HOLD ON RUBY CLASS 7

Ruby loves skating but she does not like her younger sister, Harriet, tagging along. What happens when Ruby is in trouble? Read on to find out more.

I didn't say a word to her all the way to Harper's pond. When we got there, I turned to her and snapped, "Okay, I've brought you with me. That's what you wanted. Now go and skate but keep out of my way. Gosh, you are eight years old. You should be able to take care of yourself."

My sister stared up at me with those serious brown eyes of hers, now dark with hurt. Her lips quivered, but she did not cry. How I just did not like to be her baby sitter!

I left her fiddling clumsily with her skates and took off with a few powerful strokes. A line of girls swirled towards me on skates. They circled around me and came to a halt in a fine spray of powdered ice.

"Come on, Ruby," cried Elisabeth, "you lead."

"Okay," I shouted, "lay on."

While the others lined up behind me, I glanced back at Harriet, my sister. She was still standing where I had left her, her chubby face expressionless. She dug into one of the pockets of her jacket and popped a chocolate into her mouth. Why did she eat so much? No wonder she was fat! I felt ashamed of her.

We shot over the ice at full speed, swinging in and out of the low-hanging branches of the willow trees. We whirled in narrow sweeps around beginners on shaky legs, wind milling furiously, and then broke off in pairs and crossed over to the other side of the pond.

"Don't get too close to the sluice gate," cried Peggy- "The ice is weak there."

I did not pay attention. I was busy showing off my standard stunts, a few quick shifts, a jump and my skates touched the ice again.

"Great, Ruby," cried Jane as I swept backwards in a big loop, away from them to get ready for my speciality, an ice-scraping pirouette.

"Ruby, watch the sluice!"

I waved at Elisabeth like a celebrated film star, flashing a broad smile at her.

And then it happened. It happened so fast that I couldn't even cry out. With a crack, the ice under my feet gave way. I tumbled into the chilled water. I was drawn under and the water closed over me. Thrashing furiously, I surfaced and managed to scream, "Help!"

Eyes blind with fear, I looked over to where a few moments ago my friends had been swirling about. They were all leaving, Peggy, Jane and Elisabeth, my best friend, who had promised to be with me always.

"Run, the ice is breaking!" somebody shrieked.

"Ruby, Ruby! She's drowning!" came a cry of panic.

"Help," I screamed, "help!"

My water-soaked clothes were pulling me down. I struggled to keep my head above water clawing at the ice, but it kept breaking away. It was useless. I wouldn't make it! I was going to die. Then from deep inside me rose a cry that forced itself to my lips, "Mummy," I cried. "Mummy."

It was not my mother who answered but somebody big and heavy who worked her way over the ice. Pushing a branch ahead of her, she shouted, "Ruby, I'm coming."

It was Harriet, my little sister, Harriet! She crawled towards me faster than anyone would have ever thought she could. Stretching out on the ice, she inched forward till the branch was within my reach and I could see her taut face behind the tangle of twigs and branches.

"Grab it," she cried. "Grab it." In my despair, I grabbed the branch and held on to it for dear life. Treading water, I shouted, "Harriet, Harriet, you are too small. You can't get me out.

Get back."

My sister shook her head slowly, but with determination. Her face was ashen, her large eyes dark with fear. She was scared, I could see that. Yet she stayed on and pulled at the branch, her chubby fingers a pale pink against the dark brown stem. She pulled away with all her might, her face turned sideways, her lips compressed tight.

Around me, I could hear the ice breaking with the clinking of shattering glass. I watched the sharp cracks zigzagging towards where my sister lay sprawled flat on the ice. Water seeped in at various places and dark spots spread out menacingly. Oh God, we would not make it out of here.

"Harriet, Harriet!"

She looked at me, and yelled something, but I couldn't hear her. Her face tense with fright and determination, she tugged at the branch again and again. But it did not move an inch. The ice would give way under her weight and she would die in the water like me. Because of me!

"Harriet! Oh, Harriet!"

I struggled frantically in a bid to raise my head above ice level, trying to call out to her. I wanted to tell her so many things, wanted to tell her that I was sorry for having been so rude to her, so absolutely nasty, that I would try to make up for all the wrongs I had done her, that I would even let her ride my bike. I wanted to tell her that I loved her and did not want her to die. But all I could do was hold on to the branch and shriek, "Go back, Harriet, go back."

My sister shook her head. "I am not leaving," she whispered through clenched teeth. "Not without you. Come on, Ruby, come out. Try, oh, please try."

1 tried desperately to push myself up, then stopped. I knew if I tried any harder I would drag my sister too, down into the icy deep.

"It's no use, Harriet," I shrieked. "Get back, save yourself."

"No," muttered Harriet. "No, no, no."

Then suddenly somebody shouted from behind her, "Hold on, Ruby! Don't let go, Harriet!" Skating towards us at full speed was Will Webster, tall and strong.

"Don't panic," he shouted. "Don't panic."

A few feet away from Harriet he came to a halt and sprawled out on the ice.

"Move aside, Harriet. Let me take the branch. Slowly, girl, get back."

Pushing Harriet gently to the side, he grabbed the branch with both hands.

"Come on, Ruby. Come out, girl!" he shouted out to me. "We'll make it. Come on."

1 felt a powerful jerk, so strong that the branch almost slipped out of my hands, but I held on and pushed myself up. I thrashed my leaden legs, kicked, kicked and kicked, pressing hard against the ice. And slowly, I felt myself hauled forward and out of the deep, dark water. My chest thumped

over the ice. My chin knocked against it, my legs trailed behind me, numb and useless from the cold.

When I was able to lift my head,

I looked into the pale face of my sister. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered, "We made it. We made it!" She had made it, my little sister Harriet!

"Harriet! Oh, Harriet!"

A. Write True or False.

1.Harriet was ten years old. - False.

2.Jane was Ruby's best friend. - True.

3.Ruby's speciality in skating was the ice-scraping pirouette. - True.

4.Harriet did not leave her sister even when Ruby asked her to save herself. - True.

5.In the end, Harriet managed to pull Ruby out of the icy water. - True.

B. Work in pairs. Answer the questions with reference to the context.

1. "Don't get too close to the sluice gate."

a. Who said these words and to whom?

The words "Don't get too close to the sluice gate" were said by Peggy to Ruby and possibly the other skaters.

b. Why did the speaker warn the listener?

b. The speaker warned the listener to prevent them from getting too close to the sluice gate, as the ice near it might be weak and could potentially break, leading to someone falling into the water.

c. What happened when the listener did not heed the warning?

Ruby ignored the warning and got too close to the sluice gate. As a result, the ice broke beneath her, and she fell into the icy water.

2."you are too small. You can't get me out. Get back."

a. Who said these words and to whom?
Ruby said these words to her sister, Harriet.

b. What was the listener trying to do?
The listener, Harriet, was trying to rescue Ruby from the icy water.

c. What was the listener's response to the speaker's words?

Harriet didn't listen to Ruby and continued trying to help. she was determined to save her sister no matter what.

 

3. "Hold on, Rubyl Don't let go, Harriet!"

a. Who said these words?
The words "Hold on, Ruby! Don't let go, Harriet!" was said by Will Webster.

b. What did the speaker want Ruby to do?

The speaker wanted Ruby to grip tightly and not release whatever she was holding onto.

c. Why did the speaker ask Harriet not to let go?
The speaker asked Harriet not to let go so that she could keep providing support or help to Ruby and makes sure they could both work together to keep Ruby safe.

C. Answer these questions.

1. Why did Ruby and her sister go to Harper's pond?

Ruby and her sister went to Harper's pond to go skating.

2. Why did Ruby snap at her sister?

Ruby snapped at her sister because she didn't want her tagging along and felt annoyed about having to babysit her.

3. How do you know Ruby skated well?

Ruby skated well because she was able to perform standard stunts like quick shifts, jumps, and pirouettes on the ice.

4. What did Ruby see when she looked for her friends after the ice cracked?

Ruby looked for her friends after the ice cracked. She saw them leaving quickly, showing they were scared and trying to get away from the danger of the broken ice.

5. How did Harriet try to save Ruby?

Harriet tried to save Ruby by crawling towards her on the ice with a branch. She attempted to provide something for Ruby to grab onto and pull herself out of the water.

D. Think and answer.

1. "I am not leaving," she whispered through clenched teeth. "Not without you." Which aspect of Harriet's character do these lines reveal?
These lines reveal Harriet's unwavering loyalty and determination. They show that she is fiercely committed to staying by Ruby's side and refuses to leave her alone in a dangerous situation.

2. Ruby asked Harriet to go back and save herself. What does this tell us about Ruby?
Ruby's request for Harriet to go back and save herself demonstrates her concern for her sister's safety. It indicates that Ruby prioritizes Harriet's well-being over her own and recognizes the danger they are in.

3. Ruby's feelings about Harriet changed during the course of the lesson. What do you think brought about this change?

Ruby's feelings about Harriet changed during the lesson as they faced a life-threatening situation together. This experience likely made Ruby realize the depth of Harriet's love and bravery, leading to a shift in her perception of her sister from annoyance to appreciation and gratitude.