Upload
ken-smith
View
236
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Don’t Be Dull, Dull Don! Written by Penny Kao Words in Oxford 3000: 91% 2 About the Authur 3 Chapter V: Dull Don Turned Into a Hero…p 26 Chapter VI: I’m Here If You Need ME… p 19 Chapter I: Don Lee, Done Dully…p 5 Chapter II: Endless Bleeding… p 10 4
Citation preview
Don’t Be Dull, Dull Don!
Written by Penny Kao
2
Words Counted: 2366
Words in Oxford 3000: 91%
About the Authur
3
Penny Kao, who was born in 1986, Taipei County, was
an aborigine beauty of Paiwan tribe of Tai-Tong. She was a
girl who loves singing and dancing, and she had many
experiences of dancing shows. She was a student of English
Department in Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages, and
her minor was French. She was fourth year student when
she wrote her first novel, Don’t Be Dull, Dull Don in 2006;
and her English Writing Class teacher was Mr. Smith, who
made her love to write.
Table of Contents:
Chapter I: Don Lee, Done Dully…p 5
Chapter II: Endless Bleeding… p 10
Chapter III: Mom, Nobody Help Me… p 14
Chapter VI: I’m Here If You Need ME… p 19
4
Chapter V: Dull Don Turned Into a Hero…p 26
Chapter I: Don Lee, Done Dully!
5
“Dull Don, done dully, why is your name Don Lee,
why are you dull and done dully?” a little child sang
out loud, and other were laughing. Don Lee, was the
one who sat silently in the corner, crying. He was a
third year student in elementary school with big,
thick glasses. He was always the last in class, he
moved slowly, thought slowly; therefore his
6
classmates called him dull Don. He was too shy to
convey his feelings in words, and he was also too shy
to speak in front of people. Therefore, his
classmates would easily forget of his existence.
“Dull Don! You again! Don’t be in that way!” “Hey, get
out of our way!” “Yup, we don’t mean to attack you,
that’s because you stand right there and we don’t
know that you’re there.” “By the way, what if I don
mean or not mean to do that?” His classmates
looked at each other, laughed and left.
There were more things than that. Don also
cringed down all the activities because he knew
that his classmates did not like him. He did not hate
7
them and he accepted that but he thought that if
they were happy, he would feel alright. Therefore,
he was always silent, never showing his expression.
But his impish classmates did not think so; they
like to play pranks on him having fun. “Dull Don, dull
Don, can’t you see? Wow~ now he’s more handsome
without glasses! Dull Don, come on take a guess,
where is your glasses? In whose hands?” One
student said. “No, please, give that back to me,”
Don said. “Hurry up! Guess! Or you’ll never see your
glasses again,” another student said menacingly.
“Yes, and if you guess incorrect, we won’t give that
back to you,” yet another student said, and they
8
laughed.
It was not only his classmates who disliked him,
but also his teacher not being nice to him. Once
while he was on the stage and was asked to recite a
text; he could not complete a sentence because he
would have a speech impediment. His teacher lost
her patience, beat his head and scolded him, “Get
down of the stage, you stupid ninny! I’ve had enough
of you.” He was quite used to the kind of unpleasant
things that happened to him, and that happened
everyday.
It was not only the teachers who disliked him,
but also some hard working classmates who always
9
got high scores were unwilling to take any notice of
him; excepting for having fun. Who else would want
to be around with such kind of person who was
always having mouth opened, or care about such a
fool’s feeling?
Chapter II: Endless Bleeding
10
“Sweetheart, don’t be scared when you have the
nosebleed. It will never help if you’re nervous. Calm
yourself and try to relax. Then face upward, sit
down and nip your nose, take out the tissues to wipe
the blood until it has stopped.” Don easily had a
nosebleed, and he was used to it after he followed
11
his mother’s order for many times and was not
afraid of the nosebleed.
It was so hot in September. After having two
gymnastic classes, Don felt dizzy and began to have
a nosebleed. He used his hands to cover his nose
but somehow the nosebleed leaked out from his
hands. All of his tissues were used up, and he still
could not stop bleeding! “I could feel the warm
blood flowing back into my throat,” Don thought
covering his nose, all his blood filtered out from his
hands down his shirt. “Could you… give… give me
some tissues?” Don tried to clam himself asking his
classmate, Debby, though he knew that he must
12
scared her. “Ahhhhh!! Why does he bleed so much
blood? His shirt is all of red for the blood!! How
scary!! The girls in his class ran away and shouted
loudly. “Ah, please don’t leave… hey… please, it’s
nothing. I just want some tissues, and… and…
everything is going to be alright... please… just
some tissues…” Don begged, but when he
approached them, almost everybody ran. The boys
in his class also cried, “Oh my gosh, it’s so
disgusting! Get away! Get away!” At that moment,
he was helpless and sad. His tears welled up in his
eyes and ran down his face. His classmates hid
further away from him because he looked much
13
more dirty, disgusting and dull.
After a while the teacher came and called Don’s
mother. Don sat in the Health Center, facing
upward and waited for his Mom to arrive.
Chapter III: Mom, Nobody Helped Me…
14
On the way home, Don was quiet and thinking;
sometimes his tears ran out from his eyes. He just
wiped them quickly worrying that his Mom would
see. When they got home, Don’s Mom helped Don
bathe. Don looked at his Mom and thought, “My
Mom is always nice to me, and she is so mild and
attentive. It is so nice to stay home… Yes, not like
15
in school… I don’t want to go to school anymore…”
He thought of the days that he was bullied by his
classmates. After his Mom helped him put on his
pyjama, Don could not help it and began to cry. He
cried and asked, “Mom! Why… why didn’t anybody
want to help me when I have a nosebleed… woo…”
His mother was also sad about his apathetic
classmates, and it was so hard to answer anything
to him. What was she supposed to say to her baby
to make him feel better?
“But on the other hand, I don’t want it to
happen again,” his Mom thought. After thinking, she
said, “Sweetheart, they didn’t help you because
16
they’re so young, they don’t know what to do about
it. They went away because they have never seen so
much blood before and they were afraid. Well,
after that you realize how much you need other’s
help, don’t you? From now on, if you know that your
classmates need help, don’t be afraid, just go and
help them. If you face something that you can’t
handle, go to your teachers or the adults to solve
the problem. Remember, my sweetheart, don’t care
about what they have done to you, just be yourself
and try your best to help other people, Okay? Could
you promise Mom that you can do that?”
Don nodded without any hesitation, and gave his
17
Mom a big smile. His mother felt so sad and thought,
“my kind boy.” “That’s my good boy,” Don’s mother
said, and placed her hand on his head, “Good night,
Mom.” “Good night, my sweetheart. Have a nice
dream.” She smoothed the comforter, adjusting it
carefully about Don’s neck, and kissed him.
There was a sigh from the bathroom. The red
on Don’s uniform made her cry. She washed his
uniform feeble; at the same time she imagined her
son helplessly lying face up in his seat and his eyes
were full of tears, not knowing what to do with his
endless nosebleed. “I don’t understand why they’re
so cold? Is it so hard to hand over tissues? Does it
18
cost a thing to care about other people? That’s my
son, my baby, how could you…” She was anxious
about how her son’s life would be and could not help
being weep. Her tears fell into the basin, which was
mixed blood and water; while her son that she
appeased was sleeping so well.
Chapter IV: I’m Here If You Need Me
19
The next day, Don went to school as usual, and
was used to his classmates played tricks on him.
Sometimes the kind classmates talked to him just
in a couple of sentences, and that could make him
feel happy all day. Though his mother was not so
happy about his son’s complacence, but she smiled.
20
The weather was turning coldly; the heavy rain
had rained for many days. When the rain is over,
the sky cleared up that day. There was a small pool,
which accumulated rain near by the school on their
way home. There were many polliwogs swimming in
the small pool. The small pool was dug for
transplanting a tree, about four feet deep. It was
replaced of rainwater for many days, about now it
was stuffed with garbage. Many students were
passes by there would approach the putrid pool and
trying to catch the polliwogs. Every little child was
pushing and shoving over approaching toward the
small pool. Debby, the class leader of Don, was in
21
the crowd, too.
While she rushed to catch the polliwogs, she
tumbled into the putrid pool, which was full of mud.
“Ahhhh,” Debby screamed. The children around the
pool were taken aback by hearing the screaming.
“What happened?” a student asked. “I don’t know, it
seems somebody has fallen down.” Another student
answered. “Look, there she is!! Who is she… oh my,
is she Debby?” “What?!!” They saw Debby
struggling in the pool. A smelly scent was swept
around by the wind and spread out. Everybody
smelt and felt disgusting. May of them ran away and
said, “ohhh, what a nasty smell!!” “Ohhhhh, I want
22
to throw up.”
Don looked at the scared face of Debby in the
putrid and dirty pool. She was standing right in the
pool and did not do anything and did not speak. She
also could not climb up to the ground. But there was
nobody wanted to help her, and he thought about
the day that he had the experience with his
nosebleed. “Remember, my sweetheart, don’t care
about what they have done to you, just be yourself
and try your best to help other people”, his mom’s
words ran to his mind, giving him encouragement to
pull Debby from the pool. The girl he saved was in a
so bad dilemma that he could not even recognize.
23
She was the most beautiful girl who always wore
a glowing uniform, so proud and never even looked
at him at once, and now was crying so disappointedly.
The other students looked at her from head to
feet, thinking about what a dirty girl. They moved
backward and worried that they would get dirt if
she contacted them. They had forgotten that she
was their class leader, and how many contests she
had won.
Only Don departed from his normal behavior,
taking off his white shirt quickly and wiping dirt
from her face or in her hair. He took out his
favorite handkerchief for her to wipe her tears.
24
The handkerchief was his birthday present, which
was given to him by his mother. He never used it
before; but now it was just like a duster in Debby’s
hand. Debby looked at Don’s eyes and said with
appreciation, “thank you, Don.” That was the first
time she spoke to him. “It’s nothing. You’re,
welcome,” Don said gently with broken words.
Other children around them were impressed by
what Don had done. They approached Debby and
Don, some of them helped Debby to take her bag,
and others gave Debby comfort. A row of children
walked to Debby’s home, hand in hand, under the
sunset.
25
Chapter V: Dull Don Turned into a Hero
A few days later when Debby’s mother went to
the school president, Don was cited for bravery in a
morning rally. Debby was asked to go on the stage
to share the experience, in which Don had helped
her.
26
“I fell into the pool, and nobody wanted to help
me, and, most of them just ran away from me…
while Don helped me, I was really very disgusting.
27
Nobody wanted to get close to me… But Don did. He
didn’t leave me alone… He was there… He took off
his shirt, and, and wiped the dirt for me…” Debby
wept, “I’m so sorry, Don. I ask myself why I was so
rude to you… I repent my folly, Don. Please forgive
me… And, and thank you, you’re really very kind,
thank you very much… Thank you…”
All the students were silent. Their hearts were
warm like lying under the sunshine. Jealous, envy,
nitpickings, discontenting to life, careless and
imprudence, all disappeared in a moment. They had
love, beauty, kindness, peace and righteousness in
their heart. They could help anybody just like Don
28
had done.
Since that day, nobody had ridiculed Don, and
nobody had called him “Dull Don”. Although he still
had a nervous stammer, everybody listened to what
he had said patiently. The teacher was kind to him,
too. Gradually, he had begun to know other
classmates, and they also approached playing with
him.
Facing totally different situations of good or
bad fortune, he was so happy that he did not have
to remember what they used to do to him.
Definitely, the happiest person had been his
mother. She had such an angelic and ingenuous son,
who could finally open his heart and be ready to
accept the world.
29
Prologue
Don Lee, who was the last in class with thick glasses,
was a third year student in elementary school. He moved
slowly, thought slowly; therefore his classmates called him
dull Don. One day, he had a nosebleed and all his tissues
were used up. He soon covered his nose, all his blood
filtered out from his hands down his shirt…
30