Rotary Eclub- Butterfly StoryBook Participant
Age: 9 years old
Prospect Primary School
Georgetown, Cayman Islands
A RARE ENCOUNTER
Diamond White
George the blue iguana was never happy. He was always getting bullied at school by green iguanas. They were always teasing him because he was different, but poor George wasn’t brave enough to stand up for himself. Every night he would go outside and watch the waves roll in. The foamy clear water always made him feel better. What this iguana didn’t know was that his life in a nutshell was about to get a whole lot better.
The next day was sunny and pleasant, yet George was as nervous as a mouse in a mouse trap. The forecast for that day called for a few clouds and a lot of sunshine. George was shivering all over from nervousness. He wished he did not have to go to school. He still had to face the school’s many bullies. The walk to school became an obstacle course, turning a fifteen minute walk into a thirty minute walk with each step overflowing with fear. As he made ninja-like movements towards the school in a zigzag pattern, thoughts of what the bullies would do to him danced in his head.
Once he got inside the school he would just keep his head down as the treacherous, towering green iguanas manoeuvered their muscular bodies down the corridor. Every time he looked up he would see their menacing red-hot eyes bolting into him. Then he would dash off as fast as his scrawny legs would carry him all the way to his classroom.
Once he was there he would choose a seat that was in the front away from the bullies in the back. The only part of school that was good was his class work. He would get straight A’s on all his tests. When the teacher came in she dropped a bombshell; a new student was joining our class and it’s another green iguana!
George just couldn’t bear it, so he closed his eyes. But the whole room went silent so he had to open them up. It was over, the student had already taken his seat. George tried to enjoy the day but it was impossible since there was an extra weight on his shoulders. It was almost snack time even though it felt like hours away to him. When it finally came George didn’t think he had the energy to out-run an extra bully today. Sure enough, when snack time came he found himself in the same running position. He ran and ran but the new student was just too fast. He did the only thing he could do, close his eyes and wait for the inevitable; but it never happened, instead the student introduced himself. “My name is Sam, what’s yours?” he asked. “Uuum! I’m George,” he replied nervously. For the rest of snack time they talked to each other and had fun.
From the first time George met Sam; he realized he was different from all the other green iguanas. Since Sam was not teasing him like the others, George decided to tell Sam about the problems he’s been having with the bullies and hope he will be able to help him. It turned out he did not just have bad luck after all. Sam knew that since he was a green iguana the other green iguanas would listen to him. After a short while, all George’s bully problems were over. He was now a fully confident blue iguana and was no longer hiding in the dark. All George needed was a special friend who would stand by him and help him out. Sam was also happy to do something special for his friend George whom he thinks is special and rare.