Sophie's First Dance Recital

Sophie was dressed and all ready for her very first dance recital. When she started dance class last year, she didn’t know about the recital.The recital was a chance for all of the parents and grandmothers to see the dance students dance. It was at the high school every year and Sophie was going to dance on the stage in front of everyone. She did not like the thought of that. It scared her.

Yesterday she practiced her dance for the first time on the stage. There were only a few moms watching so it wasn’t too bad. But the thought of dancing in front of lots of people tonight was really frightening. 

“All ready to go?” Mom asked.

“Yes. I guess,” Sophie said.

“You don’t sound like you are ready. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel so good. I’m kind of afraid.”

Mom sat on the edge of Sophie’s bed. “Remember yesterday when you practiced and I was right in the front row? You did just fine!”

“But today there will be so many people!”

“When you go out on the stage, you just look right where I was sitting yesterday. I will be in that same seat. You just look at me and it will be just like yesterday! Let’s go!”

Sophie thought about what her mom said all the way to the high school. Mom was always right, but Sophie wasn’t sure about this time. She still hated the thought of dancing in front of all those people.

When it was time for her to dance Sophie thought about what Mom told her.

After the dance, Sophie ran up to mom in the hall of the school. 

Sometime during the seventh grade, two things happened to me. The first was that I got hooked on salami. I couldn’t get enough of the salty, spicy sausage. The other thing was that my mum and I weren’t getting along really well. We weren’t fighting really badly or anything. We also didn’t laugh together much anymore until that afternoon.

As far as the salami went, my mum wouldn’t buy any because she said it was too expensive and not that good for me. To prove my emerging independence, I decided to go ahead and eat what I wanted anyway. So one day I used my allowance to buy a full sausage of dry salami.

Now a problem had to be solved: Where would I put the salami? I didn’t want my mum to see it. So I hid it in the only place in my room that I knew was totally safe—under my bed. There was a special corner under the bed that my mum rarely had the ambition to clean. Under the bed went the salami, back in the corner—in the dark and the dust.

A couple of weeks later, I remembered the delicious treat that was waiting for me. I peered beneath the bed and saw—not the salami that I had hidden, but some strange, green and hairy object that didn’t look like anything I had ever seen before. The salami had grown about an inch of hair, and the hair was standing straight up, as if the salami had been surprised by the sudden appearance of my face next to its hiding place. Being the picky eater I was, I was not interested in consuming any of this object. The best thing I could think of to do was … absolutely nothing.

Some time later, my mum became obsessed (对……着迷的) with spring cleaning, which in her case meant she would clean places that had never seen the light of day. Of course, that meant under my bed. I knew in my heart that she would soon find the object in its hiding place. She washed, scrubbed (擦洗), and dusted.

Then one afternoon my mum’s screams sharply came from my room.

Finally, the laughter I had been trying to hold back exploded from my mouth.

Shelly was a teenage girl full of energy and curiosity. She found herself in a familiar yet exciting situation as New Year’s Eve drew near. Her parents, busy doctors in the emergency department, were eager to spend the festive occasion with family at her grandparents’ house. Jason and Judy, Shelly’s loving grandparents, were excited to host the joyous celebration.

In the midst of the busy preparations, Shelly found herself alone in the attic(阁楼) , filled with old trunks and forgotten relics. As she searched through the dusty relics in the attic, her eyes caught a bronze item among the forgotten treasures. It was a Scout badge(童子军徽章) , her father’s from his youthful days as a Scout. This badge held a profound meaning, symbolizing her father’s adventurous spirit and dedication to service.

Eager to share her find, Shelly carefully put the badge into her pocket and rejoined the celebration. As the evening progressed, she proudly showed off the badge to her friends in the neighborhood, sharing tales of her father’s Scouting adventures. However, time flew by with laughter and joy. It was then that the badge slipped unnoticed from her grasp, disappearing into the dark night.

Panic stricken and heartbroken, Shelly quickly searched for the lost badge, checking every corner she had been. But the badge was nowhere to be found. Tears streamed down her face as she knew how disappointed her father would be if he knew she had lost his precious Scout badge. The loss of the badge was not just a physical loss, but a symbol of the connection she felt with her father and his past. Shelly’s world felt incomplete, and she prayed that somehow, she would find the badge and restore the broken bond. She decided to search the neighborhood again.