American Dream Roll
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The last day of school was the day that she felt most alive.
She and her friends, the other students in her class, had spent their entire summer preparing for this one day. They’d studied every lesson from the previous year, memorized all of their math facts, and learned all of their spelling words. They’d done everything they could to be ready.
And now it was here. Now they were about to show everyone what they’d been working so hard for.
Her teacher had given them a special assignment: They were supposed to pick out their favorite story from the summer reading program and make a poster board book report on it.
She’d picked out a story called American Dream Roll by a man named Scott O’Dell. It was about a young boy who grew up in Florida with his family, and he loved to ride horses. He also loved to read stories, and when he went back to school in the fall, he was assigned to be a helper in the library.
That’s where he met the librarian, Mrs. Robinson, and he became her assistant. Mrs. Robinson taught him how to shelve books and put them away, and how to take care of the library. And then one day, the library caught fire. But Mrs. Robinson and the boy managed to escape together, and the boy saved the library.
He got to keep the library, too. He gave it to the town. The town was so grateful that they built a statue of him and Mrs. Robinson in front of the library, and he even got to meet Abraham Lincoln.
That’s the story she’d written. She’d drawn pictures of the boy riding a horse, and Mrs. Robinson sitting on the bench with her hands folded on her lap. There was a picture of the statue, too, and a picture of the boy and Mrs. Robinson standing together.
It was going to be amazing. She was so excited.
The classroom door opened, and Mrs. Robinson walked in. “Well, well,” she said. “What do we have here?”
“We’re doing a book report,” the boy said.
Mrs. Robinson nodded. “I see that. What’s your name, son?”
“Andrew,” he said.
“And what are you doing today?”
“Making a book report.”
“I see that, Andrew. I’ve heard a lot about you, son. I’m glad to finally meet you.”
“Me, too.”
“You have a good summer, son. Be sure to come back next year. You’ll be starting third grade.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
Mrs. Robinson turned to the class. “Okay, everyone. Let’s get started. I want to hear all about this book report.”
“I can’t wait!” the boy said.
They had an hour until they were supposed to start their book reports. They were all going to be amazing.
The boy sat down at his desk, and pulled out the poster board book report. He smiled. His heart was pounding. He couldn’t believe that he was doing this. He was going to show everyone how smart he was.
He held the poster board up to the light. It was perfect.
“All right,” Mrs. Robinson said. “Let’s begin.”
She went around the room, asking each student what his or her favorite part of the book was. Each child gave a different answer. They all loved the story, but they liked different parts of it.
Finally, Mrs. Robinson came to the boy. “And what did you like best, Andrew?”
“The library,” he said. “I loved the library.”
Mrs. Robinson nodded. “I see that. And why is that, Andrew?”
“Because it’s the place where books are born,” he said.
She looked at him. “That’s a very good answer, son. Very good. And now, let’s get started on your book report.”
He’d done it! He’d finished his book report in an hour, and he hadn’t even had to look at the words on the paper. He just knew them.
“Andrew, come over here,” Mrs. Robinson said.
He stood up. “Yes, ma’am.”
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Andrew.”
“And what’s your favorite part of the book?”
“The library,” he said.
“I see that. And why is that, Andrew?”
“Because it’s the place where books are born,” he said again.
Mrs. Robinson smiled. “That’s a very good answer, son. Very good.”
***
It was a sunny day. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. It was warm outside. The boy was riding his horse through the woods. He was smiling.
He was so happy.
He’d finished his book report, and he’d done it in an hour. He’d never been so proud of himself. He’d never felt so smart.
He could do anything.
A squirrel ran across the path ahead. It jumped into a tree, then hopped back down.
“You’re fast, Mr. Squirrel!” the boy shouted. “Very, very fast!”
He rode by the lake. A boat floated there, with people sitting inside. One man waved at him as he passed.
He saw some ducks swimming nearby. They were splashing their wings together, making ripples in the water.
“I wish I was a duck,” the boy said. “They seem so peaceful.”
He stopped and got off his horse. He walked toward the shoreline until he reached the edge of the lake. The waves lapped against the sand.
“If only you weren’t so ugly,” he whispered. Then he pushed one foot out onto the water. His feet sank into the cold liquid.
His eyes widened.
“No!” he yelled. “Get me out of here! Get me out now!”
But the water wouldn’t let go.
“Oh, no,” he moaned. “Please don’t take my legs away from me.”
He looked around. There was nothing but more water. He was stuck on the bottom of the lake forever—or until someone rescued him.
He cried harder than ever before. It hurt so much. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He wished he’d never made such a stupid mistake.
He fell to his knees and covered his face with both hands.
“Don’t worry,” a voice said. “We’ll get you out. We will. You just have to be patient for a little while longer.”
The boy lifted his head.
There was another boy standing there, holding out two red apples. “Here,” he said. “Have one of these.”
“Thank you,” the boy said. “This is wonderful. What are they?”
“Apples,” the other boy said. “I picked them myself this morning. Aren’t they delicious? Come and eat with me.”
He offered the apple to the boy. But he shook his head.
“No thank you,” the boy said. “That’s not what I need right now. Thanks anyway though.”
“All right then. Good luck,” the other boy replied.
And the second boy left.
It was quiet again. And still. So calm.
The boy didn’t know how long he’d been in the lake. He wasn’t sure if he could even swim yet. It had felt like a lifetime.
Finally, he stood up. He looked down at himself. He was wearing jeans and sneakers. He hadn’t taken any of those things off when he went into the water.
He took a deep breath. He raised his hand to his mouth and bit into it. His teeth sank into the fleshy fruit inside.
“This is delicious!” he exclaimed.
Then he opened his eyes wide. “Wait,” he said. “What am I doing?”
His heart began pounding. “Why did I do that? Why would I want to eat an apple while I’m underwater?”
He gasped for air. He coughed as bubbles came out of his nose and mouth.
“Oh, no,” he groaned. “Now I can’t breathe. Now I’ll drown.”
He started thrashing about in the water. His arms flailed against the surface. Then he plunged deeper and disappeared from sight.
The End