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| University Settlement's Writing Class of ESL Program at 175 Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10002 (212) 533-6306 |
| Front Page / ESL Program / About Us / Teachers / Students / English / Writing / Computer / Resources |
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| Welcome to Wen Fei Liang's Writing Page 5! |
| A Special Early Morning By Wen Fei Liang Contents |
| Last Friday night it was a fine day with a clear autumn sky and crisp air. I was tired and sleepy after I finished my daily activities. I usually go to the bed at 11PM but this evening I went to bed early. I seldom have dreams when I sleep, however this night I dreamed about a child. He was a little Chinese boy with dirty clothes on. He was crying while sitting on the floor. The dream was so vivid that I remember it clearly when I woke up. |
| When I was a child I growing up in Gaung Zhou, China, my babysitter used to say that to dream of children was a sure sign of trouble to come. Perhaps she was right. When I woke up at about 3:30 AM on Saturday morning outside my bedroom window was dark and quiet. Suddenly, I smelled smoke coming from outside the window. Immediately I got up from my bed, my feet bear, to look through the window. I saw smoke coming from across the street from an area outside the building next to Chinese fruit &vegetable store. On the left there was a big wooden shelf. I think that a careless smoker may have dropped a cigarette to the wooden shelf, a combustible thing that caught on fire. A gust of wind could have blown up the smoke to create a huge flame. I completely forgot my fears and rushed into the living and reached the phone. I dialed 911 a receptionist answered the phone. He asked me what language I spoke and if I need an interpreter. I didn’t want to waste time so I spoke English with confidence and said, “At the corner of Walker Street and Baxter Street, next to Chinese fruit & vegetable store and outside a building, there is a fire. Would you send some firefighters to put out the fire as soon as possible?” Then I proceeded to wake my mother up and told her what happened with the fire. |
| A few minutes later, I heard the wailing of fire engines whose sirens broke the early morning silent. I saw six fire trucks and firefighters head to the fire. They opened the fire hydrant and used the water to put out the flame in five minutes. To check the fire’s reach, they walked up to the top of the building, opened the basement and fruit store gate by using special tools, and made sure the fire was totally put out. An hour later fire trucks and firefighters had all vanished on the dark street. |
| I felt release that nobody was injured in the fire. I thank for God giving me strength to use my English in an emergency situation. I think I have done a good job. Because of this event I believe that if I dream about children I should take it as a sign of something, which will help me to avoid the unexpected when it happen! |
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