|
Last time on Starry
Love Dream! Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “My name is Melanie!
I’m 9 years old and I attend Grade 5 and I’m already working
to become a singer!” Hazel: “And I’m Hazel, her number
one fan!” Justin: “And I’m Justin, also
a number one fan.” Melanie: “Hey, guess what happened!
My debut single is airing on the radio!” Hazel: “Wow, Melanie, that’s
wonderful!” Justin: “That’s great, Melanie.
Now a lot of people are listening to your debut song.” Melanie: “I’m so happy! It’s so exciting! I never thought this would happen, but so many
people helped me and I finally got my debut song playing on the radio.
And a lot of people seem to like it!
It’s number one on the pop charts!” Hazel: “Aaaaaahhhhh! That’s so awesome! I feel like I’m going to faint!” Justin: “You sound like you’re
the one who sang that song, Hazel.” Hazel: “Oh, whatever. I’m just excited for Melanie!” Melanie: “Oh, one more thing.
Mr. King, my producer, said that it’s time to start planning
my first concert. It’ll be my
first public performance!” Hazel: “Cool, Melanie! You really are becoming a real singer now!
See, that’s what I told you before.
Even if you’re still a kid, you should try to follow your dream,
and that’s what you’re doing now. See? I
give good advice.” Melanie: “You certainly do.
Even though I did my best, some people didn’t like it.
But, still, most people liked it.
I know I can’t make everyone happy, but I know that I can do
my best to make most people happy.” Justin: “Congratulations, Melanie.
We’re very happy for you.” Melanie: “It’s time for Starry
Love Dream! I wonder what’s going
to happen next! Stay tuned!” Opening theme song “Starry Love Dream”
by Starry~en~Luv (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) A dream can’t just stay a dream in my mind It would just be a waste and I would be
in a bind No matter where and how far you have to
go You’ve got to chase your dream so much so Never ever lose sight of the love, of the
dream Let your dream flow like the never-ending
stream I know things are tough and it’s easy to
get sad But as long as we’re together, even if things
go bad I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dreamy love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream Hold my hand tight and always stay by my
side Let’s hold onto the dream as we go along
the ride Stay with me, my love, and don’t try to
look back If we lose our way, we’ll always try get
back on track There are so many obstacles to fight your
way through But as long as you believe, your dream will
come true Oh, my love, even if things don’t always
go right We have our love, our dream, never lose
our sight I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dream love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) Starry love dream, I love you! The Prologue Today was a rainy day and there were two
kids walking down the sidewalk towards the school. One of them was a taller boy and the other was
a shorter girl. They were walking
under a large umbrella that the boy was holding. Rachel
Flynn was walking with her big brother Jeffrey.
It was morning but since it was raining, they could not see the
sun. She was thinking about something
that had bothering her for the last several weeks now, all the way back
to near the end of the previous school year more than 2 months ago. “Jeffrey?”
Rachel started. Jeffrey
just kept looking ahead but he acknowledged her. “What, Rachel?” he said. Rachel
looked up at him with very curious eyes.
“Why do you hate Melanie Thompson?” Jeffrey
was surprised by that question. He
glanced down at Rachel. He was
speechless for a while as he thought about how he should answer the
question. He looked in front of him again. “I don’t hate her,” he answered. “Then
why do you always tell me to stay away from her?” asked Rachel. “Because
that’s what Mom and Dad told us to do.” Rachel
looked very puzzled. “Do they
hate her?” “I
think so.” “Why?” Jeffrey
glanced down at Rachel and he was a little speechless again. He thought about that again. “Because she’s the daughter of the Premiere
of the province and Mom and Dad said that he’s a corrupted leader. He’s a bad person.” “Oh. So they hate him?” Jeffrey
nodded to her. “Yes.” Rachel
tried to think about that again even though it was very hard to understand. “That’s why they hate Melanie’s dad?” “That’s
right,” said Jeffrey. “If
Dad became a bad person and people hated him, does that mean that people
will start to hate me, too?” she asked. Jeffrey
was startled by that. He looked
down at Rachel. “No, of course
not, they won’t hate you just because your dad did something wrong.” “Then
how come Mom and Dad hate Melanie?” Jeffrey
looked in front of him and he saw the school.
He was silent for a while as he thought about what Rachel was
saying. “I don’t know,” he said. Rachel
looked up and was even more puzzled.
She didn’t quite understand.
She sighed and she looked in front of her, seeing the school
as they approached it. “I think Melanie is really nice. I don’t hate her,” she said softly. “Is
that so?” Jeffrey said softly, but he did not look at her. “Yup,
and I think she’s a good person. I
want her to be my friend.” Rachel
smiled a little. Jeffrey
looked down at Rachel and he also smiled a little. “Is that so?” he said even more softly. Rachel’s smile became even brighter. Starry Love Dream Episode 16: Be
careful, people are always talking “Sorry. I don’t think I can go to school today. I feel sick,” said Anita
at the other end of the line looked annoyed.
“There you go! It’s always
because you always stay up so late every single night. That’s what happens.” “Sorry. Hey, tell me what homework the teacher gives
later, okay?” “Yeah,
yeah, I will. Don’t worry. Now go rest.
I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Okay. See you tomorrow,” said Both
of them hung up the phone. “Oh,
man, my head hurts! Why do I
have to get sick anyway?” She
opened her eyes and looked at her window.
It was raining outside. “Oh,
well. At least, I get to miss
school,” she said softly. There
was a knock on the door. “Hey,
“My
head hurts. I still have a fever,”
said “Oh. I have to take your temperature.” Julie came closer and she held a thermometer
in her hand. “Now, open your
mouth,” she asked. “Yup,
your fever is still a bit high. More
rest for you.” “Oh,
alright,” said “You
want some hot chicken soup? That
should make you feel a little better.” “Oh,
okay.” Julie
smiled and nodded. “I’ll have
it ready in a few minutes and I’ll bring it up here.”
She started for the bedroom door and was about to leave. “Mom,
can I ask you something?” Julie
looked back at “I
was wondering about Melanie Thompson, one of the kids in my school.” A
slightly more serious look appeared on Julie’s face. “What about her? She’s the daughter of the Ontario Premiere.” “Yeah,
I know. Did her father really
do all kinds of corrupt things?” “I’m
sure he did. The whole province
is missing millions of dollars. A
lot of people are saying that he took the money to make his family more
rich.” “What
does that have to do with Melanie?” Julie
was a little surprised and was not sure what to say. “Well…she’s his daughter.” Julie
looked speechless. “One
time, I saw her in the public library and I talked to her a little. I don’t know how she can be a bad person.
She was very, very nice to me.
She may be a little bit shy, but she’s very friendly at the same
time. I still don’t know why
anyone would think she’s a bad person just because they think her father
did something wrong.” Julie
looked down for a moment and sighed.
“I think I know what you mean.
I don’t really know anything about Melanie and your father and
I already made her look like a bad person.
That was wrong and I’m sorry.” Julie
smiled, too. “That’s good. I guess that means that she has some friends.
Oh, I better get your chicken soup.
Don’t go anywhere.” Julie left the bedroom to go to the kitchen. Martha Truong, Joanne Leighton, and Susan
Lockhart, three of Melanie’s classmates in Grade 5, were standing together
outside their classroom and they were talking.
At the same time, Melanie, Hazel, and Justin approached and were
about to enter the classroom. “Hi,
Melanie,” said Martha with a smile. “Hi,”
said Melanie. She smiled brightly,
sweetly, and cheerfully, as she walked into the classroom. Martha, Joanne, and Susan smiled at Hazel, too,
as she walked in and Hazel smiled back.
When they smiled at Justin, it was a different story. He just nodded to them calmly as he walked in. Martha,
Joanne, and Susan giggled together.
“That’s a really interesting trio of friends, don’t you think?”
said Joanne. “Yeah,
they are. Check it out. Just look at them. One is a sweet and gentle girl…one is an outgoing
and cheerful girl…and one is a cool and quiet boy. You’d think they wouldn’t get along, but they
do,” said Martha. “And
Melanie is a pretty good singer from that other day when we heard her
in the cafeteria,” said Susan. “Yeah,
maybe she should try becoming a singer.
Who knows?” said Joanne. Martha
was thinking about something, because she went quiet all of a sudden. Joanne and Susan noticed that and they both
looked at her. “Hey,
Martha, what are you thinking about?” asked Susan. “Oh,
I was just thinking about Starry~en~Luv’s voice,” said Martha. “What
about it?” Joanne asked. Martha
touched her chin like she was deep in thought.
“Don’t you think that Starry~en~Luv’s voice and Melanie’s voice
sound almost exactly the same?” Susan
and Joanne thought about that, too.
“Hey, you know what, I think you’re right,” said Joanne. “Yeah,
their voices do sound almost the same,” said Susan. “They
said Starry~en~Luv is an elementary school girl. So is Melanie. You don’t suppose…” The
three of them thought about it for a moment, looking like they’re lost
in thought. They all looked up
at each other at the same time and they shook her head. “Nah,
there’s no way,” they all said at the same time. Melanie knew about the fact that a few girls
have mentioned that her voice and Starry~en~Luv’s voice sound almost
exactly the same. It was a little
bit worrisome to her. She was
sitting at her desk and Justin and Hazel were sitting at either side
of her. “I
hope nobody starts thinking that I’m Starry~en~Luv,” said Melanie. “I mean, I am her, but nobody knows that.
I don’t want anyone to know yet.
It’s not the right time.” Hazel
shook her head and smiled. “Don’t
worry about it. It’s just a small
rumor anyway. It’s not like anyone’s
going to believe that you’re a famous idol pop singer.” Melanie
and Justin looked up at Hazel and they were puzzled. Hazel just realized that she sounded like she
was a little insulting. “Oops!” Hazel started to laugh uncomfortably. “I mean…That’s not what I meant. Please don’t take that the wrong way! I mean, nobody knows that it’s you. They’re not going to believe it’s you until
they really do see you. Come
on. People don’t usually believe that someone they
know is a famous celebrity until it becomes like really big news. That’s just the way it is.” Melanie
smiled and nodded. “Oh, okay. You’re right,” she said sweetly. “When I appear on TV or when I have my first
ever public concert, that’s when I want everyone to know that it really
is me.” “That
day will come soon,” said Justin. “Yeah,
and it’ll be awesome!” Hazel said excitedly. The
teacher walked into the classroom at the same time as Martha, Susan,
and Joanne. Everyone stopped
talking. Their Grade 5 teacher was a pretty young lady
named Harsha Patel, who was born in She
was not like Katrina Langley, who was their teacher last year in Grade
4. Miss Langley had a reputation of being a little
strict and even a little cold at times.
But Miss Patel was very different from that. It made Melanie feel comfortable. “Hello,
everyone, good morning!” said Miss Patel.
She had a bright smile. “Good
morning, Miss Patel!” said the entire class. “I
hope everyone is wide awake this morning.
Please don’t fall asleep in my class like some of you have already
done. No more video games at
Some
of the people in the class giggled.
Melanie and Hazel smiled at each other, thinking that this teacher
was very cool. Justin thought
the same thing but it was not something that he showed.
Miss Patel smiled at her students again. “Anyways,
it’s time to take attendance.” Joseph King’s secretary’s name was Laura
Tanner. She was speaking with
Melanie and her manager Christina that afternoon after school at Regal
Records. She was standing behind her desk and Melanie
and Christina were standing next to it. “So
that good news is that we now have a reservation with Melanie
and Christina were very happy to hear that.
“Oh, great, that’s perfect!” said Christina. “That’s
wonderful! Thank you so much,
Miss Tanner,” said Melanie. Miss
Tanner giggled softly. “Oh, no,
don’t thank me. It was nothing. I guess the next thing is to make the gigantic
billboard that is going to be just outside the concert area. It’ll have your face on it, Melanie,” she said
with a smile. “Not
her whole face, I hope,” said Christina.
“We still want to have a little bit of surprise for everyone. Even though they’re already in the concert waiting
for Starry~en~Luv to appear, we want them to still wonder who she is,
and that includes Melanie’s schoolmates.
They would be more familiar with Melanie than anyone else, so
we want that billboard to be done in such a way that even though it
has Melanie’s face on it, they still wouldn’t know that Melanie is Starry~en~Luv. They might wonder when they see it, but they
mustn’t be sure that it’s her until the very end, when Starry~en~Luv
appears on stage.” “Oh,
for sure, Miss Lane,” said Miss Tanner, who smiled. “The billboard won’t show her whole face.
It’ll be like a side view. And I think she’ll be in costume so she’ll look
even more different from her regular school girl self.” “Oh,
thank goodness,” said Christina, smiling down at Melanie. Melanie
was a little surprised and she gasped.
“Oh, my…” “I
hope that doesn’t make you nervous,” Christina said in a joking manner. “Oh,
no, of course not, but it’s just that…I’ve never been on a billboard
before.” Christina
and Miss Tanner laughed at that. “That’s
okay. Every singer has their
first time,” said Miss Tanner. “Right,
Christina?” “That’s
right,” said Christina. After
the short meeting, Melanie and Christina walked to the place where they
can wait for the elevator. Once
they were inside the elevator, Melanie leaned against the wall and sighed. As the elevator descended towards the first
floor, she closed her eyes and smiled. “What
are you thinking about, Melanie?” Christina asked. Melanie
looked up at her. “I was just
thinking how it’s all going to look like.
I’ll bet it’s going to be like one of the dream concerts I had.” “Dream
concerts?” “Yes. Sometimes, when I’m sleeping, I dream of singing
in a concert. I would have a
cool costume and there were these people behind me playing musical instruments.
And then I’d be singing on stage and my face is on the big screens
that everyone can see. And there’s like so many people in the audience.
And then you have all these pretty special effects, like sparkling
diamond dust.” Christina
smiled. Melanie had such a pretty
imagination. “We’re going to
make that come true, Melanie. It’s
going to be great.” Melanie
smiled brightly and she nodded. They
both left the elevator and left the building through the front doors. As
Melanie and her manager left the building through the front, Christina
noticed someone standing some distance away.
She was puzzled. She looked
at the man who was standing there. He
was smoking a cigarette and he was looking straight at her and Melanie. The sun began to peek through the dark clouds
in the sky since the rain had stopped a little while ago. He put on his sunglasses. “Melanie,
let’s walk quickly to my car,” said Christina, who took Melanie by her
hand. “Huh? Why quickly?” asked Melanie. Christina
didn’t say anything. The two
of them walked quickly towards the parking lot.
Christina looked back and saw the man starting to walk towards
them. They went to the parking
lot and to Christina’s car. The
two of them got inside. Christina
started the engine. Melanie
was looking at her with a puzzled face. “Did
something happen?” asked Melanie. Christina
looked at Melanie. “Hopefully
not,” she said. She
pulled out of the parking lot a little more quickly than usual. Once the car was on the road, she sighed with
relief. She did not see the man
in her rearview mirror. While in the car, Melanie wore earphones
as she listened to a music CD in her portable CD player, which was on
her lap. She had her eyes closed
but she was not sleeping. She
was smiling and humming with her eyes closed. “I’ll
take you home, Melanie,” said Christina. Melanie
removed one of the earphones. “We’re
not going to eat out?” They
were planning to eat at a restaurant.
Christina had been quiet the whole time since they left Regal
Records until now. Christina
glanced at Melanie. “I’m sorry,
Melanie. We probably shouldn’t
today. But I’ll make it up to
you tomorrow or the day after.” Melanie
smiled at her and nodded. “It’s
no problem. That’s okay. Anytime is okay.” Christina
smiled, too. “Thanks, Melanie.” She was about to put her eyes back on the road
in front of her when she noticed something in her rearview mirror. It was a car that looked quite familiar. She lost her smile quickly and it was replaced
by a serious expression. She
looked behind her and confirmed something that was already in her mind. Melanie
noticed Christina’s sudden change in mood, too.
“What’s going on?” Christina
didn’t respond yet. She started
to speed up the car and Melanie noticed that and she held onto her seat. Melanie looked behind her and saw a red car.
Judging by the way Christina was acting, Melanie made an assumption. “Is
someone following us? That’s
a little scary, I think,” said Melanie. Christina
probably shouldn’t hide the truth, but she hesitated. “Yes, Melanie, someone is definitely following
us.” Melanie
gasped. “Why? Who is it?” she asked. “Alex
Rowe.” “Who’s
that?” “He’s
a photographer that works on his own.
His job is to take pictures of celebrities and sell those pictures
to the tabloid magazines, or anyone else who’s willing to pay for them. Basically, he stalks famous people, like actors,
actresses, singers, you name it. I
think he wants to take some snapshots of you and sell them to some tabloid
magazine.” Melanie
began to look a little scared. “He
does that? That’s kind of scary! What if he takes pictures of me? I mean, if anyone takes pictures of me for a
magazine, now’s not the time to do it, because everyone will find out
that I’m the singer Starry~en~Luv!” “That’s
right. And that’s why we have
to keep away from him,” said Christina.
“Let’s go to the highway.” Melanie
hesitated and then she nodded. “Okay,”
she said softly but nervously. “But
how was he able to find us like this?
Nobody knows that I’m Starry~en~Luv.” Christina
took a deep breath, trying to relax herself.
“He knows what I look like. He
may have heard about you and then decided that you would make a good
target. And then, all he has to do is find out who her
manager is, and that’s me. All
he had to do, I’m sure, was to look for me, and by looking for me, he
was able to find you. He probably
didn’t know what you looked like until earlier in the parking lot when
I saw him there. If his target is a little girl pop singer, then
it must be the little girl who’s hanging around with me while I’m at
Regal Records. It’s pretty logical
for him to think that.” The
red car driven by the photographer Alex Rowe accelerated as it followed
Christina’s car, carrying the new young pop sensation Starry~en~Luv. Christina turned her car onto a ramp that circled
around and led onto a highway. Mr.
Rowe did his best to follow them. “Taking
pictures of celebrities in their most embarrassing or most secret moments,
that’s what he’s paid to do,” said Christina.
“What he also does is use his pictures to destroy the careers
of famous people. Basically,
he’s one of those people who try to find some juicy gossip about famous
people, he take pictures of them as proof, and sell them to tabloid
magazines.” Melanie
looked up at Christina with a worried face.
“We have to get away from him.” “That’s
what we’re going to try to do. You’re
Melanie Thompson and pictures of you have been on the newspaper before
because of your Premiere father. Once
he takes pictures of Starry~en~Luv, people will find out who Starry~en~Luv
really is. We can’t let that
happen.” Christina’s
car sped down the highway fast, and it was only getting faster. Mr. Rowe’s car turned onto the highway and began
to follow again on hot pursuit. The
dark clouds in the sky began to cover the sun again and after a few
minutes, rain began to pour down again.
Christina turned on the windshield wipers but she could not slow
down her car. If she slowed down,
Mr. Rowe would catch up to them. No
one said anything in Christina’s car.
The only thing they could hear was the highway outside and the
sound of water being splashed around by car tires.
Christina stayed as calm as possible but she was also very serious. Melanie looked worried but she tried to keep
herself calm. But deep inside…she
was very, very scared. Her hands
were trembling slightly as she clasped them together on her lap. Christina
looked at the rearview mirror. The
red car seemed very far away. “We’re
getting off this highway now,” she said. Melanie
looked up at her and she nodded. At
the next highway exit, they turned off the highway and began to circle
around to a major city street. Once
they got to the city street, Christina looked behind her and saw that
Mr. Rowe’s car was not there. Christina
smiled. “Hey, it looks like we
lost him.” She began to drive
more casually. Melanie
sighed with relief. “Oh, that’s
good. What a scary person. I really hope that I don’t see him again.” “Are
you okay, Melanie?” Christina asked. Melanie
looked up at her and she nodded. “I’m
fine. It’s scary, but I’ll be
fine.” The
rain was pouring gently. It was
not a heavy rain at all, but Christina kept her window wipers on for
a few more minutes. A
few minutes later, they stopped at a red light.
But what they did not know was that a few cars behind them and
to the right side, Mr. Rowe’s car stopped behind another car. The window on the driver’s seat rolled down.
There was a camera mounted on a stand between Mr. Rowe and the
door beside the driver’s seat. As the car in front of him moved forward some
more, he came closer and closer to the side of Christina’s car where
Melanie was sitting. Melanie
looked at the side mirror and saw the red car and a camera sticking
out of the driver’s seat. She
gasped. “Christina!” she cried out. Christina’s
eyes quickly went to the side mirror and saw Mr. Rowe getting ready
to take some pictures. In front
of her, the lights became green and she slammed on the accelerator hard. Christina’s car tires screeched as it shot forward. Mr.
Rowe gritted his teeth. “Ah,
damn!” he shouted. He quickly
turned the car to the next lane to avoid the cars in front of him and
he slammed on his accelerator as well. Christina
drove her car very fast down the street.
She hoped there were no police cars in the area so that she would
not get caught. If they did get
caught, Mr. Rowe would take those pictures and it would be another piece
of juicy gossip for the tabloids. The
story would be about a singer and her manager being stopped by police
for over-speeding. “Be
careful, Christina!” Melanie cried out. Some
distance in front of them, there was a railroad track crossing the street. Red lights began flashing and bells started
to ring because a train was coming soon.
In a few seconds, a couple of bars would come down to stop traffic. Traffic began to slow down. “A
train is coming…” Melanie said softly. Christina
stepped on the gas and she drove faster!
The car drove fast across the railroad tracks just as the bars
came down. They went right under
the bars as they came down but the bars missed them completely. Christina’s car sped away at the other side
of the railroad tracks. The bars
came down completely. Mr. Rowe
had to hit the brakes and his car tires screeched loudly as it came
to a dead stop. If he hadn’t done that, he would have been involved
in a messy accident. Mr.
Rowe came out of his car just as the train started passing by in front
of him. “Damn…”
he said softly. “They got away.” Mr.
Rowe thought of something suddenly.
He remembered what that little girl’s face looked like. He thought back to earlier when He
went inside his car again and found the newspaper and he looked through
it. He was looking for something
that he had seen before, because he thought Starry~en~Luv’s face looked
somewhat familiar. Then he saw
a story about Premiere Mark Thompson and his family.
There was a picture of him and his wife and his daughter, Melanie
Thompson. “I
see. So this little girl must
be the Premiere’s daughter. She
sure does look like her…” Mr. Rowe whispered to himself. Christina looked behind her and saw the
train passing by. She turned
onto another street and continued to drive.
She sighed and shook her head. “Why
do I have to do all that just to try to lose him? He’s a really persistent guy, but we lost him
now. He’s gone,” she said. She glanced over at Melanie. “Hey, Melanie, you okay?” Melanie’s
heart was pounding and she sighed and her hands went to her heart. She glanced over at Christina with a scared
face but she was calming down. “I’m
okay,” she said softly. “Are
you sure? I’m so sorry that you
had to experience that.” Melanie
waited for a few more moments as her heart began to calm itself. “Please don’t say sorry. I think…that’s probably what I have to deal
with, too, because I’m a singer now.
I’m turning into an idol pop star.
All famous singers have scary photographers chasing them.” Christina
smiled and nodded. “Unfortunately,
that’s true.” Melanie
smiled, too. “I won’t let that
get me down. I have to follow
my dream.” “I’m
taking you home now. I’ll take
you near Mr. Wilkins’ house, and then you can just cross the street
to your house. I don’t want your grandmother seeing me.” “Thank
you so much,” said Melanie. Christina
drove the car the rest of the way to Melanie’s neighborhood. The next day was Saturday. In the late morning, just outside Hazel’s house,
Melanie, Hazel, and Justin were spending time together. Hazel
was dribbling the ball. “Hey,
I’m very good in P.E. class, you know, so you better watch out,” she
said with a proud smile to Justin. Justin
calmly smiled, but it was a very small smile.
“I know you are. But don’t
forget that I’m just as good as you,” he said. Hazel
tried to go around Justin with the ball but Justin blocked her. Hazel tried to go another way towards the basket
but Justin suddenly stole the ball from her when she was dribbling it
and Hazel was surprised. “What!”
She was even more surprised when Justin jumped towards the basket and
did a very cool-looking slam dunk. Justin
landed on the ground and pushed back his hair.
He looked very cool. While
Melanie was watching, she thought he saw pastel colors, rose petals,
and sparkles behind him. Then
she shook her head to try to get rid of that image. “That
was good, Justin!” said Melanie. “Thanks,”
Justin responded. Hazel
approached the two of them. “Justin
can beat all the boys in P.E. class in any sport.” Melanie
smiled. “I know. That’s really cool.” “But
among the girls, I’m the best!” said Hazel.
“Even Justin would have trouble getting past me sometimes. I can beat some of the boys in basketball.” Melanie
giggled and Justin smiled slightly.
“Yeah, I’m sure you could.” Hazel
looked at her suspiciously. “Hey,
you don’t believe me.” Melanie
was startled and laughed in a way that suggested she was embarrassed
or uncomfortable. “No, I do believe
you. We’re in the same P.E. class
so I should know that, right?” “Hmmm,
I guess you’re right,” said Hazel and she started to laugh and Melanie
giggled. Unknown
to the four children, especially Melanie, a red car stopped some distance
away. It stopped a few houses
away but the driver could see them quite clearly.
Alex Rowe rolled down the window.
He had a camera sitting on his lap and it was ready to be used
any second. He looked at his
notebook which had some valuable information and he smiled. “The
rumor that Starry~en~Luv is actually Premiere Thompson’s daughter is
going to become reality soon,” he whispered. He
looked up and saw something that puzzled him.
There was another car parked ahead of him, a few houses away. That other car was closer than where Starry~en~Luv
was. There was a man there who
was carrying some heavy black bags.
There were several black bags so he was having trouble carrying
them. But there was something
familiar about the man’s face. Mr.
Rowe was puzzled and he looked at a newspaper that was on the passenger
seat beside him. It was the same
newspaper he used before to find out why Starry~en~Luv’s faced looked
familiar to him. He found a different news story with some pictures
of a man on it. “Ah,
so that’s why you look familiar, mister,” said Mr. Rowe. “This might be just as big a story as Melanie
Thompson being Starry~en~Luv.” A
basketball rolled across the street and stopped at the stranger’s feet
and he looked down. He looked
up again. A young boy was approaching him quickly. “Sorry
about that, sir. The ball rolled
away,” said Justin. Hazel and
Melanie began to follow him but stayed slightly behind. The
stranger smiled and shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it. Go
ahead, take it,” he said and Justin nodded and he took the basketball
from the ground. “Thanks,”
said Justin. The
stranger nodded and he continued trying to carry the bags to his car. But he dropped a couple of bags because he was
carrying too many of them. He
seemed a little frustrated and he also looked like he was in some kind
of hurry. “Do
you need help?” asked Justin, just as Melanie and Hazel joined him. In
the red car, Mr. Rowe was surprised.
“This is good. This is
really good.” He got his camera
ready and began to take pictures. The
stranger looked up again and hesitated, but then he smiled again. “Sure. Why
don’t you kids take one bag each and help me put them in my car?
I’d really appreciate that.” Hazel
smiled. “Sure, no problem,” she
said cheerfully. “Okay. I’ll be glad to help,” said Melanie. Melanie,
Hazel, and Justin picked up one bag each that had fallen to the ground. The man took the rest of them and then used
a key to open the trunk of his car.
He began to place the black bags inside.
Melanie and her friends put the bags inside the car as well. The stranger closed the trunk and looked at
his watch. “Thanks
a lot, kids! I really appreciate
it. I have to get out of here
now. I have to get somewhere really quickly,” said
the stranger. “You’re
welcome,” said Justin. The
stranger nodded and quickly went to his car and entered it. Then he started to drive away rather quickly.
Melanie, Hazel, and Justin stared at the car for a few seconds
and then they went back to Hazel’s property with their basketball. In
the red car, Mr. Rowe smiled with satisfaction. “This
is perfect. But how do I convince
the client to accept these pictures?
He likes controversial stuff, but this…is probably a little too
controversial. But that’s a problem for another day.” He
started the car and began to drive away. Justin
turned around and saw the red car drive away.
He was puzzled for a second, because of the odd way that it just
drove away, some if its tires screeching.
But he disregarded it when the car was gone and he rejoined Melanie
and Hazel. That night, Melanie took out a book from
the bookshelf that was in the living room.
It was a volume of an encyclopedia for kids. Grandma Annabelle was on the couch watching
the early evening news and knitting a sweater at the same time. “Police
are investigating another 3 robberies in the Thornhill area. The infamous Shadow Burglar has struck again.
Just earlier this morning, 3 houses, all of them side-by-side,
were robbed while their occupants were not at home.
He’s living up to his reputation as the Shadow Burglar, entering,
robbing, and leaving houses without any evidence of his being there
except for a business card.” Grandma
looked up and watched the television news report. Melanie looked up as well because she was curious.
Where they were living was the Thornhill area. “That
man is the one who robbed the three houses in our neighborhood,” said
Grandma. Melanie
was a little startled. “He did? I didn’t even know about it.” “That’s
why he’s called the Shadow Burglar.
He robs a house but there is no evidence that he did. But he taunts the police and the public and
his victims by leaving his business card.” “That’s
so cruel…” Melanie said softly. “And
the houses he robbed from earlier where near your friend Hazel’s house,
too.” Melanie
looked worried when she heard that.
“Oh, my goodness…” The
news report began to show a sketch of the man’s face. “Here is a sketch of the Shadow Burglar’s face
as it looked like when he robbed a house in the “So
that’s his face,” said Grandma. Melanie
gasped and dropped the book on the floor.
She was totally surprised as she stared at the sketch of the
man’s face on the television screen. Grandma
looked up at Melanie. “What,
Melanie?” “I’ve…I’ve
seen him before,” she said very softly. Grandma
was surprised. “You have? Where did you see him?” Melanie
came closer to the couch as she watched the news report on the television. “It was this morning, when I was at Hazel’s
house with Justin. There was
this man who was carrying some bags and he took them to his car.” Grandma
was even more surprised. “Is
that so? Melanie, we have to tell the police about that.
Maybe that might help them.” Melanie
still looked quite terrified. “But,
Grandma, what if they get mad at us?” Grandma
looked puzzled. “What do you
mean?” she asked. Melanie
cast her eyes down on the floor, as if she was scared of something. “When I was playing with Hazel and Justin, at
Hazel’s house, we…we helped him put his bags in his car…” “You
did what?!” Grandma shouted. “We
didn’t know it was him!” said Melanie. “Fool
of a child!” Grandma stood up
from the couch and slammed the sweater on the table.
“You and your friends helped a criminal get away after robbing
a house! Those bags that you
said he had probably had the items that he stole from the houses in
the area!” Melanie
was speechless and her hand was over her mouth with shock. She could not believe what had happened. It seemed like an innocent thing to do. They did not know that the man they helped earlier
was a thief. They did not know
that he was the infamous Shadow Burglar.
If they did, they probably would have run away into Hazel’s house
and called the police. But how
could they have known it was him? They
had never seen a sketch of his face before. But
Grandma was very furious anyway. “I
can’t believe this! You and your
friends Hazel Callaway and Justin Lagazo have done something very inexcusable! I am going to call their families right now
and tell them about this! I have
to speak with them and find out what we have to do about this kind of
situation! Go to your room, Melanie!” Melanie
was frightened as she quickly went to pick up the book from the floor. She quickly went up the stairs and into her
room. When Melanie closed her
door, she turned around and leaned on her door.
Her eyes were misty. “I’m
so sorry, Grandma! I didn’t know…”
she whispered. A couple of days later, Melanie, Hazel,
and Justin sat together in front of their school on the front steps. It was after school. Justin’s little sister Helen was with them and
she was sitting beside Justin and leaning on him. She looked quite tired. Hazel’s little brother was there as well and
he was sitting behind Hazel. Melanie,
Hazel, and Justin had a rough day at school.
Helen and Lawrence did not really understand it so they did not
have any reaction to it. But
for Melanie, Hazel, and Justin, the last 2 days has been really rough
on them. “How
could something like this happen anyway?
It’s so stupid!” said Hazel.
“We didn’t know that the guy we helped was some thief! That’s so unfair!” She was also quite annoyed. “Grandma
was so mad at me. She’s still
mad at me,” said Melanie. “People
are always looking for someone to blame.
It doesn’t matter who it is,” Justin said calmly. “My parents tried to calm your grandmother down
while she was on the phone but that didn’t do anything. When my parents talked to me, they were very
understanding. They knew that
we didn’t know he was actually a thief.” Hazel
sighed at that. “You’re lucky
to have good parents. My mother
was a little bit mad, too, but that was only the other day.
She’s okay now. She said
she’s not going to tell Dad about it, because she doesn’t want him to
worry or anything. But some neighbors
know about it and it sucks! The
neighbors are looking at me like I’m the criminal.” “They’re
doing the same thing to me. But
I choose to ignore them.” Melanie
looked really sad. “Grandma is
still mad at me. The neighbors
look at me like that, too. It’s
so…I don’t know what to think.” All
three of them were quiet for a while.
So were Helen and Lawrence. They
did not say anything. Hazel leaned
back and sighed. “Man, this sucks
so bad,” she said with frustration. A
boy who was one grade higher than them walked down the stairs and passed
them by. There was a little girl
with him who was in the lower grades.
It was Rachel and her big brother Jeffrey.
As they passed by Melanie, Hazel, and Justin, Rachel looked up
and stopped. Jeffrey stopped as well. “Hi,
Melanie,” said Rachel. Melanie
and her friends looked up at Rachel.
Melanie hesitated because Jeffrey was there. She felt a little nervous. “Hi, Rachel…” she said softly. “My
mom and dad said that you and your friends helped a thief.” Hazel
looked down. “Oh, God, here we
go again.” Justin
spoke up. “We didn’t know he
was a thief.” Jeffrey
did not say anything and just stared at Melanie for a while. Melanie
still felt very nervous. “I’m
so sorry,” she said. “We didn’t
know that we were helping a thief. There’s
no way we could have known something like that about a stranger. We just thought he was a stranger who needed
help,” she said. Rachel
smiled. “Oh, I see. I don’t think you’re a bad person.” Melanie
and her friends were a little surprised.
“Oh…thank you so much. That
really means a lot,” Melanie said to Rachel. “My
brother doesn’t think you’re a bad person either.” Jeffrey
was surprised and looked down at Rachel, but he did not know what to
say. He looked up at Melanie with a slightly nervous
look. “Oh,
okay,” said Melanie, and she smiled sweetly.
“Thank you.” Jeffrey
did not say anything to her and glanced down at his little sister. “Rachel, it’s time to go home,” he said to her. “Okay,”
said Rachel. She looked at Melanie
and waved at her. “See you tomorrow.” Rachel
and Jeffrey walked away and were on their way home. Melanie and her friends stayed at the front
steps of the school for a while longer. “What
are we going to do about this?” asked Hazel. “There’s
probably nothing we can do about what the adults believe,” said Justin. Melanie and Hazel looked at him with a bit of
awe. Justin always seemed to
say things that had a lot of wisdom. “What
can we do then?” asked Melanie. “What
we can do is be true to ourselves. We
didn’t know he was a thief so no one can say that we did something wrong. We have to remember that.” Melanie
and Hazel thought about that for a while.
“That’s hard to do, but I’ll try my best, Justin,” said Hazel. “Thank
you, Justin,” said Melanie. Little
Helen looked up at her big brother Justin and pulled on his sleeve. “What
is it, Helen?” asked Justin, as he put an arm around her. “I’m
hungry,” Helen said softly. Justin
smiled slightly. “Do you want
cookies? I have some here,” he
asked her. Helen
nodded, so Justin went into his lunch bag and gave Helen a small container
that had cookies inside. Helen
opened the container and she began to eat some cookies. Hazel
smiled as she watched Helen eat. “She’s
so cute. She’s so innocent, too. It’s like she doesn’t care about the world around
her. And she doesn’t have to.
The only things that she needs to care about are fun things and
food and sleep and things like that.” Melanie
smiled, too. “Maybe we should
be like that.” “That’s
probably a good idea. But don’t
let it get over your head. You
wouldn’t want to act like a Kindergartener,” said Justin. Melanie
and Hazel giggled at what Justin said.
It was a couple of hours after A
shadow appeared on the front door of the house, and then it moved away. Melanie
stirred in her bed and she opened her eyes halfway and then saw the
moon in her window. She turned
away from the window and she closed her eyes once again, covering herself
completely with her warm and soft blanket. A
pair of black boots appeared in the living room of the house! After
a few minutes, Melanie opened her eyes fully.
She felt some tingling in the back of neck. She had an uneasy feeling. She felt like there was something that was somehow
wrong, but she did not know exactly what it was. She
sat up in her bed slowly and she rubbed her eyes and she looked at the
moon again. It was very quiet
and very calm. But it seemed
too quiet somehow. She could
not push away the strange feeling that has been bothering her for the
last few minutes. She climbed out of her bed and straightened
her nightgown and she went to her door.
She hesitated at first, but then she opened her door slowly. She
looked outside but there was nothing out there in the hallway. The only light she saw was the little nightlight
that was on the wall near the floor.
She could see the opened door that led to Grandma’s bedroom. Melanie quietly slipped out of her room and
she passed by Grandma’s room. She
saw Grandma who was sleeping peacefully.
She thought about waking her up but decided against it because
she did not want to bother her. Melanie
went closer to the top of the stairs that led downstairs. She stood there for a minute just looking around
but she stayed close to the wall. There
was total silence. It was very
dim in the living room and she could barely see anything. But then, she saw a moving shadow on the wall
that appeared to be shaped like a person.
Her eyes went wide open and she stepped backwards slowly and
very quietly. There
was someone in the house! Melanie
went to the entrance to Grandma’s room.
Earlier, she did not want to wake her up because she might get
mad. But this time, it was very important to wake
her up. She went into Grandma’s
room and closed the door quietly. She
went to Grandma and shook her. “Grandma,
Grandma,” she whispered very softly. Grandma
stirred and opened her eyes halfway and she frowned. “Melanie…what are you doing?” she said softly. “Grandma,
I think there’s someone in the house.” Grandma’s
eyes went wide open. “What?” “There’s
someone in the house. I saw a
shadow in the living room and it was moving and it was shaped like a
person.” Melanie looked very frightened with her hands
clasped together at her heart. Grandma
sat up and got out of bed. “Call
the police, Melanie. Call them
right now.” “Yes,
Grandma,” said Melanie. She went
to the phone that was in Grandma’s room and she began to dial the emergency
number. The phone was a cordless phone. Grandma
put on a shawl and she opened the door of her bedroom slowly. She went down the hallway quietly and slowly
and she stood at the top of the stairs.
She saw the human shadow moving around.
There were soft sounds of someone moving. It sounded almost like someone was picking up
something and putting them into some bag. “911
Emergency,” said the operator on the phone. Melanie
spoke to the operator with a soft but frightened voice. “Um, hello, we need some help, please. There’s a stranger in our house. I think he’s trying to rob our house…” She talked to the operator, who asked her some
questions, and Melanie answered all of them. Grandma
watched the human shadow go into the kitchen.
She silently walked down the stairs and picked up an umbrella
that was near the front door. She
noticed that the front door was partially opened.
The thief must have entered through the front.
He has been in the kitchen for a few minutes now. Just
at the exact moment that the thief came out of the kitchen and into
the living room, Grandma turned on the light switch! The
thief looked up and saw Grandma. He
was dressed in black clothing. “Who
are you?! What are you doing
here?!” shouted Grandma, who was standing near the kitchen entrance. The thief was only a few feet away from her. The
thief just smiled and grabbed Grandma’s arm, making her drop the umbrella. Grandma gasped and she was a little afraid,
but the thief did not do anything to her except put a business card
into her hand and that puzzled Grandma very much. “Here’s
my business card. Let’s just
say that it’s a little something to spice things up,” said the thief
and he let go of her. Grandma
looked down at the business card. It
said, “You have been robbed by the Shadow Burglar, the greatest thief
in the world. Have a nice day!” The
Shadow Burglar began to laugh and he slowly walked towards the front
door of the house. He was holding
a black bag that contained items that he had stolen from Grandma’s house
that were valuable. Grandma turned
towards him. “It’s
time for me to go, fair lady,” said the thief. “Stop
right there!” shouted Grandma. “It’s
you!” shouted Melanie, who was standing at the top of the stairs. She was holding a big book in her hands. Grandma
was alarmed. The thief was also
alarmed and he looked up towards Melanie, but she was the last thing
that he saw. Melanie threw the book at him and it slammed
into his face and he fell backwards.
The thief hit his head on the wall and he slid to the floor,
unconscious. Melanie
gasped at what just happened. Grandma
quickly went to the thief and made sure that he was unconscious. “He’s
out cold! Good job, Melanie!”
shouted Grandma. She quickly
went to get some rope and began to tie up the man’s hands behind his
back as tightly as she could. Melanie
picked up the cordless phone from the floor at the top of the stairs
and she spoke to the operator. “Miss,
he’s out cold! We caught him!”
said Melanie. A
few minutes later, a police car with loud sirens stopped in front of
Melanie and Grandma’s house. Melanie
was standing outside in her nightgown and she felt cold because that
was all she wore. Two police
officers quickly got out of the car and she motioned them to come in. “Where
is he? Is everyone alright?”
asked one of the police officers as they went inside the house. Grandma
stood up from beside the thief that was lying unconscious on the floor. “Oh,
good, it’s the police! Thank
goodness you’re here. Here’s
the thief that you’ve been looking for.
The one who calls himself the Shadow Burglar,” said Grandma,
and she gave the man’s business card to the police officer. The
officer took the card and looked at it and he smiled. “I see. No one’s hurt?
He didn’t do anything to you?” he asked. “No,
we’re fine, sir.” Grandma stepped
away from the unconscious thief and Melanie stood beside her. “We’re fine.
We caught the thief.” “Was
he able to steal anything?” “He
tried to steal some items in his black bag, but we have everything. While he was out cold, I took the black bag
away from him.” The
other police officer stood over the man and put handcuffs on his hands
behind him. The thief began to
stir and he opened his eyes slightly. He
looked up at the officer. “Did
you have a nice nap?” said the police officer. The
thief looked up and was surprised. “No!
This can’t be! The police have caught me?” “That’s
right.” The two police officers
made him stand up. “You’re under
arrest.” The
police escorted him out of the house and towards their car. Since the police car’s lights were flashing,
it attracted some attention from the neighbors, who all came out of
their houses and watched what was happening. Melanie
and Grandma stood at the entrance of their house as they watched the
thief being taken away. One of
the police officers came back to them. “I
just wanted to ask you some more questions.
You two were very brave in taking down the thief by yourselves! I’m glad that you weren’t hurt! That was very dangerous,” said the officer.
“We’ve been looking for the Shadow Burglar for the last several
months. It looks like we’ve finally
caught him, thanks to you and your granddaughter.” Grandma
nodded. “We’re just glad that
he wasn’t able to do anything.” “Thank
you so much,” Melanie said to the officer. After
the police officers asked them more questions, they returned to their
car and they began to drive away. Some
of the neighbors talked to Grandma Annabelle and she explained to them
what had happened. They seemed
to be proud of her and Melanie for catching the thief.
After that, Melanie and Grandma went back into the house. What
an interesting night. But Melanie
was glad because it had a happy ending. The End (to be
continued) Ending theme song “Dream” by Starry~en~Luv Dream… Oh, make a wish upon a star (wish upon a
star) Oh, make your dream come true (your dream
come true) Dreaming a dream The quest for a wish might make you happy,
make you sad But in the end, it will all be worth it,
you will be glad! Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true Sing a song or write a story, anything you
want to do Whatever good thing your dream might just
be Never lose your hope, never lose your energy Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Go on a journey, you’ll go to many places
afar Always remember that I will stay and walk
with you And keep in your heart whatever it is you
want to do Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Just dream! Wake up from your comfortable and peaceful
sleep Remember the dream you had while you slept
deep Let the warm golden sunshine through your
window (sunshine through the window) The first thing to do is smile while you
hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And today, the most important thing that
you should do (you should do) Will be to come closer to making your dream
come true (make your dream come true) Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Look up at the night and watch for a shooting
star It’s a long and difficult road to get to
where you’re going No matter what happens, we should always
keep trying Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true Don’t be discouraged and always be true
to you Leave behind all the troubles that made
you cry The dream would only be a waste if we did
never try Dreaming a dream (Just dream) Just dream! Wake up from your comfortable and peaceful
sleep Remember the dream you had while you slept
deep Let the warm golden sunshine through your
window (sunshine through the window) The first thing to do is smile while you
hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And today, the most important thing that
you should do (you should do) Will be to come closer to making your dream
come true (make your dream come true) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star Just dream! Dreaming a dream, make your dream come true!
(Just dream) Dreaming a dream, make a wish upon a star
(Just dream) Dreaming a dream (dreaming a dream) Just dream! Preview for Next
Episode Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “Hello, everyone!” Hazel: “Hey, Melanie. The school is planning to start having a newsletter.
Don’t you think it would be a good idea if we joined them?” Melanie: “Oh! They’re making a school newsletter? I think that’s wonderful.” Justin: “Melanie, since you write
songs, you’re pretty good at writing.
You should join.” Hazel: “That’s a good idea.
What do you think, Melanie?” Melanie: “Sure! Why not? Let’s
join the newly formed newsletter committee of Hazel: “No, I think I want to
be one of the photographers. I
like taking pictures.” Justin: “What kind of pictures?” Hazel: “I want to take pictures
of school activities. Whenever
something happens at school, like a drama play or a sports event, I
want to be there taking the pictures.” Melanie: “I want to write about
advice, where other kids can write to me asking for help about all kinds
of things and then I’ll write the response on the newsletter. It’ll be giving advice to other kids. I think that’ll be fun.” Hazel: “Oh, cool, an advice column.
Why don’t you make it one of those kinds where the person they
write to is a secret person? Make up a name, and then be the advice giver.
People will wonder who the advice giver is, but it’ll be a secret.” Melanie: “That sounds really
romantic!” Justin: “Hey, good idea.” Hazel and Justin: “Next time
on Starry Love Dream!” Melanie: “Episode 17: Starry~en~Luv writes in our school newsletter?!” |
||
