داستان کوتاه

Friends - Mini Story

Welcome to the mini story for this month’s lesson. Let’s begin.

Paula, the possum, is surly. She has been this way ever since getting a job as a manager. What is she like?

She’s surly. Surly means irritable, grumpy, threatening. It’s someone who’s in a bad irritable, grumpy mood, surly.

So is she sweet, Paula the possum, is she sweet?

No, she’s not sweet she’s surly.

Who is surly?

Paula, the possum. Paula, the possum is surly, always grumpy and irritable.

How long has she been surly?

Well, since becoming a manager at her job.

Was she surly before she became a manager?

No, she wasn’t surly before she became a manager. She has been surly since becoming a manager.

Paula works at a big accounting firm. (A firm is a company) Whenever her department has a meeting Paula gets in everyone’s face. She screams at her staff and berates them for every mistake they make.

What does she do at the meetings?

She gets in everyone’s face.

To get in someone’s face, it’s an idiom, to get in someone’s face means to be very direct with them and criticize them very directly and emotionally. It’s the idea that you get really, really, really close to them, like you’re directly in front of them, maybe only two centimeters from their face. So you’re really close to them yelling at them. You get in their face means you directly yell at them. You very directly yell at them. You very directly criticize them, usually in an angry way.

So does Paula get in everyone’s face or is she calm and nice?

She gets in everyone’s face. She provokes everyone.

Does she provoke everyone? Does she get in everyone’s face? Or, does she compliment them?

She gets in everyone’s face. She confronts and provokes everyone. In fact, she screams at her staff and berates them. To berate is to criticize in an angry way. She berates her staff.

What does she do to her staff?

She berates them. Paula, the possum, berates her staff.

When does she berate them?

Whenever they make a mistake. Whenever a staff member makes a mistake Paula berates them. She screams at her staff and berates them for every mistake they make.

She has been doing this for five years and because of this, her staff has become demoralized. (Demoralized means sad, depressed. It means without motivation) So is her staff motivated or is her staff demoralized?

Her staff is demoralized.

Why is her staff demoralized?

Because Paula berates them constantly.

When she berates them do they feel more motivated or do they feel demoralized?

Of course, they feel demoralized. They are demoralized by her.

One day one of her staff members makes a major mistake. Their client is very upset and calls Paula. When Paula hears about the mistake she is furious, super angry. She calls the employee into her office and gets in his face. She yells at him. She gets very close to him and yells at him. She gets in his face.

Why does she get in his face?

Because she’s angry, because he made a big mistake.

So what does she do?

She gets in his face. Gets really close to him and yells. She gets in his face.

While yelling at the employee, Paula suddenly feels a pain in her chest and she has trouble breathing. She clutches at her chest and gasps. Oh no, something is happening, I don’t feel well. Call the doctor.

What does she do to her chest?

She clutches at her chest… (To clutch is to grab. It means to grab)… So she grabs her own chest. She clutches at her chest. Why does Paula, the possum, clutch her chest?

Because it’s painful, she feels pain so she clutches at her chest.

While clutching her chest what does she say?

She says call the doctor.

When she says call the doctor what is she doing?

She’s clutching her chest. She clutches her chest and she gasps, call the doctor.

Paula is rushed to the hospital. A doctor examines her and he says, luckily you didn’t have a heart attack. But, you have very high blood pressure. You need to relax. Paula is relieved, huh. She goes back to work. The next day another employee makes a mistake and Paula goes through the roof again. (This is another idiom. To go through the roof means to become super emotional, to become super angry).

Does Paula stay calm or does she go through the roof?

She goes through the roof. She loses her temper. She becomes super angry. Paula goes through the roof.

Why does she go through the roof?

Because the employee made a mistake.

Who goes through the roof?

Paula. Paula goes through the roof again.

Once again she feels a sharp pain in her chest. She returns to the hospital. The doctor says, ‘Paula, you need to calm down or you really will have a heart attack. If you don’t learn to deal with your anger, you will kick the bucket in a few years.’ (To kick the bucket means to die. It’s an idiom that means to die). He says you will die in a few years. You will kick the bucket in a few years.

Who tells Paula that she might kick the bucket soon?

The doctor. The doctor tells her, you will kick the bucket in a few years if you don’t calm down.

When she hears the words kick the bucket, Paula is scared. She realizes she must change. So, Paula immediately quits her stressful job. She goes back to school to become a massage therapist. She takes yoga classes. She learns to meditate. Every day Paula practices yoga and meditation. Then she gets a new job at the hospital as a massage therapist. She also takes anger management classes. Her blood pressure drops. She becomes a chilled out possum and lives a long enjoyable life. (Chilled out means super relaxed. Very, very calm. Very relaxed) Does she become an angry possum?

No, she becomes a chilled out possum.

What kind of possum does she become?

She becomes a chilled out possum.

Does she become a very relaxed possum?

Oh yes, she becomes a chilled out possum. Very chilled out. Very relaxed.

Who becomes a chilled out possum?

Paula. Paula becomes a chilled out possum and lives a long enjoyable life.

That’s the end of our mini story. As usual, keep your shoulders back, head up, move around, make sure you have a lot of energy when listening to this story. Pause, shout your answers.

One, two, three word answers that’s fine. Short answers. Enjoy the story every day this month.

See you next time. Bye for now.