A Sketch

By A. Bulotzki (8th grade)

Shlomo turned on his side for the 4th time. He yawned sleepily. He wanted to turn on his other side for the 5th time but he remembered it would not do. One open eye looked at the clock and got stuck there. The numbers were not really numbers but strange creatures running back and forth. Finally they stopped running and started complaining: “why am I number one and you two and she three and I am not four?” Wow, who knows how far this would have gone if eight did not intervene. Shlomo opened his second eye and saw eight. “Impossible – it could not be eight. Either I am mistaken or the clock is. Since I cannot be mistaken – the clock is mistaken of course!”

– “Shlomo,” he hears a voice calling his name, “isn’t it time to get up?”

– “Either I have gone mad or… everybody has decided to urge me”

Frustrated, he pulls the cover over his head, his feet protruding.

– Shlomo, if you don’t get up now you can say goodbye to your breakfast.

This acts as a bucket of cold water. He takes off the cover, gradually, opens one and then a second eye, like a lion gathers his strength, puts one and then the other foot on the floor. Now he notices that the hours do not quarrel and the eight is not as stubborn and has given in to the general request – almost nine!

– “My God”, cries Shlomo, am I not dreaming?” and all at once trousers, shirts and other stuff start flying around in a mixture. In panic, feet are inserted into the shirt and the hands into something else. Finally he managed to organize. Needless to say his breakfast was sacrificed because of the cursed time. He grasps his books and runs to school (which he calls Beit HaYovel.) Needless to say, his breakfast was sacrificed because of the cursed time. He grasps his books and runs to school (which he calls Beit HaYovel).

Now he has reached a crossroad. First, he is a few minutes late. Second, the principal is in the classroom. Shlomo is an optimist. He believes in miracles. God sees his predicament and sends an emissary to call the principal to the telephone. The gates of mercy are open and Shlomo enters the classroom. Woe to this kind of entrance. He sits at the last desk hiding his face from the teacher, wishing to be unseen. Yesterday he did not practice his lesson and. The philosophers would say that this is a common phenomenon.

Shlomo sits and vows and prays that if God will help him get out of this trouble, he will get up every day one minute before eight. This is the biggest vow he can utter.

And again God has mercy on his servant. The principal returns to the classroom and continues with his questions.

Lo and behold! He calls Shlomo’s name. Shlomo stands up, his legs are shaking.

– “In the first scene, does the political action come up?”

– “No”, he says

– “Yes, and does the poet refers to the hero positively?”

– “Yes”.

– “Now tell me please. Is it possible to justify the hero?”

– “No, Shlomo cries enthusiastically. Of course not. He is a nasty person.

– “OK, you may sit down”

So, I passed the Polish test. The main thing is not the studying but having a smikalke.

I would not exchange one gram of shrewdness for puds of diligence.

However shrewdness did not support me for long. Latin lesson started and I could not just answer with a “yes” and and “no”.

– “Pupil Gimpel, please enumerate the kind of wines you know”

–“Planerum, Masikum. and Tzekobum.”

– “Yes, please sit down”.

I would not exchange one gram of shrewdness for puds of diligence.

However shrewdness did not support me for long. Latin lesson started and I could not just answer with a “yes” and and “no”.

–“Pupil Gimpel, please enumerate the kind of wines you know”

–“Planerum, Masikum, and Tzekobum.”

–“Yes, please sit down”.

Shlomo notices that the teacher is looking at him. “I am lost” he thinks. However, in a moment he has been as if blessed and with a bright shining face he asks the teacher:

– “Teacher, Sir, which of the three wines is best – Planerum, Masikum or Tzekobum?"

The teacher’s eyes are wide open “Shlomo is right” he thinks. This question interests him as well. He would reallylike to know which is the best wine.

He frowns and thinks it over but has no answer. He decides to tackle the problem in another way:

– “It seems that Shlomo is finally starting to be interested in the Romans…”

Shlomo’s victory is complete. He has come out a hero in both lessons…

His victory was marred in the last lesson. The history teacher asked which Luzot he could name. He answered that except the for the Mesianic Luzot, he knows of the ones in the movies Srur and Coalition. He has not attended Miraz and therefore it is difficult for him to discuss the details.

The teacher, of course, was baffled by such a general answer and advised him to take his temperature. Luckily this was the end of it. He did not have any fever…

A. Bulotzki (8th grade)