Tale of A Picked On Platypus

    I am a little platypus with a HUGE problem. My exceptionally large feet make my life at Lyons Day

School nearly impossible.  All the kids call me Clumsy Phyllis because I trip and fall over everything

in front of me.  I don't get picked to play games with the other kids, so I've become quite the paddle

ball player.  Tomorrow I'm going to show them just how good I am.  Hopefully Mindy Minchkey, class

superstar, will stop picking on me and be my friend.

    Monday morning I wake up bright and early, feeling very nervous about my upcoming performance.

When I walk into the classroom I see that my teacher has already written our names on the board.....

GULP ...I'm first!! I totter up to the front of the class, feeling ready to lose my breakfast.  I nervously

explain what a paddle ball is and how it is played,  bouncing the ball as I speak.

    The rubberband grows longer and longer with each whack of the paddle, until SNAP! The ball

breaks loose from the rubber band and...OH NO! Lands right on Mindy's head! I dart right for the

bathroom, the only place for any embarrassed platypus to hide. Chants of, “Clumsy Phyllis can't play

games,” following right behind.

    When I get home I am still very bothered about the paddle ball incident. My mom tries to make it

better by telling me that all the practicing I did on Sunday must have worn the rubber band out,  it

must have given up. I think I should give up too.

    I take the broken pieces of paddle ball out of my bag and throw them in the garbage can. BOINK!

the ball hits the side of the purple can and rolls right back to me.  I chop at the ball with my too large

foot as hard as I can. THUD! When the wall delivers it back, I bat it with my tail...CRASH...Uh-Oh!!

I just broke my piggy bank!!

    I hide the small red ball in my drawer of dreams, along with the half melted crayons from when I

wanted to be a sidewalk artist, and a broken plastic stethescope from when I wanted to be a Doctor.

Before I go to sleep I wish upon a star that I don't get in too much trouble for breaking the fragile pink

pig.
   
    BOO! Tuesday! I think that I'll hide under my bed all day and not go to school.  I will pretend that

the dust bunnies are nice monsters. They won't call me clumsy when we play games. Instead I fall in

music class, sending a cymbal stand and triangle to the floor with a ting and clang.

    UGH! Wednesday!  I am going to invent a new sickness today and call it Platy Pox.  I insist that

though the spots are invisible, they are scratchy, and very catchy.  My mom tells me nice try, and sends

me off to brave another day.  When I step outside, I see the cloudy skies match my cloudy mood.

    There's only one good thing about Thursday, the next day is Friday.  Today we have gym and we are

playing kickball. I swing my giant foot as hard as I can to hit a homerun and...WHOOSH..I lose my

balance  falling flat on my tail in front of the ENTIRE world! I just want to go home and hide in my

closet.

    YAY! It's finally Friday! Today Miss Holly is reading By Golly Molly Tamale, a story about a girl

who wants to be a terriffic soccer player, even better than the boys!  I imagine myself as a professional

paddle ball player, signing autographs for my fans and being interviewed by famous sports journalists.

Oh, how I want to be like Molly!

    Saturday morning I rescue the tiny ball of certain disaster from my drawer and twirl and whirl the

day away, only knocking over the trash can once. While flipping about on Sunday, I discover that I'm

not so clumsy on my hands! By the time Monday arrived again I was a brand new Phyllis!

    EWW! Artie McFinnigan brought his disgusting bugs again. They give me the willies and the

ticklies all in one. When he finished telling us the difference between the different insects,  Miss Holly

called me up to the front of the class. The kids had begun to giggle as soon as I got out of  my

seat, expecting the worst.  As I weave my way towards the front, I imagine they're Artie's ants, so

tiny that I can barely see them.

    I begin with a perfect cartwheel, whacking the ball back and forth from the wall to my tail.  I

pirouette,  doing circles in front of Miss Holly's desk. I dribble the ball on my tail, standing on my

hands with my eyes closed! I finish with a double somersault and a twist, causing the kids to erupt with

applause! A giant smile explodes across my face as I take a bow.  The class loves it, especially Mindy

Minchkey! From now on I love Mondays.  I love Tuesday and Wednesday.  I really love Thursday! 

Nobody cares how clumsy I am. All they talk about is my talented tail!