John. Orphan Boy

John had no name, no family, no home. He was the boy of orphan, and he lived on the streets of a big city. He survived by begging, stealing, and scavenging. He had no friends, no enemies, no dreams. He was the boy of orphan, and he existed in the shadows of a cruel world.

One day, he saw a poster on a wall. It was an advertisement for a school that was offering scholarships for talented children. It showed a picture of a teacher with a big smile and a blue tie. John felt something stir in his chest. He felt a curiosity, a longing, a hope. He wanted to go to school. He wanted to learn. He wanted to have a future.

He decided to apply for the scholarship when he found out where the school was. He waited until morning, and then he walked to the school with nothing but his clothes and his wits. He entered the building and asked for the principal. He said:

"Hello, sir. I'm the boy of orphan. I have no name, no family, no home. But I saw your poster and you offer scholarships for talented children. I want to go to school. I want to learn. I want to have a future. Can I take the test?"

The principal looked at him. He saw his dirty clothes, his ragged hair, his hungry eyes. He saw his determination, his intelligence, his potential. He felt something tug in his heart. He felt a pity, a compassion, a respect. He nodded.

"Hello, son. I'm the principal of school. I have a name, a family, a home. But I also have a poster and I offer scholarships for talented children. You want to go to school. You want to learn. You want to have a future. Of course you can take the test."

He took him to a classroom and gave him a paper and a pencil. He said:

"Here is the test. It has questions on math, science, history, and language. You have one hour to complete it. Do your best."

He left him alone and waited outside.

John looked at the test. He had never been to school before, but he had taught himself how to read and write by looking at books and newspapers he found on the streets. He had also learned how to count and calculate by watching people buy and sell things at the market. He had also picked up some facts and words from listening to people talk and sing on the radio.

He decided to try his best and answer as many questions as he could.

He started with math.

He solved problems on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

He moved on to science.

He answered questions on plants, animals, weather, and space.

He continued with history.

He identified dates, events, people, and places.

He finished with language.

He wrote sentences, paragraphs, stories, and poems.

He checked his answers and corrected his mistakes.

He looked at the clock and saw that he still had five minutes left.

He decided to write his name on the paper.

But he had no name.

He thought for a moment and then wrote:

John

He liked how it sounded.

He liked how it looked.

He smiled.

He handed in his paper and thanked the principal.

The principal looked at his paper and smiled back.

He said:

"John, you did very well on the test. You are very talented indeed."

He hugged him and said:

"Come with me. I'll take you to the school. I'll give you a name tag, a uniform, a backpack. You'll be the boy of school, and you'll live in the light of a wonderful world."