The Boy in the Attic

By Paul Yee
Reader 1: One spring morning in China, Kai-ming Wong and his
parents pulled on their best clothes and trekked to the nearby
hills.
b0
Reader 2: They wanted to pay final their final respects to their
ancestors before leaving their village forever.
All: Where were they heading?
Reader 3: A city far away.
Reader 4: A big city in North America
Reader 1: Full of glass towers and steel skyscrapers.
Reader 2: Seven-year-old Kai-ming had never seen the tombs of
his ancestors. Traditional rituals had been banned throughout the
country for many years now.
Reader 3: Waste of money! thundered newspaper headlines.
Reader 4: Foolish superstitions! blared the radio.
Reader 1: But they were going to pay their last respects anyway.
Reader 2: Such a long time since weve come up here! said
Ba.
Reader 3: Which one is the right one? wondered Ma.
Reader 4: Kai-ming followed his parents from one mound to
another. They had no idea which tomb was the right one.

Reader 1: Suddenly Ma gasped.

Reader 2: A butterfly
Reader 3 and 4: A rare black butterfly
Reader 1: Had landed on Kai-mings arm as he stood by a tomb
covered with grass and moss.
Reader 2: It must be a sign, said Ba.
Reader 3: The spirits have sent us a sign.
Reader 4: The Wong family sat beside the lonely tomb
Reader 1: The tomb of their ancestors.
Reader 2: And gazed out over the countryside they would never
see again. Then
All: a new city!
Reader 3: And an old, musty house
Reader 4: No jobs, no friends
Reader 1: Lots of loneliness.
Reader 2: Through his front window, Kai-ming watched the shiny
cars speed by and saw signs screaming strange words.
Reader 3: He didnt know what any of it meant.

Reader 4: Through his window he watched the children play

hockey.
All: But behind his house
Reader 1:
Reader 2:
Reader 3:
Reader 4:

Trees!
Shade!
The chirping of newborn birds!
Squirrels rustling among the leaves.

Reader 1: Kai-ming went outside and pretended to be a hunter

crawling through a dark, deep jungle.
Reader 2: He looked up towards his house and saw a small
window near the peak of the roof.
Reader 3: A dark window for an empty attic room.
All: And in the window was a face.
Reader 4: Kai-ming was no longer a hunter. He stood up and ran
to his house.
Reader 1: He ran up the stairs
Reader 2: And found the door of the attic.
All: Locked.
Reader 3: My eyes must have tricked me, though Kai-ming.
Reader 4: He stayed away from the back yard for a few days.
All: Too scary.

Reader 1: But then the trees and the birds called to him again.
Kai-ming went out to explore.
Reader 2: Again his eyes were drawn to the lonely attic window.
Reader 3: Again the face was there.
Reader 4: His heart jumped.
All: He ran!
Reader 1: He ran up the stairs!
Reader 2: And this time the door was open.
Reader 3: The room was large and surprisingly bright.
Reader 4: Dust particles danced happily on the beams of
sunlight.
Reader 1: In one corner was a rusty trunk and a stack of ancient
boxes.
All: But no one was in the room.
Reader 2: Kai-ming was still alone.
Reader 3: Days later, he went into the yard again.
Reader 4: And this time he looked right at the attic window.
Reader 1: And the face was there looking right back at him.
Reader 2: A boy! The face belonged to a boy about his own age.

Reader 3: Stay there, thought Kai-ming. Im coming!

Reader 4: He ran into the house and up the stairs.
All: And the boy was there.
Reader 1: He had corn-yellow hair, sky-blue eyes and apple red
cheeks.
Reader 2: He dressed in a way that he had never seen before
Reader 3: Suspenders, heavy boots, thick pants.
Reader 4: The boy began to speak, but none of the words made
any sense to Kai-ming.
Reader 1: Are you a ghost? whispered Kai-ming
Reader 2: The boys frowned. He didnt understand him.
Reader 3: And through the window flew a butterflya black
butterfly.
Reader 4: It landed on Kai-mings shoulder, close to his ear.
All: Could this be a sign?
Reader 1: Dont be afraid, said the boy. Dont go.
Reader 2: I understand you, said Kai-ming, his heart fluttering.
Reader 3: And I understand you! said the boy. Will you play
with me?

Reader 4: The boys went to the rusty trunk and opened it.
All: It was full of toys!
Reader 1: Wooden soldiers!
Reader 2: Toy horses!
Reader 3: Railway tracks!
Reader 4: Trains!
Reader 1: The summer days sped by as the boys laughed and
chased away the afternoons.
Reader 2: Kai-ming told no one about his special friend. He was
a secret.
Reader 3: A secret boy with a secret of his own.
Reader 4: Can I tell you something? said the boy.
Reader 1: I have a secret.
All: The boy told his story.
Reader 2: I had a mom and a dad and a little sister.
Reader 3: One day I made my baby sister cry and my mom sent
me to this room .
Reader 4: This lonely attic room
All: And locked me in.

Reader 1: I was mad and I wanted to scare her.

Reader 2: I opened the window and tried to climb down the
gutter
Reader 3: But I fell
Reader 4: Fell hard.

Reader 1: My mom cried when she found me.

Reader 2: My mom and my dad and my little sister had to leave

this house.
All: It reminded them of me.
Reader 3: They put my toys in this lonely room and they left. I
have been waiting here ever since
Reader 4: Kai-ming looked at the floor. He was sad for his new
friend.
Reader 1: Can you tell me your name?
Reader 2: I dont remember, whispered the boy.
Reader 3: That night, Ba had an announcement
Reader 4: I have found a job!
All: A good job!
Reader 1: We now have enough money that we can move away
from this old house.
Reader 2: But I like it here, cried Kai-ming
All: I dont want to leave!
Reader 3: But they had to move. Kai-ming had no choice.
Reader 4: Sadly, he went to find his friend in the attic.
Reader 1: He looked in the old, dusty room. The warm sunlight
streamed in.

Reader 2: The black butter fly fluttered from the shadows in the
corner and his friend came to him.
Reader 3: I know you are moving, he said.
All: Come with us!
Reader 4: Pleaded Kai-Ming
Reader 1: My toys are here
Reader 2: I belong here, said the boy.
Reader 3: Kai-ming tried to convince him, but the answer stayed
the same.
Reader 4: He slammed the door and ran downstairs.
Reader 1: Who needs friends anyway? thought Kai Ming
angrily.
Reader 2: He tried to watch TV and play video games
Reader 3: He tried to have fun, but it was not the same.
All: He needed a friend.
Reader 4: He went back to his friend in the attic.
Reader 1: Why wont you come with me? You like to play alone,
dont you? cried Kai-ming.
Reader 2: His friend sat quietly, working on a puzzle.

Reader 3: Do you see those trees outside the window? said

the boy.
Reader 4: Kai-ming looked outside the window and saw the
enormous maple trees stretching their limbs to the sky.
Reader 1: I was taller than those trees once, he said. They are
over eighty years old and I am still seven.
All: Life goes on without me.
Reader 2: You will grow up and forget about me.
Reader 3: I will never forget you! cried Kai-Ming. You are my
friend.
Reader 4: The two boys looked at each other.
Reader 1: See that butterfly? asked Kai-ming, pointing at the
mysterious creature as it sat resting on the windowsill.
Reader 2: I dont know why it is here, but I think that it brought
you to me.
Reader 3: The butterfly left the windowsill and landed on the
boys shoulder.
Reader 4: He gently took it onto his finger.
All: May you never be lonely. May you find yourself a new friend
to play with.
Reader 1: The boy stood quietly with the butterfly.

Reader 2: Kai-ming left the attic. He knew in his heart that he

would soon learn to speak English and that there would be many
friends for him in the future.
Reader 3: He lay down in the backyard, looking up at the living
trees shimmering in the wind.
Reader 4: The attic window was dark.
All: Life goes on, but he would always remember his friend.