Our story takes place in Boston, USA where a young, 5 year old boy with rosy , dimpled cheeks, sparkling blue eyes and a talent for music named Johnny is having trouble with his ABC’s.
It was the first day of school. Ms. Mary , their auburn haired teacher, was teaching the kids their alphabets. “You are now all big girls and boys and you need to know your alphabets”, she had told them. Little Johnny looked at the boring symbols that stared back at him from the blackboard and sighed. They were very difficult, and very boring. He looked around him. He noticed that all of his classmates were able to understand and figure out the pattern of these letters.
He saw that Marty, his best friend, was doing just fine. And all the yucky girls too. And, they all wanted to do this. But not Johnny. All he wanted to do was sing. Sing, and dance to his heart’s content. And, sitting in class, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to go to Mrs. Cromwell, the scary principal after all, now did he? Johnny tried to pay attention. But, he just kept humming a song that he had heard on TV.
Suddenly, Ms Mary announced that there would be a test the coming Friday.
Johnny glanced at the board once more. He remembered that his mother had told him that if you look at something long enough you will remember it , because you have a camera memory. Or some big word meaning something like that. Johnny stared at the board for a while. He, in fact glanced at it all recess long. Johnny shut his eyes. Blank. He opened them. He thought “ maybe I need to ‘click”. So Johnny looked at the board once more and said “Click”. He closed his eyes. Blank. Soon enough, Little Johnny realised that he had the memory, just no film. He reminded himself to ask Mother to buy some at the dollar store this evening. He sighed once more. How in the world was he going to remember this in time for the test?
Johnny went home every day after that, trying to recall what exactly had been taught to him. He tried, yes he did, oh so hard. He tried to remember what came after M and before C but he failed at doing so. He simply could not remember.
On the day before the test, Johnny got so frustrated with the letters peering back at him that he started to cry. Not just cry. Cry, and wail and mope about. So, when Papa came home from work, he decided that he was going to help Johnny. He sat him down, on his knee, hugged him tight and said “ Johnny, what is the matter, slugger? “ “Papa, I can’t remember my ABC’s ! I’ve tried so hard!” And Johnny burst into tears again. “ So, why don’t you make a song about it? You’re such a great singer!”
Johnny’s face brightened and he jumped off his father’s knee to go running to the piano. Throughout, Johnny created and rehearsed his new song.
The next day, while answering the test, Johnny quietly sang to himself and he finished before any other child in his class.
When Johnny got his test back on Monday, he was very proud. He had aced the test. When his father came home that evening, he showed it to him. His father beamed happily.
And that, folks, is how Little Johnny learned his alphabets...
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