Shanti wanted the wooden doll in Ramu‘s toy shop.“The one with the red dress,”she told her best friend, Jodi.
“How will you afford it?”Jodi asked.
Shanti smiled.“I asked my mom if I could make jasmine garlands (茉莉花环) and sell them at my aunt’s market stall (摊位).Want to do that, too?”
“Good idea!”said Jodi.
Early the next morning, the girls met at the jasmine bushes outside of Shanti‘s house. Beautiful white flowers surrounded them with fresh scent ( 香味 ). They picked the flowers and dropped them into a basket. Then the girls sat under a tree and knotted (捆扎) the flowers into garlands. Shanti could already see herself hugging that beautiful doll.
“If we sell enough garlands, we can each get a doll,”said Shanti.
Jodi shook her head.“My family is low on money this week. I’ll use my money to pay for Kiran‘s medicine.”Kiran was Jodi’s little brother.“Is he sick?”Shanti asked.“He is. But when he gets his medicine, he‘ll be fine.”Jodi picked up her garlands.“My mother is expecting me. I’ll meet you at the market.”
Shanti spent the afternoon selling garlands at her aunt‘s market stall. But where was Jodi? By early evening Shanti had sold all her flowers.
Shanti was on her way home when she saw Jodi heading to the market with her garlands.“Why are you so late?”Shanti asked.
“I had to watch Kiran while my mother did her work,”Jodi said.
“Why didn’t you take him with you?”Shanti said.
Jodi shook her head.“He‘s too sick to go out. He coughs and coughs.” Shanti knew Jodi wouldn’t make enough money for the medicine now.
The market would be closing soon.
Shanti looked at the money in her hand. It was supposed to be for the beautiful doll she‘d been dreaming of for so long. Then she looked at her friend’s tired face.“Here. Keep this for the medicine.”Shanti put her money into Jodi‘s hands.
That night, Shanti cried, thinking about the doll. What if someone bought it before she’d saved up enough again?
Paragraph 1:The next week, while Shanti and Jodi gathered flowers, Kiran came, too.
Paragraph 2:
Unfortunately, Ramu told Shanti someone had bought the doll.
