What are your favorite stories you learned as a child? What stories do you hope your loved ones will tell about you when you aren’t around?
Storytellers were once known as “liars”. This was not to say their stories weren’t true. But they were often exaggerated in colorful ways that brought a story to life.
I grew up in a family of “liars”. They all told stories. And I grew up to earn my living by writing stories. The stories I write about my family are always true. But I can’t always be sure of every detail, so I rely on imagination to fill in the gaps.
My grandmother’s stories changed a bit each time she told them, and I smiled at how her changes made a story better. I loved hearing her stories. And my grandchildren seem to love hearing mine.
“Tell it again, Nana!” they say. I do, and they start laughing before I get to the funny part. Recently, they begged to hear a Halloween story I’ve told countless times. Here it is:
Once upon a time, when I was 10, my mother told me to make costumes (服装) and take my brothers to go trick-or-treating. Denton was 4. He looked like a monkey. Joe was 6 and totally blind. I threw a sheet over his head but forgot to tell him he was a ghost (鬼).
We knocked on the first door and waited. The door flew open, and we all shouted, “Trick-or-treat!” Mrs. Fisher patted Joe’s head through the sheet and said, “What a cute little ghost!”
And Joe yelled (叫喊), “I am not a ghost!”
True story. My grandchildren love it. They beg me to tell it again and again.
I hope to tell them more stories as they grow older. I want them to remember me and the big, crazy family I grew up in. Stories are the unbreakable threads that bind generations together, tell us who we are and give us hope.
My grandchildren have never met their “Great Uncle Joe”, but they won’t soon forget him. To them, he will always be, not a ghost, but very lovable.
【小题1】Why did the author say she grew up in a family of liars?| A．Because her family were good at telling lies. |
| B．Because their stories were not true. |
| C．Because all her family told stories. |
| D．Because her grandmother would often change her stories. |
| A．Some family members often lie to one another. |
| B．Stories may make one remembered in a way. |
| C．Joe was the youngest child in the family. |
| D．Joe liked to be called a ghost. |
| A．Living on through stories | B．Great Uncle Joe |
| C．Family liars | D．Grandma’s stories |
