Written by Yi-Wen Chen E4B Instructor: Kenneth M. Smith Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages Kaohsiung, Taiwan June 2010
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Number of Words﹕2619 Words checked﹕2536 Words in Oxford 3000﹕90%
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About the Author Yi-Wen Chen was born in Tainan, Taiwan in 1991. Today she is a fourth year student at Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Though she has written many paragraphs, she is an absolute beginner when it comes to novel writing. Bella has never thought that she had talent in writing, especially to write in English. However, she now has her own novel. Maybe it is time for her to realize that she has been wrong, otherwise
Miss
could be
not only her first but also her last work. 4
Contents Prologue ----------------------------- p 6 Chapter 1 An Unexpected Visit ----- p 8 Chapter 2 Ease --------------------- p 14 Chapter 3 The One Person -------- p 20 Chapter 4 Lost --------------------- p 26 Chapter 5 For Good ---------------- p 34 References ------------------------- p 37 Acknowledgement ----------------- p 39
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Prologue Sarah Vance, a 53-year-old free writer, led a peaceful life over a long span. One day she was given her old diary from an unexpected visitor. The diary brought her back to the times she thought were left behind. She missed those good old days. However, she skipped some pages while reading. Sarah knew clearly that trying to forget something went against human nature, but that was exactly what she has been doing for so long. With a coming letter, all she has been trying to forget gushed out 6
toward her in a way that she could hardly bear. Sarah went back to her diary and faced something she has missed in the past. This time, she was about to miss it for ever‌...
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Chapter 1
An unexpected visit
It was the first beautifully shining day of spring. Sarah Vance, a 53-year-old free writer, woke up and went for a morning jog. After that, she took a shower and had a cup of coffee. Sarah thought that everything seemed to be as usual, but there was 8
someone knocking at the door. She answered the door and wondered confusedly, who is this? They stared at each other for a few minutes and then the woman said, “Hello, Sarah. It’s me, Becky! Rebecca Brown. Don’t you remember me? ” The unexpected guest was Rebecca Brown, Sarah’s best friend. They’ve known each other for more than ten years. This was their first meeting since graduating from college. “Oh! Hi,” Sarah said passionately and gave Becky a hug and signaled her to get 9
in. “I haven’t seen you for… how many years? Thirty or something?” “I don’t know. It really has been a long time,” said Becky, “anyway, I miss you. How have you been?” “Quite good!” “I’m glad to hear that.” “How about you? How are your little girl and your husband?” “Well, we are fine. Thank you,” Becky said. “Actually, we are going to move to Lyons. My mother-in-law died and there is 10
a house for Maunier to inherit. ” “Really?” said Sarah surprisingly. “Sure. We’re leaving next week,” said Becky, “I’ll probably reside in France thereafter so I want to give you something.” Becky handed over an old book which has yellowed all over, and said, “I found it while we were packing.” “Isn’t it my diary? I thought it was gone.” Sarah kept still on the sofa gazing at the diary in her hands. “I guess you’d left it at my house. And I 11
thought you might want to have it.” “Yes, I do. Thank you.” “No big deal,” Becky said. She grabbed her bag and stood up. “Are you leaving? Why don’t you have lunch with me?” “I’d love to but I got to go to my daughter’s school. Clemence is going to transfer to another school in Lyons. There are some procedures to deal with.” They walked to the door and said good-bye. “Thank you for coming here,” said Sarah. She held Becky’s hands and 12
looked at her sadly. Becky kissed her forehead and said, “It’s very nice to see you. I’ll miss you, my old friend. Come to visit me sometime.” “I surely will. Good luck to you. Goodbye!” “Goodbye, Sarah!” With the old diary in her hands, Sarah watched Becky driving away. The car seemed to get smaller and smaller. She kept looking at it until it disappeared at the end of the road.
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Chapter 2
Ease
Sarah awakened late in the morning to start her day. Looking at herself in the mirror, with the bright morning sunlight pouring in from the window, she thought; I have always looked ahead, and it is probably about time to look back to see what I have experienced. Instead of her 14
daily routine, she brought out the diary and took a long walk. With the breeze gently blowing against her face, Sarah felt relaxed. She had not felt this way for so long because she had been under pressure to finish her series of children’s book. For Sarah, devoting herself to writing children’s stories is the best thing she has ever done but it was never a good idea to be chased by an aggressive editor who never stopped pushing you to get your work done. Finally, she worked it out just by the end of the last month and she now could have some time 15
to her self. After a long walk, Sarah went into Azure CafĂŠ, ordered a large coffee and two croissants and took a seat in the corner. Sarah looked at the diary which she put on the table and her fingers began roving through it. She smiled and thought; always believe that the things I lost have a way of coming back to me in the end and it has now happened. Sarah kept the diary in 1980 while she was a senior. During that very year, she wrote down dribs and drabs about life. She 16
thought it was lost, but it was eventually returned to its rightful owner. She started reading the diary. Page by page, it reminded her of the past. She remembered her favorite professor, Mr. Huegel, who specialized in literature. He was an attractive man in his early forties. Sarah liked him so much that she never skipped his class and worked hard to get good grades in literature. Obviously, she had a crush on Prof. Huegel. The sound of her happy laughter was all around Azure Café. “How silly was I! I can’t 17
believe that I was such a stupid girl,� she thought and felt a bit embarrassed, not only because of her laughter but her obsession with her teacher. Also, she remembered the library where there was a special seat where she always sat. It was like a little wonderland for Sarah. She spent a lot of time there reading, studying and doing research, and she was happy even when she was just sitting there and doing nothing. Everything that happened during her college years came to mind. 18
“That is so called happiness,” she mumbled. Time passed swiftly in Azure Café. Without knowing that it was already afternoon and it was time to go home. The golden sunset with its glittery beam accompanied Sarah walking back to her California bungalow.
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Chapter 3
The One Person
“There is the chance that the one person you can count on for a lifetime… the one person who knows you sometimes better than you know yourself… is the same person who has been standing beside you all along.” By reading these lines, Sarah 20
thought of her one person, Becky. Sarah looked through the window and the sun shone bright and warm. What a beautiful day, she thought. She carried the diary and went out to enjoy the cozy weather. There was no plan in mind, she just kept on walking and finally it was Daffodil Park in front of her. “All right,� she said to herself and walked in. Daffodil Park covered 3.7 square kilometers which was very big. Sarah walked and was like a boat that flowed aimlessly on vast ocean. Then the slim line 21
of trees came into view, so straight and free. I could go any where I liked, to the edge of the world if I pleased, and came back when I wanted to, totally soaking in her own fantasy. She settled under a tree and shadows were pleasantly cool after the hot sun on the path. Now she sat down on a bench and opened her diary. When Sarah was a freshman in college, she met Regina Hans with whom Sarah had a lot in common. Sarah thought that she was so lucky to have such a good friend; 22
however, it was her own wishful thinking. On the surface they got along with each other, but Regina did not really like Sarah. The malice toward Sarah accumulated day after day. Instead of telling Sarah how she felt, Regina stabbed her in the back. Meanwhile, Sarah’s boyfriend, who had been dating Sarah since they were in high school, was seeing another girl. Rumors were spreading so wildly on campus that eventually Sarah learned everything. The truth was like the cold wind striking a chill into her bones and her heart was torn apart. 23
It turned out that she started to conceal herself because she was so insecure that there was nothing she believed. At moment like this, Becky was with Sarah and did her best to comfort her. Fortunately, it worked though it took a long time to heal her broken heart. After the unforgettable heartbreak and unfaithfulness, Sarah grew stronger but not by herself. On the same way back home, her brain was swirling. She realized something she had forgotten a long time ago. Sometimes 24
in life there really were bonds formed that could never be broken. Sometimes you really could find that one person who would stand by you any time. For her, Becky was that one person, the one in a million.
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Chapter 4
Lost
Now it was 11:36, late at night. Sarah was sitting on the sofa with her arms tucked around her legs. Through the window, the full moon washed her in a creamy glow. She kept still and stared deeply into the candle light. For many years, she had never stayed up late like this. 26
It was a desolately silent night of summer, a time of year which always brought Sarah to aching memories of her adolescence. That was why she always went to bed early no matter what, but today, she just sat there firm and calmly as like a stiff statue. Yet this morning, Sarah got a letter from Aunt Julie. It was not the greeting or something that people who have not seen you for ages would write. Sarah was quite surprised to find the letter in a pile of bills and mail from her publisher. Just before opening the letter, she had a nasty feeling 27
that there was something wrong, probably bad news. At last it turned out that she was right. “Dead,” she mumbled, still staring darkly into the candle light. Sarah released her hands which she grasped together tight and reached out to take her diary. She turned to the pages that she skipped intentionally. Everything happened between Sarah and her mother replayed so clearly that she felt like she was back to those earlier days. “Students at school called me a bastard 28
because I was without a father. And that is your fault. If you didn’t cheat on dad, he wouldn’t have left us,” Sarah spoke angrily as if she was talking to her feud; nevertheless, that was her mother to whom she was talking. “No! NO! Sarah, don’t…..,” Sarah’s mother said and her voice was hoarse. “I hate you! You pissed Dad off and made us live in such poverty and distress. You ruined my life,” Sarah said and ran out from home. The whole neighborhood could hear the doors slamming, but they did not see 29
the desperate mother standing at the door as if she was stone dead. There was nothing she could do but watched her daughter, her loved one running away. They have had innumerable quarrels, but that first fight came to mind at once. Day by day, Sarah learned more and more about what was going on with her parents and she suffered from the truth. She could not understand what her mother was doing nor forgive her. The hatred for her mother grew deeper and deeper as Sarah was getting older. She was not the little, na誰ve 30
girl anymore. After the first rebellion, she secretly decided that she would leave this dump one day and she did. Months later, she graduated from high school, and went to college in another state. She studied hard and worked in order to afford the tuition and her own living. Since then she has never returned to visit her mother again, not even one time. Page by page, all that she has been trying to forget gushed out toward her in a way that she could hardly bear as she was reading. Pieces which were left behind 31
suddenly fell together. For all these years, she has been pretending that the details were seared from her memory, but, in fact, she remembered how her mom was hurt because of her cruelty, even though she didn’t really mean that. She remembered the weeping from her mom in those countless nights. Time passed lazily tonight. With sorrowful tears and infinite grief, a deadly languor took possession over Sarah and she fell into a heavy sleep. But the nightmare never stopped once it began. 32
The memory of her mother haunted her for these passed years and haunted her still even in her dreams.
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Chapter 5
For Good
Sometimes people feel like there in no way back to the happy beginning after making mistakes, so they decide to run as far away as they can. That was exactly what Sarah did for so long. She had so much regrets but only a little courage to do something. “I can’t go back. How am I going to face her, 34
to face everything? No, it’s too much for me.” Instead of attending the funeral, she bought a plane ticket and went to Italy the next day. In Venice, Sarah was sitting in a square and watching the pigeons swirling away from children chasing them. She could not stop thinking about her mother. She knew how her mom loved her and how hard it was to bring up a child all by herself. Yes, she made a mistake, but who did not. “Things could be different, if I…,” she sighed. 35
“I once had a chance to be a good daughter who stood by mom while she was having a hard time, but I missed that chance back then. Now I’m about to miss it for good,” she thought. With tears rolling in her eyes, Sarah wrote down something new in her dairy.
Mom, I miss you…..
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References References of the pictures: cover & back cover http://www.poster.de/Raya/Raya-Memory-Moment-I X-2403219.html p.7 http://uv.stes.tc.edu.tw:8080/yunol/0703/MSNBC/ p.13 http://www.minigallery.co.uk/Rachel_McNaughton/a rt9121/ p. 19 http://www.redbubble.com/people/braidy/art/9940258-regret 37
p.25 http://www.allposters.co.uk/-sp/Autumn-Scroll-I-Pos ters_i2074333_.htm p.33 http://www.flickr.com/photos/vessimages/438259637 4/
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Acknowledgement Dear Mr Smith, Thank you for being such a supportive teacher. You have no idea how I am encouraged because of your remarks. At first writing a novel was just a huge and difficult assignment for me, but now it is much more than that. The potential and the confidence in me are inspired during the process. I have spent a lot of time working on
Miss and enjoyed it very much!
Best wishes, Bella Chen 39
miss [mIs] v. 1. be too late 2. feel sad without SB/STH
Is there someone who you miss?
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