his riddle." The king waited for an answer. "Well? Does no one know which end of the stick comes from the higher part of the tree?" The advisors talked quietly among themselves. "Your Majesty, half of us think it is the one end, and half think it is the other, but no one knows for sure." The young king felt fear in his heart for the first time in his life. He could guess and possibly be right, but what if he guessed wrong? Would his reign be the shortest in the history of the kingdom? That night, the young king's advisors went home with heavy hearts. One of them happened to be the son of the former king's wisest counselor. This gentleman took one look at his son and said, "You look as though a monsoon cloud followed your every step." "Father, the worst has come to pass. Our kingdom stands on the brink of destruction." He then told his father about the emissary's riddle. "How simple that is!" said the old man with a smile. "Here is what you must do when the emissary returns tomorrow." The young man listened carefully to his father's instructions. The next day, the young king and his court received the emissary in the throne room. "Well?" asked the emissary haughtily. "What is your answer, Boldest and Bravest of Kings?" The king rose from his seat with a sigh. Before he could utter his guess, the young advisor stepped forth. "Your Majesty, I know the answer to the riddle!" He brought forth a large bowl of water into which he placed the stick. One end sank down while the other stayed up. "The end which sank grew out of the tree. Since the branch grew upwards, that means the other end was higher up in the tree." The emissary nodded and said, "You have answered well and saved your land. I leave you now in peace."

 When he had left, the king stood before the advisor. "How is it you learned the answer when no one else could?" "Your Majesty," said the advisor, "I disobeyed your royal decree. I told my aged father the riddle, and he shared with me the answer." The advisor then stood still, eyes fixed on his feet, and awaited his punishment. The silence stretched on. Finally, the young king said, "You were correct, and I was very wrong. I see now, almost too late, why my father was a good king." That day, the king issued his second royal decree. "Henceforth," it read, "His Majesty will only listen to the counsel of the wise.”

My Dog Peanut" 

My dog Peanut is quite the little escape artist. She is a very small dog, but she can cause big problems. When I first got her, I had to find a place for her to stay while I was at school.  

The first place that I tried was the laundry room. I set up her bed and some food and water and closed the door. This seemed to work very well. It was a nice space for her, and I did not have to worry that she would cause problems in the rest of the house. After a few days in the laundry room, Peanut decided she was not happy there. When I came home from school, I found that Peanut had scratched the door and the wall trying to get out. She had worn a hole six inches long and three inches wide in the wood. 

My next solution was to buy a fancy plastic dog pen. The pen came in pieces and could be arranged in a square or a rectangle of different sizes. I made a nice large rectangle in my room and put her inside. For a couple of days, Peanut seemed to be fine in the pen. Then one afternoon, when I came home, I found Peanut sitting on the living room couch. I thought I must have forgotten to put her in the pen. The next day, I made sure I put her in the pen. Again, that afternoon, I found her on the couch. 

I figured she must be jumping out of the pen, even though it was taller than she was. I put a sheet over the top of the pen, but when I came home, I found she had tugged the sheet down and jumped out again.

My next solution was to move the pen out of the center of the room. I put the pen in the corner so that were walls on two sides of the pen, my desk on the third side, and a chair blocking the front. The next afternoon when I came home, Peanut was not on the couch.  Feeling very successful, I went into the office and found she was not in the pen either. A little grunting noise soon revealed her location. She had jumped out of the pen up on the desk! Once she was there, she had nowhere else to go. My computer and printer blocked her path. I could only guess how long she sat on my desk before I got home. 

Finally, I gave in and bought a new pen, this time with a cover on the top. She hasn’t been able to figure her way out of this one, yet. 

"Captain Smith and the Pirates, Part 1" 

The boat was riding low in the water, obviously loaded with stolen cargo.  Captain Roger Smith looked through the fog for movement on the deck of the pirate ship.  The crew of the H.M.S. Defiant, Smith's ship, prepared for a fight. Well-practiced sailors, their work was nearly silent and very quick.

The pirates had cruised this part of the ocean for many months, waiting for ships as they made their way back to England. "Captain!" a hushed whisper from Lieutenant Nelson."What is it Mr. Nelson?" the Captain replied."All cannons are loaded and the lads are in their places."“Thank you.”Smith gave the order to steer a course to catch the pirate ship.This was the worst time, right before catching another ship.  He felt the nervous, sick feeling of facing danger.  He had felt this way every time.  Over ten years as an officer, that was a lot of fear.  When he had become the captain of this ship, it had become an even stronger fear.  Now he had to worry about the safety of the entire ship, not just himself.As the fog continued to block his view of the pirates, he hoped they had the same disadvantage.  He walked the decks, giving quiet encouragement to his men.  They trusted he would lead them to victory as he always had before.  His comments and look gave no hint of the fear in his heart.“Time to put an end to their evil ways, eh Captain!” Francis the gunner said quietly as the Captain toured the gun deck.“We’ll give them what for,” another mate agreed. “Teach them to respect law and order.”  He wiped the sweat from his brow. Despite the cool North Atlantic weather, the gun deck’s air was warm. All the men moving the cannons into position and bringing powder (gun powder) and shot (cannon balls) from the lower decks combined with the small fire pots used to light the fuse matches to make the space steamy.“Captain Smith, sir.”The young lieutenant had come down to the gun deck. He looked concerned.“Sir, the wind is picking up.  The fog is lifting.”“Then it must be time Mr. Nelson!”“Yes sir, but the fog hid another pirate ship.  There are two ships out there!”  the young lieutenant reported.

"Emily" 

Emily was very glad the new school was opening. Many people had moved into Emily's neighborhood. There were too many students to fit in the old school.  Students who had been there for four years would stay at the old school. Students who had been there less than four years got to go to the new school. 

Emily knew that some of her best friends would be staying at the old school.  She hoped that she would continue to see these friends after school and on the weekends. She worried that they might become enemies because they went to different schools.  As she walked to the new school on the first day that it was open, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach. 

The school was so new that it looked strange. The playground equipment was fire-engine red and the grass so green it looked fake. The parking lot was black and almost shiny, and the school itself, a pinkish-beige, seemed to shimmer in the early morning light. Emily took a deep breath, let it out, and forced herself to walk toward the groups of children. She did not see a single person she recognized. She could feel her hands shaking slightly, but she put a smile on her face. "The way to make a friend is to be a friend," her grandmother often said. Emily walked up to a girl standing alone near the school doors. "I'm Emily," she said. "What's your name?"