The Notebook Thief
May-Ling checked under the cabinet that stood beside the front entrance and frowned. It was definitely missing. The second time in one month.
‘Don’t tell me you’ve lost it again?’ said her mother.
May-Ling was close to tears. ‘I don’t understand. I was so careful. I left it on my desk. I know I did.’
May-Ling’s notebook was among her most treasured possessions. It contained every piece of English she’d learned over the last six months; every new word and each and every wonderfully strange saying. All of them taught to her by Alison Madison, her middle school English teacher.
There was a low scrape and May-Ling whirled round. Her younger brother, Ping, was emerging from beneath a chair, a toy train clenched inside one tiny fist. At six years old, he still had the cute round face of an infant and May-Ling’s heart melted.
‘Smirking at your brother’s not going to help,’ snapped her mother.
‘I wasn’t smirking,’ began May-Ling then stopped. The look on her mother’s face was warning enough.
‘May I make a suggestion?’ continued her mother.
May-Ling stayed sensibly silent.
‘Look for it after school or you’re going to miss the school bus.’
⃰
During the short ride to school, May-Ling confided in Jiayi.
‘Again!’ laughed her best friend. ‘Goodness May-Ling you really are getting careless.’
‘But that’s what’s so odd,’ said May-Ling. ‘I’ve actually been really careful with it. I know I left it on my desk. I’m sure of it.’ Annoyed and worried, she turned to stare out of the window.
Outside, the first winter snow was floating out of a grey-white sky, the soft flakes lightly coating the office buildings that dominated May-Ling’s home town in North West China. May-Ling barely noticed, her eyes fixed on her own sorry reflection.
‘I don’t know why it bothers you so much,’ said Jiayi eventually. ‘It’s just a notebook.’
May-Ling bridled. ‘If I don’t find it, Jiayi, I won’t be able to study for my English test. And if I fail the test, I won’t be able to go to high school in Australia.’
When Jiayi didn’t reply, May-Ling turned to look at her.
‘I don’t see why you can’t go to high school here,’ mumbled Jiayi. ‘What’s so bad about China?’
‘Nothing’s bad about China, Jiayi. I love it here. It’s my home. I just want to …’ May-Ling struggled to put into words what had become a year-long dream. To study English, to make Australian friends, to swim with dolphins. How can you put a dream into words? she thought.
‘You want to leave,’ finished Jiayi, in a flat tone. ‘I get it.’
By the time they pulled up outside the school, the snow was beginning to deepen and drift, the paths slippery and white, the sound of winter a squeaky crunching underfoot.
‘Why so sad, May-Ling?’
Miss Madison was at May-Ling’s elbow and May-Ling switched from Chinese to English. ‘I’m sorry Miss Alison. I no can find my notebook again.’
‘Just keep looking,’ said Miss Madison with a smile. ‘It’ll probably turn up when you least expect it.’
May-Ling followed Miss Madison into the classroom and sat down at one of the forty two desks arranged one behind the other in long rows. The class was as silent as the icy cold that had frozen a shallow puddle of water just behind the teacher’s desk. Still early November, the heaters had yet to be turned on and it was clear that Miss Madison was struggling to stay warm.
‘You don’t have snow in Australia?’ said May-Ling as they stood in line in the school dining room.
Miss Madison held out a metal dish and received a ladle-full of noodles. ‘Not where I live. Not in Adelaide. No. Never.’
‘How boring,’ muttered Jiayi in Chinese, and May-Ling gave her friend a disapproving frown.
If Miss Madison noticed Jiayi’s rudeness, she didn’t show it. ‘There’s snow on some of our mountains, though.’
‘But no ice festival,’ stated Jiayi, haughtily. ‘Like we have in China.’
‘No,’ agreed Miss Madison. ‘We don’t have an ice festival.’
May-Ling and Jiayi didn’t speak on the way home.
‘I found it,’ announced May-Ling’s mother before May-Ling was even halfway through the front door. There was a large pink notebook in her hand.
‘Where was it?’ gasped May-Ling.
‘Under Aunty Lian’s bed.’
Which made no sense at all.
⃰
For the next five weeks nothing more happened and May-Ling was able to concentrate on her studies. Day by day the season grew colder until it was so icy that fruits froze and shattered like glass when they toppled out from under the blankets at the outdoor market. Tiny pieces of frozen watermelon glittered like pink diamonds in the snow and there was the constant scent of smoke in the air. Behind May-Ling, an elderly man was popping corn in an outdoor oven and selling it by the bag. The hot buttery grains were delicious.
‘Now how can anywhere be better than this? demanded Jiayi, her mouth crammed full.
May-Ling ignored the jibe. The two girls crossed the street to the shopping mall on the corner, pushing aside the heavy rubber curtains that kept the freezing wind from sneaking into the crowded centre. Inside, the mall was thick with heat and the smell of rich food.
‘Heaven,’ sighed Jiayi provocatively.
‘I’m not going forever,’ tutted May-Ling. ‘And I’ll be back for the long school holidays.’
‘Lucky me,’ muttered Jiayi.
May-Ling pretended not to hear the sarcasm and the friends finished the day by sharing a plate of steamed pork buns in front of the coal-burning stove in May-Ling’s kitchen. Her little brother, Ping, sat beside them, his eyes wide as they talked and laughed.
The following day, May-Ling’s notebook went missing for a third time and May-Ling was now certain she knew the cause.
‘You’ve been hiding my notebook,’ she said to Jiayi, as they bumped along in the school bus.
Jiayi looked genuinely confused. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘My notebook. It’s gone missing again. And now I know the reason why. You’ve been hiding it. It doesn’t matter,’ continued May-Ling. ‘I don’t need it anymore. I’ve studied enough.’
Jiayi pressed three fingers against her lower lip and May-Ling realised that her friend was desperately trying to hold back tears.
‘I did not take your stupid notebook,’ spat back Jiayi. ‘And you can go and get stuffed.’
May-Ling felt uneasy and sick for the rest of the day. Her friend’s reaction was completely out of character and not what she’d been expecting. Angry, hurt and confused, May-Ling suddenly wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. When she thought about going to Australia it now made her feel ill. But when she considered not going she felt even worse.
‘You can’t concern yourself with Jiayi,’ said her mother firmly. ‘Of course she’s upset. You’ve been best friends forever. She’ll adjust. She must.’
The well-meant advice wasn’t much help and for the first time May-Ling wasn’t sure she actually wanted to go to Australia. Not if it meant losing her best friend.
‘You look sad,’ said Ping on finding May-Ling huddled in the window seat in her bedroom.
May-Ling made space for her little brother, and hugged him tightly. ‘Not anymore,’ she said. ‘Not now you’re here.’
Ping’s smile made her stomach ache with love and for a short while the thought of not going to Australia didn’t seem so bad after all.
‘How was Jiayi today?’ asked May-Ling’s mother the next day.
May-Ling’s throat closed around the answer and she shook her head.
Her mother tutted. ‘You mustn’t let it trouble you. Just focus on the test and the rest will follow.’
May-Ling wasn’t so sure. Since the argument with Jiayi, all the excitement she’d felt had curdled into a hard sickening knot.
On the morning of the test, May-Ling rose early and slid into her school uniform. ‘Have you seen my school shoes?’ she asked Aunty Lian who was busily preparing breakfast.
Aunty Lian shook her head, and May-Ling’s heart began to thud. ‘But I can’t go to school without them. I’ve got my test today. The English test.’
Aunty Lian and May-Ling searched the house, but the shoes were nowhere to be found.
May-Ling was stunned. ‘But I only get one chance at this. If I miss the test, I’ll fail. I may never get another chance.’ The sudden realisation was a pain worse than anything she’d felt so far, and May-Ling realised that her dream was as important to her as it always had been.
‘They have to be here somewhere,’ said Aunty Lian.
But they weren’t.
‘I can’t believe this,’ said May-Ling. ‘First, my notebook. Now my shoes?’
‘We’ll just have to look again,’ said Aunty Lian soothingly.
‘There’s no point!’ said May-Ling angrily and burst into tears. ‘The bus will have left by now.’
Ping clung to her legs, his face pale and afraid. ‘Don’t cry,’ he pleaded, but this time May-Ling couldn’t stop the emotions that were pouring out. She’d lost her best friend and seen her dream shatter within the space of one week. It was all too much.
‘Please,’ begged Ping. ‘Please May May. Don’t cry.’
May-Ling pulled Ping into a tight hug and felt something hit her in the base of her spine. A pair of school shoes. Dangling from Ping’s tiny hands.
May-Ling stared at Ping, the truth dawning slowly. ‘You hid them, Ping?’
Ping’s small head drooped.
‘And my notebook? Was that you, too?’
When Ping nodded, May-Ling swallowed every other thought that followed, shoved on her shoes, rocketed out of the house and made the bus with seconds to spare.
‘The bus got caught in the snow,’ said Jiayi, sitting down beside her. ‘I’m afraid we’re going to be very late.’
May-Ling looked up at her best friend in surprise, and Jiayi gave her a shy smile. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been so mean.’
May-Ling tried to speak but couldn’t.
Jiayi placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘I just wanted to say that I want you to do well today. I want you to pass the test. And I’ll miss you when you leave.’
‘I’m sorry too,’ said May-Ling quietly. ‘I shouldn’t have accused you of taking my notebook. It wasn’t fair.’
For the rest of the journey, the two friends watched the snow-white city slide past and chatted quietly.
‘You’ll be fine,’ said Jiayi, when they reached the school gates. ‘In the test, I mean.’
May-Ling gave her a grateful smile. ‘I’ll do my best,’ she said.
⃰
Back home, May-Ling side-stepped her mother’s questions and went looking for Ping. She found him crouched down behind a sofa in the upstairs living room. She sat down next to him and opened her arms. Ping glanced at her sideways and May-Ling pulled him into a hug.
‘I’ll always love you, you know,’ she whispered into his hair. Ping’s skinny body began to tremble. May-Ling hugged him tighter. ‘And if I do go to Australia, I promise to call you as often as I can.’ When Ping tried to wriggle free, she smoothed his hair. ‘And every long holiday I’ll come back home to see you.’
‘And Mum,’ muttered Ping.
‘And Mum,’ agreed May-Ling. ‘But especially you. And I promise to bring you back presents. Lots of them.’
The tightness in Ping’s small body relaxed slightly. ‘Presents?’
‘Uhuh.’
‘And you’ll visit every holiday?’
May-Ling looked into her little brother’s dark brown eyes. ‘Every holiday.’
⃰
Two weeks later and May-Ling was staring down at an official yellow envelope sitting on the kitchen table. Behind her stood her mother, Aunty Lian, and Jiayi. Beside her sat Ping.
‘Go on,’ urged Jiayi. ‘For goodness sake open it.’
Very slowly, May-Ling slid open the envelope containing her test results. What she saw made her heart soar.
‘I did it,’ she said quietly and the kitchen exploded into cheers.
The loudest came from Ping.
Hi Alys, this story was awesome the descriptive words you included dragged me in and i wanted to read more. At the start of the story i predicted who took the note book and my prediction was correct! I give this story a A+
Thanks Dinul. I’m very impressed that you predicted who the thief was! Goodness me, it took ages to work out how the story should end. I’m really glad you enjoyed reading it! Alys 😊
Hey Alys-
I loved this story.
The story was great.
I think this is one of your best great storys.
My big brother (Dinul) is much different then ping.
I give your story an A++
I’m happy you enjoyed this story, Jenuli. Hmmm, I wonder how different your brother is from Ping? Alys
Hi Alys
this story was soooo good that I actually did it for a little play
in school and it was great but I really liked this story because
it’s set in a different country and the fact that May-Ling’s
brother was the one that hid the notebook and the shoes
were really unexpectable because he was so young.
Wow, Tiaana, I love that you turned my story into a play. I wish I could have seen it!! I had great fun writing this story. It was easy because I lived and worked in China for a year. I was a teacher in a school where some of the students wanted to study in Australia. Alys
Hi Alys,
I love the story, and it has been one of the best stories that I have ever read. It was very interesting and it’s like I could picture everything that was going on, even without pictures. The story got me so engaged and that’s what I love about stories. I hope you keep writing stories like this because I would read all of them. You’re an amazing writer, keep it up! 😀
HI Lily. Thank you for the lovely comments and I’m glad you could picture everything!! I love to write descriptions because I enjoy looking at illustrations as much as I do reading. I think it’s important to be able to visualise the story. I will definitely keep up with the writing. Alys 😀😀😀
I liked this story, it is interesting as the ending is so unpredictable. If I wrote this story something that I would change is that when May-Ling gets her report, she opens it and then it ends like a cliff hanger. So the reader can use their imagination to make their own ending to the story.
Hi Yenumi. Again you suggest a great alternative ending! I think you will make a great storyteller. I think the idea of a cliffhanger is such a good idea. There are quite a few movies that use that technique, too. I like that you found it unpredictable. Alys
I liked how this story had lots of detail about the lost notebook and lost shoes. If I could change one thing it in the story it would be to add a second part of the story about her going to Australia.
Great comments!! I love writing stories. You can choose exactly what happens to your characters. I really like your idea of a part two in Australia. Alys 📚
This story was really cool Alys
I’m glad you liked it Gina! It was fun to write a story set in China. Alys 😊
Dear Alys,
this story was FANTASTIC 🎨🎞🎞🎞🎞🎞🎞🎞🎞 you know I can get up to trouble like that to. 😠😡😠😣😏 why did the brother steal the text book and shoes? was it because he didn’t want his sister to go to Australia??? I like the beginning of this story because it starts with a m s e y mystery🕵️♀️📝📎🍳🐘 you really should make a part 2 of this story.
y t r
regards Tirath
Yes, that’s right, Tirath! Ping didn’t want May-Ling to leave and go to Australia. He must have been very sad. I think it must be difficult if your brother or sister has to go on a long trip. But it’s always great when they return home – especially if they bring nice presents 😅😄😃😂😆😋 Alys A part 2??? Hmmm. I’ll have to think about that. 😊
Hey Alys! I firstly predicted that Ping stole May-Ling’s belongings. It turns out that I was right. This story is extremely emotional. I got very irritated to find out that someone stole May-Ling’s slippers on the day of the test. Has anyone important to you had to leave to a different country? Anyways, I liked this story a lot because of the creativity used in the end and the way you showed that May-Ling’s hopes were lost in the middle. Have a nice day!
-Thisali 😎
Thank you for so many great comments, Thisali. Well done guessing who stole May-Ling’s notebook. I tried to hide it as well as I could! When I was little I moved around a lot because of my father’s job so I was always going to new schools. I have also worked in China which is why many things in this story come from my memories. I was a teacher and most of my students were trying to come to Australia to study English. It must have been hard to leave home!! Alys 😊
That’s pretty emotional I liked the story the ends my favourite bit and have you gone to another country for school 😹💜❤️.
Hi again Yehanya. Great comments!! I was an English teacher in a Chinese high school for 1 year. Some of the children were studying so they could come to Australia so many things in this story are true. They all worked sooooo hard for the English tests and I felt sad if they didn’t pass. Alys 😊
Hi Ayls,
I really like the story it’ very emotional story . I hope they you will find some good friends here in Australia.When I leaves my relatives behind I feel really sad.
Thanks
Methuli Sehansa
It’s hard isn’t it, Methuli?! My family live in Scotland and it’s always sad when they return home. However, it’s fun to look forward to their next trip to Australia. Great comments, too! Alys 🏆😊
Hi Alys,
This story is great 👍 you are so talented 🏆 if I could rate this book 📖 it would definitely be a 10/10. May-ling is so lucky to have such a good brother. It is good jiayi and May- ling made up before that English test or I don’t know 🤔 what will happen.
Love your stories I wish some day I will be as good as an author as you!!!!!!!!!!
-Clara ❤️
Thank you Clara – 10/10 is an awesome result. Don’t say anymore or my head might explode!! So glad you enjoyed the story because it took me ages to figure out how it should end…..writing is all about taking the time to think, you see. Which means anyone can write as long as they keep trying. So give it a go, Clara. You never know 🏆🏆😊
Hi Alys,
May Ling is one lucky sister because her brother is very nice and kind.Good she apologized or things would have got worst with Jiaya .
I also wonder where in Australia May Ling went to visit.I am glad to here that May Ling is friends again with Jiaya.
Thank you Thinara. You make some great comments. I think that May Ling studied in Adelaide. That’s because I once taught English in China. I was teaching primary school students who were hoping to come to Adelaide to continue their studies. I often used to wonder how their friends and families felt. I guess that’s why I wrote the story. Alys 🙂
Hi Alys,
This was a very emotional story.I loved that story. I understand the reason why her brother hid her notebook and shoes though because it would be kind of sad seeing your older sister go to another country.
Thanks Methuli
I agree Methuli, it is very emotional when someone you care for moves far away, especially to another country. That happened to me when I was in primary school. My best friend moved to France. We did try to keep in touch by writing letters though. 🙂 Alys
Hey Alys,
I loved that story. Once I accused my Mum of stealing my toy but she had not done it I just left at my Nan’s. The notebook was very sad,exciting and happy I am glad that May-ling got to go to high school in Australia. By the way I love all of your stories and poems.
Fleur
That’s nice to hear Fleur. Oh my goodness, isn’t it terrible when you accuse someone of something they didn’t do?! Makes you both feel soooo bad. I’m sure your mum forgave you though 🙂 Alys
I think story was great. It was really a mysterious story. I loved it.I thought someone else would steal her notebook and shoes not Ping. It was sad she lost her notebook and shoes but at least she found them. It was great May-Ling passed. I like this story. 👏🏼✍🏼👍
Thank you Japleen. I love that you describe the story as mysterious. And it’s good to know that as a writer I fooled you…I wanted to keep readers guessing as to who the real thief was. Great comments 🙂 Alys
Hi Alys
I felt so touched when so kept on losing some of her belongings, first her notebook then her shoes on the test day, at least nothing got worse after that though. When she got her results two weeks later, I was on the edge of my chair reading as fast as I can, and I had a rush of relief and joy for her to go to Australia
Thanks again for the excellent story Alys
Great comments Dinith. In 1995, I worked as an English teacher in China and my students were studying English to come to high school in Australia. So I guess I’m a little like the teacher in the story. It was hard to watch my students wait for their test results. They all studied so hard! And such a relief to hear that they had passed. Alys 🙂
Dear Alys,
This story was very emotional, it was also sad and there was a lot of love. I thought this story was a long story for a short story or just because of my age. I felt like there was a gap and you have to fill it with some more love/romance, If you don’t know what I mean I mean that you just need to add some more love to your great story.
Linuka
Great comments Linuka! I agree that it’s an emotional story. I was sad writing it because I could imagine how the little brother felt. 🙂 Alys
This story was absolutely amazing and I believe that it was one of your best. I understand the reason why her brother hid her notebook and shoes though because it would be kind of sad seeing your older sister go to another country. Also, this story is also quite emotional and has an excellent story line. I hope you write more stories like this in the future.
Hi Chomilka. Thank you for the lovely comments, and I will definitely try to write more stories like the Notebook Thief. When I was at primary school one of my best friends moved overseas and I have never forgotten how sad and angry it made me feel. But I never hid her shoes! Alys 🙂
this was a very emotional story, when I had to leave Sri Lanka I was sad to leave all my relatives behind but now I am happy since we can call or text them. it was a really good story so i give it an A+.
Thank you Mayumdi and I hope that you have found some good friends here in Australia. It is always sad leaving relatives behind. I am very pleased that you think my story worth an A+ 🙂