Mission impossible and impossible mission And if we played spies? hushed Reif my classmate who adores secret agents. Oh yes! It would be much more fun than grammar drills I answered enthusiastically. First, we'll have to invent some coded writing that no one else would understand 1
Good idea! What about replacing letters by figures? A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, and so on I proudly proposed. Oh no, that's too complicated! retorted Reif who hates math, Why not write words backwards instead? The word code would become edoc for instance. A bit tough for me: I have dyslexia and tend to mix up letters! I answered a bit disappointed. I could not help it: the left hand corner of my mouth was nervously twitching a bit. Well, that's my point. I thought you were used to it Yes, but I don't do it on purpose Sometimes, I even write some letters backwards or I flip them around, left to right or upside down I'm not sure that you will understand my mirror writing! No panic, I'll get a mirror to read it he winked. You carry around a mirror in your schoolbag? Nice gadget for secret agent! I thought to myself, winking back. 2
"No, but I've got a pair of metal scissors, retorted Reif who's an expert in the creative and unconventional use of school equipment. It will do. Now we had a code and a pair of scissors to communicate, we just missed code names for ourselves. I have an idea about how to call you I said and I took my pencil. "That's fun, we might even use rude words" I thought to myself. I began to write a name backwards, in a corner of Reif's exercise book: Ynit (Tiny!) He quickly doubled down with Frawd (Dwarf)! I answered: Eborcim (Microbe)!. Him: Drawoc (Coward). I: Elba Ton Ylbaton (Notably Not Able). 3
Him: Niaffur (Ruffian). I've got to proudly say that for once I was faster that Reif at reading: I am so used to turning letters around in my mind! Taken away by the game, I wrote on his exercise book Retraf. Reif, in the same rush of enthusiasm as me, but not with a low profile as would befit a budding secret agent., deciphered the word in a too loud hushing voice: Farter! Our teacher had noticed our little doings and came closer. Bad luck that she had pricked up her ears just in time to hear that last word that was obviously not meant for her. Oh gee! she blurted inadvertently. It was a slip of the tongue; she is normally very composed and nice. 4
Everybody in the classroom looked at her, then at us. We gently bent our heads hoping to escape punishment. Reif, trade places with Anna, she said curtly. Oh no, we promise we won't do it again! I protested, not willing to be set apart from my best pal. Oh no, I promise we'll be quiet as mice, went on my trusted fellow agent. No arguing! she cut short, reddening with anger. Reif took his things and moved. He ended at the next table, next to Jackson. As the four of us have dyslexia, we are supposed to remain in the front row. Luckily we were not too far apart!! Nelson, go to the blackboard! she went on. 5
I stood up without a word. GRRRRRR, I hate going to the blackboard On top you will write vocabulary. Gee, how does one write that? I asked myself. Well, it s more or less like Larry so it must be with two r and I wrote Vocadullarry. I had scored three faults in a single shot. My guess about the r was wrong, I had turned around the b into a d and doubling the l was very dull indeed All the class went giggling. Only my four friends in the front row who have dys-type learning disabilities as well and who might have done the same mistakes stayed put. Quiet! shouted the teacher while frowning. She just remembered that she ought not have sent someone with dyslexia to the blackboard. Especially 6
for a vocabulary lesson! But she couldn't send me back to my place without risking open ridicule in the face of the world We'll study word families, she said. Horror! I thought. Give me words ending with A-R-T Dart shouted Reif the king of sprint to redeem himself. Luckily, the word was easy to write Cart said someone behind me. Was it cart or kart? Was it quart? I couldn't make up my mind and write. What did it mean anyway? Beads of sweat popped on my forehead. Nice start, jeered Max, the meanest guy in the class. 7
He's always smart-alecking as he reads a lot, even though he's so bad at math! Maybe he has dyscalculia and doesn't even know what it is! Take heart! said Jackson to cheer me up. Oh not exactly! said the teacher. The word heart rhymes with art, but it's written "H-E-A- R-T. Phew, she hadn't even understood that Max was making fun of me and that Jackson was encouraging me! Moreover, it's not very logical this word family business. And personally, considering how it all began, I would have chosen any rhyme but -art Well, let's have another go! said the teacher. Who can tell me a word ending with E-A-M? Daydream, suggested Thomas who for once was attentive. Cream went on Justin who loves eating. 8
Gulf Stream said Lewis the weather nerd. Scream! shouted Jackson the absolute blunderer. Reif and I exchanged glances and we could not help giggling a bit. I was nervous. I don't know why, but the teacher didn't take it lightly at all. She sent me back to my seat and gave use both a list of twenty words. As homework for the next day, we were supposed to look at home for words of the same family Shortly afterward the bell rang. Sigh! At last we could get home! We gathered quickly our stuff and went for the exit. Outside, the yellow school bus was waiting for us as every afternoon. It's always nice to go home in bus with one's friends! When the bus stopped in front of Spring Valley-Houston Post-Office, Reif and I got off, followed by our little sisters, Elsa and Sabrina. 9
Hip hip hip chanted Sabrina while throwing her schoolbag high in the air. Hooray! Elsa went on. We're going to visit the Butterfly house they shouted together. They were so engrossed in their discussion that they hadn't noticed that Reif and I were much annoyed. With the amount of homework Reif and I had to do, we were quite unlikely to meet in the afternoon to play together Elsa and I arrived at home. Reif and Sabrina went on to their blue house down the street from ours. See you tomorrow guys! we said sad to have to part with them. We didn't even have the time to comment on the results of the Astros my baseball team of choice. As every day, Grandpa was waiting for us at home. Hello kids! So, how was school? 10
Super, answered Elsa, and we're going to visit the Cockrell Butterfly Center with our class! We will see butterflies of all colors and shapes coming from all around the world What a face said Grandpa, seeing my frown. We've tons of homework Well, well, well! Cheer up! We'll look at it together! he said ruffling my hair. First of all, let's begin with serious business. I prepared waffles as an afternoon snack. They should be finger licking good Yummy yum! we cried. Grandpa was always very apt at chasing gloom away with a quick fix. Now, show me that homework you have to do, declared Grandpa when we were done with eating. Ahem! I went reluctantly. We were given a list of 20 words. For every word we must find other words from the same family. 11
Yippee! he answered to my great surprise. We're going to play a game I adored when I was a kid: I mimic, you guess! It will be fun Elsa, do you want to play with us? he asked. Oh yes. she answered. She is only beginning with reading and writing, and has almost no homework to do. What's your first word? asked Grandpa, very thrilled indeed. He looked at the sheet the teacher had given me. And he pointed to his Knee! shouted Elsa. He went on both his knees. To kneel! I shouted. He gestured as if moving the tip of his knee with his fingers. Knee-bone, I ventured. He made no with his forefinger and pointed to his Houston Cougars baseball cap. Kneecap? said Elsa. That s it! And he explained what bone it was. Next he began to walk silently, on the tip of his toes, half hiding, seeming to peer with his hand 12
over his eyes and his finger on his lips to express silence. To sneak? Right! He pointed to his shoes. Sneakers! He put his fingers round his eyes in a funny way like goggles, while buzzing like a fly. And he flapped his arms, like to fly. The three of us spent a whole hour juggling and playing with words. Same family as Play? Playful? Yes! Playground? 13
Yes! Plaid? No! Plane? No! We didn t find many words in the Clown family. Clone, claws, cloves didn t make it. But Grandpa amazed us mimicking a poor lonesome clown with no family whatsoever. And then he made incredibly funny faces and burst out in laughter with us! It's well known that laughter is contagious and the situation was laughable indeed! Grandpa even got hold of three apples and began to juggle and clown around. I finished my homework in a happy mood: It wasn t as boring as I had anticipated Grandpa is really the best to bring back a smile on our face! Ah, if only he were my teacher at school 14