Abigail's Tale | Teen Ink

Abigail's Tale

July 10, 2012
By AmarUlHaque BRONZE, Karachi, Other
AmarUlHaque BRONZE, Karachi, Other
2 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken" - Oscar Wilde


Abigail was so furious that day that she would have thrown away the tray of cupcakes-kept on top of her dressing table-if they had not been her favourite. “Ah well! What if another of my evening’s lovely time got ruined because of scolding,” she thought,” It’s the same every time my father turns up at the house from work.” She got up and trotted towards the window. As she gazed out of it, she gasped at the beautiful horizon with azure blue sky, stream falling down a small hill and the meadows with some cows grazing the grass of the fluved ground and some nanny-goats being milked. She sighed and retreated solemnly and sat down in her cosy armchair. She persuaded her inner self, “Forget all that had just happened Abigail! It’s no time to think over pity matters. Let’s go for a hike.” She stood up once again, and advanced towards the door. She feebly turned the door-knob and opened the door with a screech. She gave a last grinning look to her messy bedroom and stepped out, closing the door with a loud thud. As she went downstairs she heard an old voice reciting something aloud and with a look of antipathy, she strode towards the main gate and appeared into St.29, Burkesville Society.
After some time, she reached the highest hill adjacent to a church. “Abigail! You must enter this place ‘at least’ once in your lifetime!” She scolded herself but then reprimanded herself from going, thinking that she was only thirteen and she had so many more years to live in which she can visit the church anytime she wanted to. She sat down on a litchened boulder and leaned against a willow tree. She then peered into her hands as if she was watching something new.
Abigail had always been a strange and different girl. She had no friends at school because her classmates thought her of someone odd and eccentric. She always had an obstinate demeanour. She never visited a church, nor was she accustomed to listening to her parents. Her room was in a sheer topsy-turvy. Her stubbornness ruled her house and this was the reason why her father used to scold her. But that day, something was specifically irking her that she was doing wrong.
“No! I can’t be wrong,” she convinced herself. But she was fed up of hearing advices and scowls of others. “I must give a second chance to myself. A chance to change myself.” She thought but then she imagined of a life full of rules to follow. “No!” she exclaimed, clenching her fists,” But there is a way. Yes. There is one…I must amalgamate what my parents ask me and what I think myself to do.” She simpered with glee and a smile full of malice spread on her puce lips. She dusted sand off her back and dashed back towards her house.
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“AND DAVID KILLED GOLIATH. SAUL THE KING WAS MUCH DELIGHTED WITH DAVID THAT HE MARRIED HIS DAUGHTER WITH HIM.”

















Abigail’s grandfather was reciting bible when Abigail interrupted, “Good Evening...Amm…Night!” she quickly changed her words as she glanced at the pendulum clock behind her grandfather’s chair which was showing half-past eight at night. Her grandfather looked at her, mesmerized and smiled. He was happy to see that Abigail had learnt some manners. On the other hand, Abigail was quite aloft. She had succeeded in winning her grandfather’s heart and had also sustained her habit of interrupting elders. “Sit down, Abigail,” her grandfather coughed and resumed his recital. Abigail sat there, listening to her grandfather’s deep voice. Later, she helped her mother in setting table for dinner. And even with some deliberate breaking of china and ceramic, she did not receive a piece of her mother’s mind. Instead, her mother kissed her as ‘piece-of-appreciation’, since her mother was totally awe-struck that Abigail had helped her.
The next day, at school, Ms. Patty was noting down attendance of Abigail’s class.

“Aberforth?” she chimed.






















“Present!” squeaked a boy from third row.














“Abigail?” she said in a dull voice. She knew Abigail was there but she would never respond to her call.


























“Amel…PRESENT!”

























Ms Patty was about to call name of Amelia when Abigail shouted to show her presence. Ms. Patty gave a shocked look to Abigail and continued the attendance session. Abigail was smirking. She had been successful in answering Ms. Patty, whilst she also shouted in the class-the thing she liked the most to do! At recess, although, she drank her cola in her usual way (that was slurping and gurgling) but still no one was annoyed with her. This was because she had purchased the cola without breaking the queue or pushing others aside.
Later, at evening, she turned the television on and switched to her favourite channel to watch the show she liked the most. Although, the T.V. lounge was filled with shrieks and lunatic laughs of ‘Hannah Montana” but her mother did not turn up. This was because she knew that Abigail had completed her homework.
As time passed, Abigail became more well-behaved, disciplined, punctual and soft-spoken. Although, she was just following others’ orders to find a way in which she could misbehave, but soon, she began to behave well even if she does not wanted to. Gradually, she gave up her habits of shouting, complaining, interrupting elders, spying on her classmates, and misbehaving with others. She started helping her mother in kitchen, and her grandfather with his gardening tasks. Initially, she had intentions to add wrong spices in the dish her mother was preparing and to shear down the hydrangea bushes (which were her grandfather’s most beloved plants); but later she began to enjoy helping her elders and became adept at these skills.
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A year passed and her result declaration day arrived. “Your child is remarkably extra-ordinary!” applauded Ms. Cattermole, showing Abigail’s parents her History examinations result. “I am very proud of her. She had scored A+ grade in my subject,” said Prof. Wilfred-the mathematics teacher- proudly.
In every subject she was studying at school, Abigail scored highest grades and received a ‘gold medal’. That day, she realized whatever her parents had been asking her to do was only for her own success. She could not resist blushing over the remarks her teachers kept on giving. She was very much contented with herself, ”Surely,” she said to herself in a low whisper, ”This life is the best!” she then promised herself to continue her efforts and thrive in same way, by working hard, respecting her elders and remembering her God; for a bright future.
********************
“Grandma! Grandma! I want to hear more!” a blonde boy pleaded her grandmother. “No Oswald! It’s too late now,” an elderly lady hummed. “Please, grandma!” begged a small girl with freckles. “No means no, Alice! Only one story every night. Now off you both go and sleep. Otherwise, no bedtime stories from tomorrow!” the elderly lady replied annoyingly. “Ok grandma, we are going,” Alice said, while Oswald yawned. Alice and Oswald hugged their grandmother and left the room.
The elderly lady stretched her flaky hand and pulled the drawer beside her bed. Then, she took something out from it. It was something round and it shone brightly when the lady brought it near one of the candles in the chandelier. She kissed that thing, and put it back into the drawer and blew the candles.
It was ten’o clock at night, and Abigail was snoring loudly. After all, she was never successful in overcoming her habit of snoring.


The author's comments:
The story which I have written is resembling to the life of my school Friend. This story is about a girl who discovers the 'real' happiness of life by following the orders of her elders and giving up bad habits. I hope this story will pave way for many teenagers to improve their habits and achieve ultimate success.

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