داستان کوتاه

Enthusiasm Mini-Story

Hello, this is A. J. and welcome to the mini-story. Let’s get started.

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There was a spider.

Was there a spider or was there a cat?

There was a spider.

What was the spider’s name?

His name was Elvis, aha.

The spider’s name was Elvis and Elvis the spider had a hobby.

What did Elvis the spider have?

A hobby. Elvis the spider had a hobby.

Did Elvis the spider have a cat?

No.

Did Elvis the spider have a headache?

No.

What did Elvis the spider have?

A hobby. Elvis the spider had a hobby.

And his hobby was what?

Swimming. He loved to swim.

What did he love to do?

Swim. Elvis the spider loved to swim.

One day Elvis was swimming and while he was swimming he looked down to the bottom of the ocean.

When did he look down to the bottom of the ocean?

Well, while he was swimming.

Did he look down to the bottom of the ocean while he was playing tennis?

No.

Did he look down to the bottom of the ocean while he was reading?

No.

Did he look down to the bottom of the ocean while he was eating?

No, no, no, no.

When did he look down to the bottom of the ocean?

He looked down to the bottom of the ocean while he was swimming.

He looked down and he saw something. What did Elvis see?

Elvis saw a black pearl.

Did Elvis see a black rock?

No, he didn’t see a black rock.

Did he see a green rock?

No, he didn’t see a green rock.

Did he see a normal white pearl?

No, he did not see a normal white pearl.

What kind of pearl did Elvis see?

Elvis saw a black pearl.

And where was the black pearl?

At the bottom of the ocean.

And when did Elvis see the black pearl?

While swimming in the ocean.

And when he saw the black pearl, how did he feel?

Ooh, very excited!

He felt super excited when he saw the black pearl and so he dove down to try to get the black pearl.

Did he sink down or did he dive down?

He dove down. He dove down to try to get the black pearl.

What did he try to get as he dove down?

He tried to get the black pearl as he dove down.

But, unfortunately, a giant shark grabbed the black pearl and ate it and swam off, just before Elvis got it. Oh, no!

So, what happened? What swam up?

Well, a giant shark swam up to the pearl.

What did the shark do after it swam up to the pearl?

It grabbed the pearl with its mouth and ate it.

Did the shark eat the black pearl?

Yes, the shark ate the black pearl.

Did the shark eat Elvis?

No, thank God, he did not eat Elvis.

What did the shark eat?

The black pearl.

And after the shark ate the black pearl, what did it do?

It swam away. The shark swam away.

Did the shark swim away or did the shark stay?

Well, he swam away.

The shark swam away after doing what?

The shark swam away after eating the black pearl.

Did Elvis get the black pearl?

No, he didn’t get the black pearl because the shark ate it and then it swam away.

Oh, no, poor Elvis. So Elvis was quite annoyed.

Was he happy or was he annoyed?

He was annoyed.

He was irritated. Not angry really, but a little bit.

How did Elvis feel when the shark took the black pearl?

He felt annoyed, a little bit annoyed.

But then he decided I will find another black pearl. So every day he swam and he swam and he swam and he dove and he dove and he dove and he searched and searched and searched, but he could never find a black pearl. One day he read a diving magazine and he read about a place called Manado, Bunaken Island.

And where is Bunaken Island?

It’s in Indonesia.

And in the article it said that there were black pearls near Bunaken Island.

So, immediately, what did Elvis do?

Of course, he bought a plane ticket to Bunaken Island.

Where did he buy a plane ticket to?

Bunaken Island.

Did he buy a plane ticket to Los Angeles?

Of course not.

Did he buy a plane ticket to Japan?

Of course not.

Where did he buy a plane ticket to?

He bought a plane ticket to Bunaken Island.

In which country?

Indonesia. Bunaken is in Indonesia.

So, which country did Elvis fly to?

Indonesia. He flew to Bunaken Island in Indonesia.

Soon, as he arrived at Bunaken Island, he went diving for black pearls. Every day he went diving. Every day he searched for black pearls. Until, finally, after searching 722 days, he saw a black pearl. He dove down to get the black pearl.

Just as he was about to grab it what happened? What happened just as Elvis was about to grab the black pearl? Did he grab the black pearl?

No, he didn’t. Something happened.

What happened just as he was about to grab the black pearl?

Well, an octopus suddenly came, grabbed the black pearl and swam away.

What grabbed the black pearl this time?

An octopus. A little octopus grabbed the black pearl and then swam away How did Elvis feel after the little octopus grabbed the black pearl and swam away?

Well, he was kind of pissed off.

Of course, ‘pissed off’ means angry. To be pissed off means to be angry. It’s a casual way to say it, a little bit of slang kind of, but it’s very common in the United States – to be pissed off. This is American. I think it has a different meaning in other places like England and Canada. I’m not sure about Canada. So, he was pissed off.

Was Elvis happy or was he pissed off and angry?

He was pissed off and angry.

Why was he pissed off and angry?

He was pissed off and angry because the octopus grabbed the pearl before he could get it.

Did he want the pearl himself?

Of course, he wanted the pearl for himself.

But who got the black pearl instead?

The little octopus instead grabbed the black pearl and swam away.

Ooh, now he was really pissed off and upset, but he decided he would not quit.

He said “I will find a black pearl. I will find one!” And so he began searching on the Internet.

What did he begin to do after he lost the second black pearl?

He began to search on the Internet and, of course, he looked for places with black pearls.

Eventually, he found a website about black pearls and it said that the Island of Maui in Hawaii had lots and lots and lots of black pearls. So, of course, he immediately bought a ticket to Hawaii.

To which island did he go?

The Island of Maui.

Did he go to the Island of Oahu?

No, he didn’t go to Oahu.

Did he go to Kauai?

No, he didn’t go to the Island of Kauai.

Which Hawaiian Island did he go to?

Maui. He went to the Hawaiian Island of Maui.

And why did he go to Maui?

To find a black pearl.

Well, eventually, he found a dive shop and he talked to the dive master.

What did he say to the dive master?

He said “I want to find a black pearl. Where can I find a black pearl near Maui?” The dive master said “You must go to Molokini Crater, out in the ocean near Maui.”

Where did the dive master tell him to go?

Molokini Crater.

A ‘crater’ is like a hole, a hole in the earth. It’s caused when a rock from space, an asteroid or a meteor comes from space down through the sky and then hits the earth and it makes a big hole. Or, a crater also can be caused by a volcano. When a volcano explodes, it explodes and then after there’s a hole, a round hole in the ground. That’s called a crater. The Molokini Crater was caused by a volcano.

What was Molokini Crater caused by, a meteor from space or a volcano?

Molokini Crater, the round hole, was caused by a volcano a long time ago.

So, did Elvis the spider go to Molokini Crater?

Yes, indeed. He got his dive stuff and he went to Molokini Crater; swam out there by himself.

Of course, what did he do once he got to Molokini Crater?

Well, once he got to Molokini Crater, he dove down to find a black pearl.

He searched and searched. Little by little he used his air and his air got lower and lower and lower, almost finished and then, finally, just as his air was almost gone, he saw one.

When did he see a black pearl at Molokini Crater?

Ah, just as his air was almost finished.

Did he see one when his air was full?

No, he didn’t see one when his air was full. He saw a black pearl, just as his air was almost finished. His air was almost finished, but he saw it. So he swam to the pearl, just as his air finished completely.

When did he swim to the pearl?

Just as his air finished completely.

And then he saw a moray eel and the moray eel tried to get the pearl.

An ‘eel’ is like a snake. It looks like a snake. They’re not snakes, but they look like snakes and they live under the water at the bottom of the ocean, usually in rocks or coral. A moray eel is a common kind of eel. A moray eel is a big eel. They’re kind of big and a little bit fat looking. They look like snakes. They’re not really snakes, but they kind of look like that. Eel, e-e-l is how that is spelled. It’s pronounced eel; e’ul, eel.

So he saw an eel and the eel saw the black pearl and it jumped and swam forward to get the black pearl. Then Elvis reached out with one of his eight legs to get the pearl. They both grabbed the pearl at the same time and they fought for the pearl.

The eel pulled and pulled and pulled on the pearl.

What pulled on the pearl first?

The eel, the moray eel

And Elvis pulled back on the pearl. They pulled and they pulled and, Elvis, his air was gone. And then Elvis remember he had seven more legs and so with another one of his legs he smacked the eel in the face.

What did he do to the moray eel?

He smacked the eel in the face.

That’s the sound. He smacked the eel in the face. What happened when Elvis smacked the eel in the face?

The eel let go of the pearl.

What let go of the pearl?

The eel let go of the pearl.

And why did the eel let go of the pearl?

Because Elvis smacked him in the face.

And after the eel let go, what did Elvis do?

He swam quickly to the surface of the water.

‘Surface’ is the top of the water.

Did he swim deeper?

No, he didn’t swim deeper. He swam to the surface where the air was.

Why did he swim to the surface with the pearl?

Because he was out of air.

He had to breathe, so he swam to the surface as fast as he could and he got to the top and he took a deep breath and another one and then he smiled because he finally had a black pearl.

And that is the end of our mini story for this month. As usual, just listen to the story. You can answer the questions in your head or you can shout them out if you’re alone in your room or something. That’s fine, too.

Enjoy it and I’ll see you next time, bye-bye.