1.18 How Daddy wrote two compositions
A bedtime story from 'When Daddy was a little boy' by Alexander Raskin
A story from a dad’s childhood, narrated to his daughter, written in 1961. Read the introduction below.
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HOW DADDY WROTE TWO COMPOSITIONS
When Daddy was little, one of his friends was Vasya Seredin. Vasya lived next door to little Daddy. They always walked to school together and they always went home together. They shared a desk in school.
Vasya could do the arithmetic problems faster than anyone else in class. And he helped little Daddy. Daddy helped Vasya learn poems by heart and write compositions. They were very pleased with each other. And if they fought, they only fought each other.
One day the teacher said the assignment for the next day would be a composition titled: "How I Spent the Summer."
"I don't know what to write," Vasya said to little Daddy.
"Where did you spend the summer?" little Daddy asked.
"I was in the country." Vasya said.
"Well, then write about the country."
"What'll I write?"
"What did you do?"
"Nothing special. I went swimming and fishing, and tramping in the woods."
"That's what you write about," said little Daddy.
In no time, Vasya's composition was ready. He showed it to little Daddy. This is what he had written:
HOW I SPENT THE SUMMER
I spent the summer with my Grandma in the country. I went swimming and fishing and to the woods with the boys. It's nice in the country in the summer.
V. Seredin
"That's no composition," little Daddy said. "Write about your Grandma, about what she is like, what she said, what she did, what songs she sang."
"She didn't sing. She told me stories," Vasya said.
"Well then, write about the stories. Write about the boys, and about the river, and about the woods."
"I don't know how to write all that," Vasya said. "What if I tell it to you and then you write it down?"
And Vasya told Daddy all his Grandma and about the boys, and about the woods and the river. Daddy wrote a long composition. He tried very hard. The composition was quite good. Vasya was very pleased.
"I'll rewrite it," he said, "and meanwhile you start writing your own composition. It's getting late."
When Vasya left little Daddy sat down to write his own composition, but he had a hard time. It's not easy to write the same thing twice in a row. Little Daddy had also spent his summer in the country. He had also been to the woods and gone swimming in the river. But he had written all about it in Vasya's composition. His only thought now was to write a composition that would not be like Vasya's.
Otherwise, the teacher would guess there was something wrong. By then little Daddy didn't care whether his composition would be good or not. He wrote one that wasn't at all like Vasya's. In fact, as the teacher said, it wasn't like anything at all.
When the teacher handed out their notebooks she said: "Here are your compositions, children. Vasya Seredin's is the best of all. I'll read it aloud."
And she read Daddy's first composition, the one he had written for Vasya.
"Good for you, Vasya!" the teacher said. "You've done an excellent job. It's interesting and well written, and there are no mistakes. You have a wonderful grandmother and fine friends."
Then, for some unknown reason, she looked at little Daddy. Vasya Seredin turned red. He did not like to be praised for something he had not done. Then the teacher said: "And now I'll read the worst composition."
And she read what little Daddy had written the second time. Now little Daddy got red. He did not like to be scolded for something that was not his fault and he felt ashamed.
When the teacher had finished reading Daddy's composition she said: "I hope that next time you'll do better. And Vasya will not do worse. Is that clear?"
"Yes," little Daddy said very softly.
"Is it clear to you, Vasya?" the teacher asked.
"Yes," Vasya said just as softly.
They sat side by side with flaming cheeks, and none of the children could understand a thing. Little Daddy and his friend Vasya did not speak about what had happened.
But from then on little Daddy began doing his arithmetic himself. And Vasya began writing his compositions without Daddy's help. At first, little Daddy made many mistakes. And Vasya's compositions were not too good. Eventually they both improved and came to realise that if you don't do things yourself you'll never learn. But they still shared a double desk for many years after.
THE END
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