Don't Be Dull, Dull Don!

Don’t Be Dull, Dull Don!

Written by Penny Kao

Words Counted: 2366 Words in Oxford 3000: 91%

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About the Authur

Penny Kao, who was born in 1986, Taipei County, was an aborigine beauty of Paiwan tribe of Tai-Tong. She was a girl who loves singing and dancing, and she had many experiences of dancing shows. She was a student of English Department in Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages, and her minor was French. She was fourth year student when she wrote her first novel, Don’t Be Dull, Dull Don in 2006; and her English Writing Class teacher was Mr. Smith, who made her love to write.

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Table of Contents:

Chapter I: Don Lee, Done Dully…p 5 Chapter II: Endless Bleeding… p 10 Chapter III: Mom, Nobody Help Me… p 14 Chapter VI: I’m Here If You Need ME… p 19 Chapter V: Dull Don Turned Into a Hero…p 26 4

Chapter I: Don Lee, Done Dully!

“Dull Don, done dully, why is your name Don Lee, why are you dull and done dully?� a little child sang out loud, and other were laughing. Don Lee, was the one who sat silently in the corner, crying. He was a third year student in elementary school with big, thick glasses. He was always the last in class, he moved

slowly,

thought

slowly; 5

therefore

his

classmates called him dull Don. He was too shy to convey his feelings in words, and he was also too shy to speak in front of people. Therefore, his classmates would easily forget of his existence.

“Dull Don! You again! Don’t be in that way!” “Hey, get out of our way!” “Yup, we don’t mean to attack you, that’s because you stand right there and we don’t know that you’re there.” “By the way, what if I don mean or not mean to do that?” His classmates looked at each other, laughed and left.

There were more things than that. Don also cringed down all the activities because he knew that his classmates did not like him. He did not hate 6

them and he accepted that but he thought that if they were happy, he would feel alright. Therefore, he was always silent, never showing his expression.

But his impish classmates did not think so; they like to play pranks on him having fun. “Dull Don, dull Don, can’t you see? Wow~ now he’s more handsome without glasses! Dull Don, come on take a guess, where is your glasses? In whose hands?” One student said. “No, please, give that back to me,” Don said. “Hurry up! Guess! Or you’ll never see your glasses again,” another student said menacingly.

“Yes, and if you guess incorrect, we won’t give that back to you,” yet another student said, and they 7

laughed.

It was not only his classmates who disliked him, but also his teacher not being nice to him. Once while he was on the stage and was asked to recite a text; he could not complete a sentence because he would have a speech impediment. His teacher lost her patience, beat his head and scolded him, “Get down of the stage, you stupid ninny! I’ve had enough of you.� He was quite used to the kind of unpleasant things that happened to him, and that happened everyday.

It was not only the teachers who disliked him, but also some hard working classmates who always 8

got high scores were unwilling to take any notice of him; excepting for having fun. Who else would want to be around with such kind of person who was always having mouth opened, or care about such a fool’s feeling?

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Chapter II: Endless Bleeding

“Sweetheart, don’t be scared when you have the nosebleed. It will never help if you’re nervous. Calm yourself and try to relax. Then face upward, sit down and nip your nose, take out the tissues to wipe the blood until it has stopped.” Don easily had a nosebleed, and he was used to it after he followed 10

his mother’s order for many times and was not afraid of the nosebleed.

It was so hot in September. After having two gymnastic classes, Don felt dizzy and began to have a nosebleed. He used his hands to cover his nose but somehow the nosebleed leaked out from his hands. All of his tissues were used up, and he still could not stop bleeding! “I could feel the warm blood flowing back into my throat,” Don thought covering his nose, all his blood filtered out from his hands down his shirt. “Could you… give… give me some tissues?” Don tried to clam himself asking his classmate, Debby, though he knew that he must 11

scared her. “Ahhhhh!! Why does he bleed so much blood? His shirt is all of red for the blood!! How scary!! The girls in his class ran away and shouted loudly. “Ah, please don’t leave… hey… please, it’s nothing. I just want some tissues, and… and… everything is going to be alright... please… just some

tissues…”

Don

begged,

but

when

he

approached them, almost everybody ran. The boys in his class also cried, “Oh my gosh, it’s so disgusting! Get away! Get away!” At that moment, he was helpless and sad. His tears welled up in his eyes and ran down his face. His classmates hid further away from him because he looked much 12

more dirty, disgusting and dull.

After a while the teacher came and called Don’s mother. Don sat in the Health Center, facing upward and waited for his Mom to arrive.

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Chapter III: Mom, Nobody Helped Me…

On the way home, Don was quiet and thinking; sometimes his tears ran out from his eyes. He just wiped them quickly worrying that his Mom would see. When they got home, Don’s Mom helped Don bathe. Don looked at his Mom and thought, “My Mom is always nice to me, and she is so mild and attentive. It is so nice to stay home… Yes, not like 14

in school… I don’t want to go to school anymore…”

He thought of the days that he was bullied by his classmates. After his Mom helped him put on his pyjama, Don could not help it and began to cry. He cried and asked, “Mom! Why… why didn’t anybody want to help me when I have a nosebleed… woo…”

His mother was also sad about his apathetic classmates, and it was so hard to answer anything to him. What was she supposed to say to her baby to make him feel better?

“But on the other hand, I don’t want it to happen again,” his Mom thought. After thinking, she said, “Sweetheart, they didn’t help you because 15

they’re so young, they don’t know what to do about it. They went away because they have never seen so much blood before and they were afraid. Well, after that you realize how much you need other’s help, don’t you? From now on, if you know that your classmates need help, don’t be afraid, just go and help them. If you face something that you can’t handle, go to your teachers or the adults to solve the problem. Remember, my sweetheart, don’t care about what they have done to you, just be yourself and try your best to help other people, Okay? Could you promise Mom that you can do that?”

Don nodded without any hesitation, and gave his 16

Mom a big smile. His mother felt so sad and thought, “my kind boy.” “That’s my good boy,” Don’s mother said, and placed her hand on his head, “Good night, Mom.” “Good night, my sweetheart. Have a nice dream.” She smoothed the comforter, adjusting it carefully about Don’s neck, and kissed him.

There was a sigh from the bathroom. The red on Don’s uniform made her cry. She washed his uniform feeble; at the same time she imagined her son helplessly lying face up in his seat and his eyes were full of tears, not knowing what to do with his endless nosebleed. “I don’t understand why they’re so cold? Is it so hard to hand over tissues? Does it 17

cost a thing to care about other people? That’s my son, my baby, how could you…” She was anxious about how her son’s life would be and could not help being weep. Her tears fell into the basin, which was mixed blood and water; while her son that she appeased was sleeping so well.

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Chapter IV: I’m Here If You Need Me

The next day, Don went to school as usual, and was used to his classmates played tricks on him.

Sometimes the kind classmates talked to him just in a couple of sentences, and that could make him feel happy all day. Though his mother was not so happy about his son’s complacence, but she smiled.

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The weather was turning coldly; the heavy rain had rained for many days. When the rain is over, the sky cleared up that day. There was a small pool, which accumulated rain near by the school on their way home. There were many polliwogs swimming in the small pool. The small pool was dug for transplanting a tree, about four feet deep. It was replaced of rainwater for many days, about now it was stuffed with garbage. Many students were passes by there would approach the putrid pool and trying to catch the polliwogs. Every little child was pushing and shoving over approaching toward the small pool. Debby, the class leader of Don, was in 20

the crowd, too.

While she rushed to catch the polliwogs, she tumbled into the putrid pool, which was full of mud.

“Ahhhh,” Debby screamed. The children around the pool were taken aback by hearing the screaming.

“What happened?” a student asked. “I don’t know, it seems somebody has fallen down.” Another student answered. “Look, there she is!! Who is she… oh my, is she Debby?” “What?!!”

They saw Debby

struggling in the pool. A smelly scent was swept around by the wind and spread out. Everybody smelt and felt disgusting. May of them ran away and said, “ohhh, what a nasty smell!!” “Ohhhhh, I want 21

to throw up.”

Don looked at the scared face of Debby in the putrid and dirty pool. She was standing right in the pool and did not do anything and did not speak. She also could not climb up to the ground. But there was nobody wanted to help her, and he thought about the day that he had the experience with his nosebleed. “Remember, my sweetheart, don’t care about what they have done to you, just be yourself and try your best to help other people”, his mom’s words ran to his mind, giving him encouragement to pull Debby from the pool. The girl he saved was in a so bad dilemma that he could not even recognize.

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She was the most beautiful girl who always wore a glowing uniform, so proud and never even looked at him at once, and now was crying so disappointedly.

The other students looked at her from head to feet, thinking about what a dirty girl. They moved backward and worried that they would get dirt if she contacted them. They had forgotten that she was their class leader, and how many contests she had won.

Only Don departed from his normal behavior, taking off his white shirt quickly and wiping dirt from her face or in her hair. He took out his favorite handkerchief for her to wipe her tears.

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The handkerchief was his birthday present, which was given to him by his mother. He never used it before; but now it was just like a duster in Debby’s hand. Debby looked at Don’s eyes and said with appreciation, “thank you, Don.” That was the first time she spoke to him. “It’s nothing. You’re, welcome,” Don said gently with broken words.

Other children around them were impressed by what Don had done. They approached Debby and Don, some of them helped Debby to take her bag, and others gave Debby comfort. A row of children walked to Debby’s home, hand in hand, under the sunset.

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Chapter V: Dull Don Turned into a Hero

A few days later when Debby’s mother went to the school president, Don was cited for bravery in a morning rally. Debby was asked to go on the stage to share the experience, in which Don had helped her.

“I fell into the pool, and nobody wanted to help me, and, most of them just ran away from me… while Don helped me, I was really very disgusting.

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Nobody wanted to get close to me… But Don did. He didn’t leave me alone… He was there… He took off his shirt, and, and wiped the dirt for me…” Debby wept, “I’m so sorry, Don. I ask myself why I was so rude to you… I repent my folly, Don. Please forgive me… And, and thank you, you’re really very kind, thank you very much… Thank you…”

All the students were silent. Their hearts were warm like lying under the sunshine. Jealous, envy, nitpickings, discontenting to life, careless and imprudence, all disappeared in a moment. They had love, beauty, kindness, peace and righteousness in their heart. They could help anybody just like Don 27

had done.

Since that day, nobody had ridiculed Don, and nobody had called him “Dull Don�. Although he still had a nervous stammer, everybody listened to what he had said patiently. The teacher was kind to him, too. Gradually, he had begun to know other classmates, and they also approached playing with him.

Facing totally different situations of good or bad fortune, he was so happy that he did not have to remember what they used to do to him.

Definitely, the happiest person had been his mother. She had such an angelic and ingenuous son, 28

who could finally open his heart and be ready to accept the world.

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Prologue Don Lee, who was the last in class with thick glasses, was a third year student in elementary school. He moved slowly, thought slowly; therefore his classmates called him dull Don. One day, he had a nosebleed and all his tissues were used up. He soon covered his nose, all his blood filtered out from his hands down his shirt‌

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