DR FIXIT (NEW VERSION)

 081 their eardrums. Instinctual was the popping sound with our lips. The idea was based around the belief such act would deaden the effects of the blast. With the chaos in the classes, the gates were locked as it was greatly feared the frogs and lizards might roam into the schoolyard from bogs to whisk away young ants learning the rudiments of survival in their wild environment. While the gates and towers were tightly manned by the sentries, we obediently followed every demand 082 made by our teachers.  With the din by the rain and the ensuing dimness, Mrs Bearit did refrain every child in her class from copying further what she wrote on the board, every character. We were asked to sing, clap and dance  till when the downpour would chance the class to resume its studies. We sang our favourite songs and our teacher clanged her small classroom bell along, her heels clicked across the floor and we jumped and wheeled 083 near our seats. One popular song we sang was how a tea...

 071 around our big football pitch and when we saw, we pinched a pupil near us and pointed at the door or window, whichever space was nearest, at the lad running around the pitch with a vest (it was the norm to take off your white top and run with your green shorts or skirt.) The class stopped copying what our teacher wrote on the board and we were giggling. Our giggles soared to Mrs Bearit and she turned, surveyed the class  and followed the gazes to the boy out on the grass. 072 Mrs Bearit distracted us. 'You'd join him too,' she said, 'if you don't do what I asked you to do.' Who ran around the pitch while lessons were on must have slept when being taught. We did turn our undivided attention to our teacher copying the vowels and consonants as rendered in Nseebeedee, the core alphabet of Antish. Who doesn't know them in Antburg is mulish. In Elementary Two, I worked with chalk and slate. If I made a mistake, I erased my work 073 with leaves. The teachers e...

 061 towards the wellbeing of the person and family. You're asked: 'Huka?' That is, 'How is your mommy?' and also: 'Husor?' How is your father? 'Ahka hukeh?' is the probe further to know where you are going. Done answering, the parting word is, 'Wara.' The uttering all over Antburg means, 'Goodbye.' Before I resume my narrative, let me try and explain some related words to the ones above. 'Ehka' is mother, 'husor' is father. I still point above: 062 the 'husor' and 'huka' with question marks make the sound, 'hu' mean 'how is (or) where is ...' If awake, in or out, in good health ... is the question  and if from a known person, the core option is to answer truthfully. Otherwise, use your head. Your parents would tell you, you're smart. I bet. Done with the greeting, I'd fill the bucket with water and wash my face, from forehead to chin and wipe it with a clean rag and pick the ch...

 051 our route into another tale and on her wagon I sat real cool like an heron  catwalking on the back of a cow for food or fun. Outside, the bough of a tree was creaked by the breeze. An owl hooted in the distance and a long hiss a cricket made. My grandma went on with her tale: 'Every army ant was a champion whose exploits the other beings would mention even in the remotest nook about our ambition 052 'quite tall in every sphere of life though our size is quite minute. Without wings, we did rise above the tallest trees and fall on all below like the paratroopers and everyone took to flight, the kite and the cobra. Even the lion succumbs to intimidation when we fight. Myriad of tongues wagged about our prowess in building tunnels and how in the downpour we channeled our goods safely to our storehouse. With oneness to every occasion we'd rouse. 053 'Humans copied us and stopped dwelling in the cave, built their homes and added features that would save their food. The...

 041 'when after his bath, he saw in the mirror  his beard was spotted with white hairs - what a horror! Did age creep on him by dusk? He stood and stared at his transformed image, all aghast and afraid. He vowed by the next day he would quadruple the speed of his wagon - indeed he would hurtle the vehicle along the boulevard to halt Mr Time and do all he wanted to do before his spine the weight of aging would bend and force him to borrow a third leg, the staff, and going dim 042 'might be his sight which would prompt him to wear glasses - a frail stature with loss of vim that he once had in excess scared the dude so much that sleeplessness all night did intrude his rest and he got up in the morning with anxiety and his robust frame was aching in strange points like he had boils deep in his muscles, they scared him so much he checked in to a health centre where a nurse examined him and eventually told him it was rheumatism . 043 'The dude flopped down on a bench and buried ...

 031 'But the celebrant couldn't avoid this: the dough in his wallet thinned and he thought of how more of it he could make so he slipped out to gamble, throwing the dice and on every tackle  and dribble of footballers, he picked and betted on the team that would kick in the winning ball. Waking from a hangover and stepping across on the floor a one-night lover, the shiny wagoner opened the door of his inherited mansion and saw 032 'his father's steward hand him a note which with bleary eyes he read and who wrote  the terse message was a lawyer   from the chamber his dear father chose to manage his entire estate: 'The farm is bankrupt .' Though somewhat late, the dude 's senses returned. He rushed and jumped into the wagon and right at his rump, the army ants tagged along. The stallions arrived the farm littered with empty gallons 033 'and drums. There was no farmhand in sight. Poverty puts old friends into flight . The shiny wagoner took off his shiny ...