UFG-Playground+rules+and+other+stories

Click to see the slide show with color your own picturesPlayground Rules

The night was cold and damp as Sam trudged down the muddy road. His feet slid around in his shoes as he pulled them out of the sludge with a squelching, slapping noise. He had tried to rush home, but since he had fallen several times in his haste, he decided to take his walk home at a more leisurely pace. The lights were on in the house, as he approached. He braced himself as he timidly opened the door.

His family whipped around and they all started asking questions, their voices mingling tightly, “Where have you been? Where were you? Do you know what time it is? Why are you so dirty?”

Sam took off him too-big boots and fully entered the kitchen. He mumbled something about the weather as he passed them and headed to his room to change his clothes for bed.

He put on his second hand pajamas and slid into his hand-me-down bed and curled into a tight ball and went to sleep without dinner, so he did not have to face the multitude of question his family threw at him.

Sam always dreaded going to school. It had nothing to do with his classes or his teachers, no it was his classmates. He used to sit in the front of the class and actively participate in classes. Now he sat at the back of the class and hardly ever made movements or sounds that would draw the attention of the other kids toward his directions. He was not so lucky when it came to recess.

The kids would always come up to him at recess and tease him about his big boots and his patched clothes.

He could not help what he looked like or what he wore. He did not understand why he would be teased for looking a certain way. His teacher had told them that everyone was equal no matter what your skin color or whether you were a boy or a girl. Sam had figured that the rule did not apply to people who could not afford nice new clothes.

After school was the worst, especially with a particular kid Nick. He was big, mean and liked to express himself with his fists. He would always find Sam after school and tease and taunt him, sometimes chasing him around the school yard.

Everything changed when a new student was introduced into the class. Her name was Mary-Jo. She was small with long golden hair. Sam did not even bother meeting her eyes, knowing that surely, she would be like every other kid in his class. She walked straight to the back of the class and sat next to Sam.

Sam noticed that during recess Mary-Jo did not play with the other girls, who were jumping rope and playing hopscotch. She also did not join in with the other kids mocking Sam. In fact she did quite the opposite, she talked back to the group to get them to stop.

“How would you feel if you were made fun of? That is not very nice.” The kids slinked away, feeling guilty for their actions.

After school Sam walked outside with Mary-Jo. They were talking excitedly about the upcoming field trip to the zoo when they were stopped by Nick. Sam begged Nick to just leave him alone for once, but Nick just laughed and mocked him and came at him. Mary-Jo ran away. Sam turned and watched her go, hurt that she would leave him when he had thought they had become friends.

Minutes later Mary-Jo had come running back outside, followed closely by their teacher, Mrs. Sue.

Mrs. Sue called angrily over to Nick and his eyes widened as he shuffled over to the teacher, trying to act innocent.

Mrs. Sue took them all into the main office and called all of their parents. After a short conference with Mrs. Sue, the principal, Nick and his parents, they all came out of the office.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Nick now looked guilty under his parents gaze. “I think you owe Sam an apology,” said Nick’s father.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Nick hung his head and turned toward Sam, “I am sorry Sam.”

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">After Sam’s parents showed up they were told what had been going on. Sam’s parents were shocked. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you at least tell your teacher?”

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Sam shrugged, feeling like he was in trouble, “I do not know. I did not want to be a taddle-tale, or to make it worse.”

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">“You should always know that you can come to me, about anything, and do not feel like you are being a taddle-tale. No one deserves to be made fun of,” his mom said.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">This had made Sam feel a lot better. When he rejoined Mary-Jo he asked her how she had thought to go and get the teacher.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">She smiled, “You should always know that you can go to an adult for help. That is what they are there for, to help us with things that we cannot handle on our own yet.”

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Rounded MT Bold','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Sam smile back, and from then on Sam and Mary-Jo were the best of friends.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Grace

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Grace was her name, and she enveloped every detail of the word. Her movements were flawlessly eloquent, and her dance was as poise and as beautiful as any ballerina’s dance.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Grace had a love of fine made things, even at her young age of six years old. She loved bright colors, and silk was her absolute favorite thing.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">When she was young her mother would stroke the silk lining of her baby blanket over her cheeks and forehead as she cooed a soft lullaby at night. Grace would fall asleep in her mother’s arms feeling comfortable and loved.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Grace grew and grew and as she did she would stroke her own face with silk as she drifted to sleep, as her mother thought her too old to be rocked to sleep.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">She did this every night until her mother had taken away her blanket lined with the soft silk. Grace had cried, but her mother told her she was a big girl and should not need such things.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">That night Grace did not sleep a single wink. She stared at the ceiling and wished she had her silk blanket so she could sooth herself to sleep.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">It was that weekend that she had a planned Girl Scout trip. They would be sleeping in the woods in tents. Grace was very excited. She was afraid however that she would not be able to fall asleep.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">During the hike out to the campsite Grace had so much fun with the other girls in her Girl Scout Troop. They sang and they talked about funny things that had happened.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">By then time they had got to the camp site the day was already getting late. They quickly set up their tents with the help of their group leaders. The girls gathered around the fire that they had built to roast marshmallows and they sang their Girl Scout songs.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">When Grace finally crawled into her sleeping bag she was so tired she went straight to sleep. In the morning she was amazed that she was able to get to sleep without her silk blanket.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">When she got home she told her mother right away. Her mother was so very proud of her daughter for acting so grown up. Grace was then able to sleep every night that night without her silk blanket.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">At the end of the week her mother came to Grace and offered her a box. When Grace opened it she saw that it was a new silk lined blanket. While she was thankful to her mother she decided to give it instead to her baby sister. She would sit with her mother as she rocked her sister to sleep and Grace would rub the silk along the little girl’s forehead and cheek as her mother cooed old yet familiar songs to the little baby girl.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 19px;">The End

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Balto <span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Once there was a dog that had two color eyes. His name was Balto. He was a very nice dog, that loved to play. <span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Balto was a little different than most dogs in that he had been abused, which means his first owners hurt him, and did not feed him.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Balto was brought to the pound after his old owners had left him alone for a very long time.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Balto waited and waited in his little kennel at the pound. He hoped that someone, would want him, and take him home with them. <span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">One day his wish came true. A woman came in looking for a dog and once she saw Balto, she fell in love and knew she had to take him home.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Sadly since Balto was not used to having a good owner, he was afraid. He also did not like being left alone.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">One day when his new owner was away at work he cried and barked at the door and when she did not come back he dug at the carpet, dug through the trash, broke the lid to the toilet, and shredded her house plants to bits.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">When Balto’s new owner came home she was very angry, and he thought that he would hurt him like his old owners did. Instead she was very understanding to his need to have someone around.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">She told Balto that she was very sorry that she had left him for so long and she made sure that the next time that she had to work that someone could check up on him every so often. <span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Through time Balto was able to understand that his new owner loved him very much and when she left that she would come back, so he was less likely to ruin his new home.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Balto learned to forget his old habits and learned to love his new home and family.

<span style="font-family: 'Cooper Black','serif'; font-size: 21px;">The End