"A Fun Month"

A Fun Month

by

Philip Cooper
(age 11)

I glanced out the window of my home in New Hampshire. It is so cold in New Hampshire…I love it. My name is Manuel and I am eight. I am from Guatemala. Guatemala is under Mexico. My father got a job here, because he is an expert architect, and is great at building with metal. We came here so Papa could get a job with a huge underwater expedition.

Can you keep a secret? Well Papa is helping to build a submarine to bring up huge amounts of TREASURE that was found near Portsmouth. It is a secret because some people want to steal the treasure so they will be rich.

We have been in New Hampshire four months, but I only started to go to school last month, because I needed to learn the English language. I had a head start, because my parents wanted me to learn English in Guatemala anyway.

It is December 3rd, my birthday! I am not having a party, but my friend Andrew is coming over! I can not wait to see him. He has been very nice to me since I came to school. Other than him, I’ll have my older brother Carlos, my younger brother Miguel, my other younger brother Jose, and and my baby sister Juanita. Carlos is ten, Miguel is five, Jose is three, and Juanita is five months old. Oh, I think Andrew is here!

“Hi Manuel”

“Hi Andrew, come in.”

Andrew had red hair and freckles. He said his grandparents were Irish. However, he said he didn’t have a bad temper just because he had red hair. 

“Andrew, I have stuffed animals! Want to play?”

Carlos talked to Andrew’s older brother James, Andrew, Miguel and I played, while Jose and Juanita took a nap. We had much fun. I think that if fun was food, I could live on just that hour of playing for a thousand years!

“Jim the Jaguar is coming!” says Andrew.

“OH NO. RUN Pablo the Rabbit!” I say.

“I’ll help you escape, because I’m Antonio the Elephant and I am big” says Miguel, and so we play.

After eating cake and ice cream, I open presents. Look, I got a stuffed snake from Carlos. I’ve also got a bat and ball from Mama and Papa. They say they will enroll me for spring ball next year. Andrew gave me a history book. History is my favorite subject. Then Andrew says they have one last present. They call it a sled. But Andrew has to go. Something happened to his uncle (we found out afterward he was okay). He must leave right away. Oh well. We had fun and I had a wonderful birthday.

At school their is a big poster for a sled race. Well I have a sled, don’t I? I don’t know what it does. I keep on meaning to ask Andrew, but I keep forgetting. Maybe you push it and whoever pushes it the farthest wins. Well Mama says I can sign up so I do.

Finally, the sled race. It is a Christmas sled race on Christmas Eve. I can’t wait! There is a prize for the winner. It is a secret prize. Well, I wake up on Christmas Eve, just to find out that my dreams had come true. There is vanilla ice cream everywhere on the ground. I sat there, astonished. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I kept on rubbing my eyes until Carlos (who came to wake me up) told me it was bad for me. I could tell he was looking at the vanilla ice cream, astonished too. Immediately, I ask to go outside. I go outside and take a bite of the vanilla ice cream. It tastes like water though, so I put sugar on it. 

After breakfast, it is time to go to the sled race. We arrive there early. It is taking place on a big hill. I look and everyone is sliding down the hill on their sleds. Well that looks fun and it was. I have never experienced anything so fun. Then Andrew (who was also in the sled race) told me that was what sleds were for and that the stuff on the hill was snow, a form of frozen water. I had never seen that before. I still wish we could sled on vanilla ice cream instead of snow though (that rhymes)!

“Ready, Set, Go” the principal said and we went down the hill. It was so fun! I clapped for the winner. Wait a second, the winner was… me! I got an electric jeep that was like an electric scooter in that you ride in it.I could drive in my driveway! The sled race was so fun even if you cut out the fact that I won. The electric jeep was awesome too. Of course, I let everybody else that wanted to, drive in it too.

When we went home Mama served enchiladas, my favorite food. Than on Christmas, I got even more presents including a net that I can hit my baseball into along with a glove. I also got a big remote control helicopter. Carlos got a remote control plane, so we do races. He always wins, but it is still fun. What a wonderful month of December! I have to go now though. It is almost the new year. Good bye! 

If you are between the ages of 4-14,
(or know someone who likes to write stories)
I would like to post your story here.
 Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Signed,

Wiggles the Polliwog