Readers
"Cut it out!" the driver shouted. He might have said it again, but I couldn't tell for sure over all the noise.
In a weird way, I was having fun. When some of the kids around me started laughing, I laughed too. I reached for the ball of paper that had landed on the floor and threw it as hard as I could toward the back of the bus.
"Hey, new guy!" a voice called. "You pitch like a girl!"
I bristled. It was my own fault; I'd called attention to myself.
I knew whatever I did next was important. This was what my mom would call a defining moment. She says life is all about defining moments, only most people miss them. They're too busy doing other stuff.
Aa Auntie Ada
Auntie Ada went to Africa.
In Africa Auntie Ada met Albert.
Albert was an alligator.
Albert gave Auntie Ada an apple.
Auntie Ada ate the apple
and
Albert ate Auntie Ada.
Bb Barney Bear
Barney Bear bought a bee in a bottle.
The bee in the bottle kept buzzing.
Barney became bored with the bee buzzing in the bottle,
so
that bad bear broke the bottle.
The bee buzzed into the bush
and
Barney went back and bought a beetle in a box.
For a couple of seconds, I bucked and danced at the end of my line. I was like a rag doll shaken by a giant.
Was it a great white shark, twisting and turning me from side to side, like a bulldog with a rat in its jaws?
I couldn't see what was happening. It was dark, and air bubbles kept exploding around my face mask.
Don't panic! I told myself. Don't panic!
I tried to think it through. I didn't feel razor-sharp teeth cutting through my wet suit. So it wasn't a shark.
Don't panic. Don't panic.
