Stories of Family, Travel, and Friendship
A Family Day Out
My oldest brother, Josh, has always been an outgoing, adventurous person. A year ago, he had a bad accident while climbing in the mountains. Tragically, he lost a leg. But as soon as he recovered, he entered the London Wheelchair Marathon!
My parents and I arrived really early in London because we wanted a good view. Amazingly, my grandparents had been there since the night before! The atmosphere was incredible. Lots of friends and neighbors came too, even my seven-year-old cousin Ellie. I was happily chatting to a friend when Josh raced past. As soon as Ellie saw him, she shouted his name really loudly. But when I looked up, he’d already gone! If I hadn’t chatted with that friend, I wouldn’t have missed him.
In the end, Josh came in 124th place. He was delighted. Most of the other competitors had trained hard for years. I didn’t tell Josh what happened because I was too embarrassed.
Later, I secretly watched the race on YouTube.
The Angry Passenger
A friend of a friend told me this story. It was the night before Christmas at the airport, and snow was beginning to fall. An official warned passengers that flights that evening would be canceled. Everyone wanted to be on the last flight, number 815, but there were not many seats left.
A man in an expensive suit pushed his way to the ticket desk. ‘Give me a seat on 815, first class,’ he told the check-in clerk. The clerk, whose name was Linda, explained that he would have to wait his turn. He said that he was not going to wait because he was a very important man and he had to leave that evening. Linda replied that other people were also waiting to leave. She asked him to be patient. At this, he shouted, ‘Do you know who I am?’
Linda was normally a very polite person, but this man’s rudeness started to make her feel very annoyed…
First Email: Gorilla Fun Run
Hi there,
How’s it going? I haven’t heard from you for ages!
Well guess what? I’m taking part in a Gorilla Fun Run in September! Ellie’s doing it too. We’re going to run for seven kilometers around London dressed up as gorillas, and the sponsorship money we raise will go to a charity which helps save the world’s last remaining gorillas. It’s going to be great! It’s a really good cause, and it’ll force us to get fit as well. I know that you took part in the London Marathon last year, and I was wondering if you could give us some advice about the best way to get fit for the run. I’d also love to hear your news.
Well, I’d better go. Dad wants me to help him out in the garden.
Take care,
Jimmy
PS Ellie says Hi
Second Email: New School and Concert
Hi Elena!
How are you doing?
I started at my new school last month! I thought moving and changing schools would be awful, but it was OK. I’m making lots of new friends. I went to a great concert on Saturday with them – the Kaiser Chiefs played! They were brilliant!
I’m in the sixth form now! Can you believe it? And I’m really enjoying my classes this year. I like my history teacher a lot, and my Spanish teacher is great! He gives us loads of homework, but the classes are fun. Next time I’ll write to you in Spanish! What else is new? I’m in a volleyball club, and it’s great fun. I used to hate sports, but volleyball is different. I’m learning the guitar too. What about you? What have you been up to?
I can’t wait to hear all your news. Are you still going out with Pablo? What about your family, are they all OK? Write soon!
Lots of love,
Megan xxx
PS Here’s a photo of me at the concert!