could I help Shannon, the girl who sat in the middle of the room with a huge smile on her face, even though she didnât seem to understand a single word that any of the teachers said?
Then I started to pay more attention to the classroom assistant.
Her name was Dawn, and she walked aroundthe classroom like there was a huge, heavy rock on her shoulders. She looked like the tiniest thing would prompt her to lie down in a corner crying buckets of tears.
But the more I watched this sad woman, the happier I felt.
Dawn was perfect.
All I had to do was find out why she was so sad, and then I could go ahead and fix it.
Dawn left the building as soon as school was over, and I watched as she took the road towards town. I said hurried good-byes to my new friends, and raced after Dawn.
I ran down the street and quickly spotted her. It wasnât difficult. She was marching along so fiercely that the crowds were parting to let her through. I raced into the space behind her, and followed.
Soon we came to a coffee shop. Dawn went inside, and joined another woman at a table. She waved at a waitress and ordered a coffee. I sat at a table nearby. I hoped no one was going to ask meto buy something as I had the big total of five cents in my pocket. I pulled out a geography book, and pretended to be totally interested in a map of France.
Dawn was stirring her coffee like she wanted to make a hole in the bottom of the cup.
âDid you tell her?â asked her friend.
Dawn shook her head.
âI canât do it. I canât go.â
The friend gave a big long sigh.
âJust make your mind up. Tell her. Tell her youâre going on a holiday with Julie and me.â
Dawn interrupted her, âBut itâs not just a holiday. Itâs not a week at the beach or a few days up a mountain. Itâs two whole months. In South America.â
The friend smiled and rubbed her hands together.
âI know. I can still hardly believe itâs going to happen. Now you just need to tell your mother and then we can get on with it. And then, after the trip, your mother will be used to you being away,
and youâll be able to live with Julie and me. Weâll find a place big enough for the three of us, and itâll be the beginning of the rest of our lives.â
For one second Dawnâs eyes lit up, and then the light faded like a match-flame in the wind.
âI would love that so much,â she said, âbut I canât do it,â she said. âSince Dad died, Mum has no one else. I
want
to do all this stuff with you and Julie, but I canât. Mum needs me.â
The friend was cross. She stood up.
âYouâre sad all the time, Dawn. Itâs not right. Itâs time you started to live your own life,â she said. âAnyway, Julie and I are going to the travel agents to book our flights tomorrow afternoon. Call one of us before then if you change your mind.â
Then without another word, she left the coffee shop.
Dawn sat there, stirring her coffee even more furiously than before.
I sighed.
Poor Dawn. No wonder she was such a misery. She deserved to have a life away from her mother.
Maybe I could help her?
Was there a way I could persuade her to go away with her friends?
But what about her poor, lonely mother?
What good would it be if I made Dawn happy, but at the same time, ruined her motherâs life?
This helping stuff was turning out to be very complicated.
Soon afterwards, Dawn stood up and walked out, trailing her sadness behind her like a dark cloud. I followed her, because I couldnât think of anything else to do.
Luckily Dawn was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice that she had just acquired a new shadow.
Soon Dawn stopped at a house. She unlocked the door and let herself in.
âIâm home, Mum,â I heard her say.
âIâm on the phone to your Aunt Hannah,â came a voice from an open window at the side of the house. âMake
Then I started to pay more attention to the classroom assistant.
Her name was Dawn, and she walked aroundthe classroom like there was a huge, heavy rock on her shoulders. She looked like the tiniest thing would prompt her to lie down in a corner crying buckets of tears.
But the more I watched this sad woman, the happier I felt.
Dawn was perfect.
All I had to do was find out why she was so sad, and then I could go ahead and fix it.
Dawn left the building as soon as school was over, and I watched as she took the road towards town. I said hurried good-byes to my new friends, and raced after Dawn.
I ran down the street and quickly spotted her. It wasnât difficult. She was marching along so fiercely that the crowds were parting to let her through. I raced into the space behind her, and followed.
Soon we came to a coffee shop. Dawn went inside, and joined another woman at a table. She waved at a waitress and ordered a coffee. I sat at a table nearby. I hoped no one was going to ask meto buy something as I had the big total of five cents in my pocket. I pulled out a geography book, and pretended to be totally interested in a map of France.
Dawn was stirring her coffee like she wanted to make a hole in the bottom of the cup.
âDid you tell her?â asked her friend.
Dawn shook her head.
âI canât do it. I canât go.â
The friend gave a big long sigh.
âJust make your mind up. Tell her. Tell her youâre going on a holiday with Julie and me.â
Dawn interrupted her, âBut itâs not just a holiday. Itâs not a week at the beach or a few days up a mountain. Itâs two whole months. In South America.â
The friend smiled and rubbed her hands together.
âI know. I can still hardly believe itâs going to happen. Now you just need to tell your mother and then we can get on with it. And then, after the trip, your mother will be used to you being away,
and youâll be able to live with Julie and me. Weâll find a place big enough for the three of us, and itâll be the beginning of the rest of our lives.â
For one second Dawnâs eyes lit up, and then the light faded like a match-flame in the wind.
âI would love that so much,â she said, âbut I canât do it,â she said. âSince Dad died, Mum has no one else. I
want
to do all this stuff with you and Julie, but I canât. Mum needs me.â
The friend was cross. She stood up.
âYouâre sad all the time, Dawn. Itâs not right. Itâs time you started to live your own life,â she said. âAnyway, Julie and I are going to the travel agents to book our flights tomorrow afternoon. Call one of us before then if you change your mind.â
Then without another word, she left the coffee shop.
Dawn sat there, stirring her coffee even more furiously than before.
I sighed.
Poor Dawn. No wonder she was such a misery. She deserved to have a life away from her mother.
Maybe I could help her?
Was there a way I could persuade her to go away with her friends?
But what about her poor, lonely mother?
What good would it be if I made Dawn happy, but at the same time, ruined her motherâs life?
This helping stuff was turning out to be very complicated.
Soon afterwards, Dawn stood up and walked out, trailing her sadness behind her like a dark cloud. I followed her, because I couldnât think of anything else to do.
Luckily Dawn was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice that she had just acquired a new shadow.
Soon Dawn stopped at a house. She unlocked the door and let herself in.
âIâm home, Mum,â I heard her say.
âIâm on the phone to your Aunt Hannah,â came a voice from an open window at the side of the house. âMake
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