DR FIXIT (NEW VERSION)

 101 throughout Antburg. 'If you can read, write and form words correctly,' our teacher hit the chalkboard with her pointer, 'with all of these letters, then you'd not stumble or fall to look for a guide when passing through our towns for the signboards would tell you where the gowns, trousers, fruits, drinks and books are sold; they'd point to the one who works with gold, silver and bronze. You won't be robbed as you would know who has the vault, 102 'by quietly reading, to safeguard your cash. I can tell you too you won't throw your trash in the wrong bin if you master these letters and also the words they form. You 'd know "fetters" means the same thing as "chain". Is that clear?' 'Yes, ma,' we screamed. While she moved here and there checking and correcting what we wrote, the class became a hubbub. Almost all would gloat they did well for in Elementary One we'd learnt drawing strokes and curves with fun 103 and...

 091 a bar of wood or rod join to another squarely at the middle. The welder or carpenter placed the horizontal bar up and the vertical down. The bar at the top of the small case with its handle like an umbrella cut across at the middle. The letter was pronounced, 'Teh.' Mrs Bearit set a task like before for her pupils to do. We basked in our newly acquired confidence and pronounced, 'Teh.' Indolence 092 and as well as intelligence are masked, the instructors agreed, in a general task. The curriculum merged us together like domestics in an enclosure at night. When the day breaks, our true size and height would be ascertained but can real might be known in a balance and tape? Mrs Bearit knew these facts: the real could be fake at our age and so she was extremely patient with every one of us. Sometimes, she was lenient 093 to a fault. While the other teachers would've said the pupil was a fool, our teacher said she knew we enjoyed her class but when pressed we should ...

 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...