리틀팍스

One cold morning, Mrs. Rodriguez-the house keeper of the Bennan family-was knitting for the sick girl in the family. She was very sick and couldn't go to school. Actually, she usually spent her time at home. 

  Mrs. Rodriguez put down her knittings and looked out the window. Only if the girl wasn't ill, she would be able to play outside and run in the soft grass, or swim in the river that ran along the family's house.

  Just as she was about to finish the last string, Mr. Bennan called her over.

  "Why, you look perfectly happy today Mr." Mrs. Rodriguez said. Mr. Bennan was sure smiling, and looking excited.

  "You know I leave after 1 hour to Brazil, right?"

  "Yes Mr. But does it matter?"

  "Very much. I still hadn't found a playmate for Carolina, but I have got a call from Mrs. Pennap, the head mistress of the Liverpool orphanage, offered me a perfect orphan for Carolina, and I thought taking that offer will be good for Carolina and the orphanage, because recently, the newspapers always talk about orphanages overflowing with orphans. So, I've adpoted a girl. What was her name... let me see."

  Mr. Bennan opened a large book filled with names and adresses. The book was very thick, and it seemed to Mrs. Rodriguez that this book was the book that listed all the people Mr. Bennan knew in his life and now.

  "Hm... Ah! Here it is. Jasmin."

  "It's a pretty name, as I have to say. So, when is she arriving Mr.?"

  "Mr. Smith will be going for her after 1 or 2 hours. I've told him that he could first take me to the airport, and then go for Jasmin. I hope Mrs. Penap will tell her the news soon enough so Mr. Smith won't have to stay long in the cold. He's getting old, I have to say, he'll almost 60. I've told him to rest, but he said that he's as healthy as he could ever be."

  "Well, Mr., I think you should pack your things before you miss your plane. I'll go get some room ready for the orphan."

  "All right. Your always right Mrs. Rodez. Thank you."

  Mrs. Rodriguez bowed and hurried down the hallway. Then, she stopped to think.

  "Jasmin.. That is a pretty name as I said. I wonder what she's doing now. I hope she's inside not like that poor Jasmin clinging at the edge of the river." Mrs. Rodriguez shook her head and started hurriedly down the hallway again.

   At this moment, Jasmin, who was the oldest of the kids in Liverpool-an orphanage in Ginkgo city-were both freezing like the little Jasmin Mrs. Rodriguez mentioned. She was doing the laundry, and the icy water did no good to her little grazed hand.

  "Jasmin! Mrs. Penap wants you in her office!" A little boy ran up and said. Jasmin groaned. "Tell her that I'm still doing the laundry." The little boy nodded and ran away. After 10 minutes, the boy ran back up again, panting. "Mrs. Penap said don't care about the laundry and come right to her office now. She looked pretty angry." Jasmin stood up and brushed some water drops from her shirt and ran to Mrs. Penap's office.

  Mrs. Penap was a woman about her 40s, but she was still very impaitent and commanding. She usually spent her time in her office, checking many papers.

  Jasmin politely knocked before opening the door. Mrs. Penap was looking at some papers as usual.

  "Mrs. Penap?" Jasmin asked. Mrs. Penap looked up and spotted Jasmin. "Oh! Jasmin! You're finally here!" she exclaimed. To Jasmin's relief, Mrs. Penap seemed very happy.

  "Today, I got a call from Mr. Bennan. He said he wanted to adopt an orphan to keep her daughter company while he was gone. He also said that the orphan should be around 10-12 years. So, I recommanded you, and he said he's secretary-Mr. Smith, will come to bring you up at 5." Jasmin sat there stunned. After 12 years of the orphanage, she was finally adopted?

  Mrs. Penap saw Jasmin hesitating and cried, "What are you waiting child? Go pack your things! Mr. Smith will arrive in 20 minutes!" Jasmin stood up, thanked Mrs. Penap and ran out. She rushed to her room-which she use with 15 other orphans-and started throwing her things in. There weren't so many to pack, and Jasmin was ready in a minute.

  After 14 minutes of anxious waiting, the carriage finally arrived and Jasmin was off to her new house. They passed many landscaps, but Jasmin was very excited that nothing fell in her eyes until the carriage finally stopped in front of a mention.

  The Bennan's was a huge mention with many windows. Mrs. Rodriguez lead Jasmin in, and she looked around in wonder. The house was magnificant it self. She would have never took her eye off the house if a more beautiful creature appeared before Jasmin. She was Mr. Bennan's daughter, and Jasmin realized that she was on her wheelchair, and very pale.

  The girl smiled weakly at Jasmin. "Hi. I'm Carolina. What's your name?" Jasmin smiled back.

  "I'm Jasmin. But I want to ask first what is this magnificant hosue made of? No matterial on Earth can match this building. It even made me want to be it. I'd rather be this than be a human. I've never been pretty, or seen a pretty thing. But this building! It's too much for me. I could even spot it from miles and miles away because it's so beautiful. I almost envied this as I entered, because being pretty is the best thing I could hope for right now. I can't believe that I'm going to live here! When I was at the orphanage, I thought I'll do anything to live here, and now I am! I'd even imagine myself living here, in this wonderful building. Am I a bother to you?"

  Carolina shook her head. She was amused,-which was very unusual-with Jasmin, and she thought that Jasmin made her want to live, and want her to live on to her more of her stories though that first talk was a rush for Carolina who have only heard "Thank you" or "What do you want, Miss?" or "Are you ready for bed, Miss?".

  "Well, I guess I'm surprised that I'm not a bother to you. The orphanage people always said that talkative girl's never got adopted, but that made me want to talk more because if I got adopted even though I talk a lot, that will prove that they're wrong, and make a world record of an orphan who talked much but got adopted. I might be in the newspapers and books!"

  "Then you had made a world record, because you are talkative but got adopted?"

  "No, sadly, my voice broke when I got the cold but still talked, and the doctor said that if I go on talking like this, my voice will drown 12 years later. But I didn't cared and talked on because if I did got adopted before my voice drowned, it will be THE record. But Mrs. Penap said that she'll never move me to the pre-adopt list if I talk to much, so I stayed quiet from then, though I still talked to myself when nobody was listening. But I think you don't mind me talking much?"

  "No, and I think your interesting."

  "Thank you. The orphanage people never thought that I was interesting. When I said something, they'll just tell me to shut-up, which was very rude, but I think I was lucky because I once saw a girl who talked tooo much that the orphanage people beat her up, and there was blood, and screams and yelling... it was so scary."

  "You must mean the dead girl case. Was she a good girl?"

  "No, she always said insults and teased small kids, so I think I was partly happy when she was moved to another orphanage. But when I told Sally that, she thought I was wicked and said she'll never talk to me. So I think I felt a little bit sorry for that girl."

  Carolina gave a small laugh. Most of her friends just gossiped about boys or things like that, but Jasmin was different. She was very interesting at Carolina mentioned, and was very cheerful, a little caring. And as Carolina knew, cheerful but caring people are always interesting. So Carolina decided that Jasmin could stay and she'll let Jasmin be her friend.

  "Mrs. Rodez!" Carolina called. Mrs. Rodriguez hurried over.

  "What's the matter miss? Did this girl didn't behave herself? Or did this girl failed to interest you? Maybe this girl said rude things about you?" Mrs. Rodriguez said glaring at Jasmin.

  "No. I just called you to find Jasmin a suitable room, and give her what ever she wants. I decided that Jasmin will be a great comfort while father is gone."

  "Yes miss." Mrs. Rodriguez bowed and lead Jasmin to a very large, very pretty room. It was the prettiest thing Jasmin had ever saw in her life.

  "Miss Jasmin, what do you want something for tea, or do you have somethings you want?" Mrs. Rodriguez asked. Jasmin thought for a moment and then said, "Please bring me a clean notebook with many lines, and please bring me a pencil. Thank you."

  "She is interesting as Miss Carolina mentioned." Mrs. Rodriguez murmured as he went to fetch Jasmin her things. "She didn't even want anything expensive even though Miss Carolina told that she could have anything she wants, she only asks for just a notebook and a pencil. And she treated me well after what I said about her. I think Miss Jasmin will be a great change to this house. And I suppose I wants her to be after all."