A Brother And Sis

• Ramya Sridhar, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2010

This is the story of a boy called Scott. He had no friends, not even a family. His parents were killed in a factory explosion where they both worked, and he had never known his aunt, uncles and even cousins. Luckily, Scott had a caring sister by the name of Joan. She worked as a maid for the mayor, but was hardly paid. The mayor and his wife were cruel, with 3 children who were even more demanding than they were. Life was hard for Scott and Joan. The mayor agreed to pay for their school fees as long as Joan worked for his family. That was a fair deal, so Scott did his best not to complain.

Four years passed. Scott was going to turn 14, and Joan was turning 18. The mayor always gave them a slice of cake to celebrate and some money (about 20 dollars) to spend on anything they wanted. Scott, who was an obedient man didn’t waste his money on bad things like lollies and sweets. Instead, he bought something Joan and he needed badly. That year, Scott bought an old but good quality cutlery set at a garage sale to put all the left over food that the mayor gave them. Joan had bought new clothes that would last for a long time.

It was becoming easier for the two to live. But one day as they were walking down the street, a poster changed their lives.

An American debating judge was coming to Water Springs and was holding a debating competition for children. The prize money was $500,000 and Scott was stunned. Apparently, the American judge had one $2,000,000 in a quiz show, so he had to use some money.

When Scott and Joan got back home, they instantly told the mayor. The mayor, who was a greedy man, entered his kids and the other two to enter the competition. Scott and Joan knew that the kids would not write their debate and would make them do the work. So, Scott and Joan had a plan. They would write a speech about hacking into other people’s emails (which they did) and get them in trouble. The topic for the competition was
‘Saving water’. Scott wrote his and Joan’s speech, while Joan wrote the greedy children’s speeches. The mayor knew their work would be good, so he wouldn’t check it. Joan hoped their plan would work. And a sorry from the mayor would be helpful as well.

The day finally came. Scott and Joan had their best faces on and knew they would get a scolding from the mayor. But that didn’t stop their plan. They had practiced night and say to win 500,00 dollars, and all of that was worth it.

The day finally came. Scott and Joan had presented their speeches and so did the others. It was time for the judges to decide. They took some time, but everyone was patient. Finally the results came, and Scott himself had come first! And they were finally free! They didn’t have to work for the mayor and had a big grin on their faces forever!!!