by Lyla Lee
“Appa, it’s okay, I’ll save you!”
I shined my flashlight on the ghost’s face. She wailed and ran away.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Mindy,” Sally said. “You’re braver than all of us!”
The rest of the haunted house was pretty scary, but we all made it to the exit in one piece. By the end Dad was clinging on to me very tightly. I gave him a big hug.
“It’s okay, Appa. We’re done!”
The workers at the exit laughed and congratulated us as we came out of the house. One of them was the werewolf from the beginning of the haunted house.
“You have a really brave daughter!” he said to Dad.
“Sorry I yelled at you, Mr. Werewolf,” I said. “I was just trying to protect my dad.”
The werewolf gave me a toothy grin. “It happens every time, kid—don’t worry about it.”
He gave me a pat on the back and handed Sally, Martha, and me ghost-shaped stickers that said I SURVIVED THE HAUNTED HOUSE!
“Yay!” I said. “I love stickers!” This was a really fun Halloween!
We met up with everyone else at the line for the Ferris wheel.
“Did y’all have fun?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“Yup!” Sally said. “Mindy protected us from everybody. She’s really brave!”
“Nah, I was scared too!” I said. “But I don’t think haunted houses are as scary as giving speeches.”
Everyone laughed, but I was serious! I could handle witches and scary ghosts and werewolves all right, but my speech on Monday was going to be the scariest monster of them all!
Chapter 10
The day after Halloween was Sunday, the day before the class-president election. I spent all day practicing my speech and going grocery shopping with Dad. We bought snacks at the Korean supermarket so I could bring them to school on Monday.
“I checked with Mr. Brady last week, and he said no one in your class is allergic to the snacks we got today,” Dad said as he tucked me into bed. “So you’re all set for tomorrow!”
I pulled my blanket over my head.
“Appa, I don’t think I should go to school tomorrow,” I said. “My tummy feels weird.”
Dad frowned and placed his hand on my forehead. He then gave me a gentle tummy rub.
“Oh, Mindy. You’re just nervous, that’s all,” said Dad. “It’s totally okay to be scared. But just think about how brave you were at the haunted house yesterday. I’m still so amazed by what happened!”
“I just wanted to make sure you and Sally were safe,” I replied. “And besides, I knew everything in the house wasn’t real. Fake stuff can’t hurt us. Not like real things can.”
“That’s true,” Dad said. “Well, you were awesome at the haunted house, and I’m sure you’ll be great with your speech tomorrow as well. You practiced so much!”
Thinking about my speech made the funny feeling in my belly worse. I grabbed Mr. Toe Beans, my corgi stuffed doll, and held him tightly.
“Appa, can you read me a bedtime story?”
“Sure, honey. Which story do you want me to read today?”
Dad pulled out one of my favorite books from my bookshelf. It’s a collection of fun Korean folk tales that Mom and Dad bought for me the last time we visited Korea. I’ve already read the stories a whole bunch of times with Dad, but they’re still fun!
“How about the one with the persimmon and the tiger?” I asked.
“Sure!” Dad said. He started reading me the story.
“The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon” is one of my favorite stories. It’s about how a mom tricks a tiger into thinking that a dried persimmon—a yummy Korean snack—is scary, so the tiger doesn’t eat her family.
“Why did the tiger think the persimmon was scary?” Even though I already knew the answer, I like how Dad always answers my question.
“Well, it’s because whenever the lady mentioned the dried persimmon, her baby stopped crying. So the tiger thought that the persimmon must be really scary, scary enough to make babies stop crying!”
I giggled. The tiger was so silly!
Dad then read my favorite story in the entire book, “Fire Dogs.” “Fire Dogs” is about the king of darkness ordering his dogs to go fetch the sun and the moon so that the people in his kingdom can have light.
“ ‘The sun was too hot, even for a fire dog, so the poor dogs couldn’t hold on to the sun for very long,’ ” Dad read. “ ‘And the moon was too cold… it nearly froze their mouths!’ So that’s the story that our ancestors told to explain why eclipses happen throughout the year. It’s just the fire dogs trying to fetch!”
“Aw,” I said. “I feel bad for the fire dogs. They’re just trying to be good boys!”
By then I was pretty sleepy. My eyes were drooping as Dad said, “Good night, Mindy!”
He closed the door behind him, and I gave Mr. Toe Beans a big hug.
I fell asleep dreaming of tigers running away from persimmons, and fire dogs trying to grab the sun.
Chapter 11
On Monday morning I got dressed in my best presidential outfit. It was a pink button-down shirt with long black pants. I wanted to look as responsible and grown-up as I possibly could! Finally, I put the VOTE! sticker that Mr. Brady had given me on the front of my shirt. I was ready for the class-president election!
When Dad came into my room, he whistled. “Looking sharp, Mindy! Very grown-up, too.”
I looked at myself in the mirror. Mom had bought the pants for me when we lived in California, and they were getting too short now. I kept growing! One of these days I’d be too big for all the clothes that Mom had bought me.
The thought made me sad, so I turned to Dad.
“I’m hungry! What’s for breakfast?”
“Well, since today’s a special day, I made you pancakes with chocolate chips, just the way you like them. Along with some eggs and orange juice. It’s a breakfast worthy of a president for sure!”
“Hooray!” I said.
Food always makes me happy, and Dad knew just exactly what to make to cheer me up.
After breakfast, Dad drove me to school. I spotted some kids from my class who were also running for president. I could tell because they all had VOTE! stickers like I did.
Dad parked the car in the school parking lot so he could help me unload my red wagon of yummy Korean snacks. We’d bought a bunch of Choco Pie, seaweed snacks, and Pepero!
“How are you feeling about everything?” Dad asked as we went toward the school building. He pulled the wagon behind him while we walked.
“I don’t know,” I said. I felt better about the election than I had last week, but I still had the funny feeling in my belly.
“Well, I’ll be crossing my fingers and toes for you, Mindy. Even my eyes!”
He crossed his eyes and made a silly face. I giggled. Dad is so funny.
We reached the front of the school. Dad gave me a hug before he left.
“Best of luck! Remember, no matter what happens, the most important thing is that you did your best.”
“Okay, thanks, Appa.”
Dad left, and I dragged my wagon of snacks through the front doors. As I went, some of my classmates turned around to point at me.
“Hey, it’s the snack girl!” a kid said. His name was Peter, and he was one of Brandon’s friends.
“Is she running for class president?” asked his friend Stanley.
Even though they weren’t my friends, I waved hi to them on my way to Mr. Brady’s class. Maybe if I was nice to them, they’d vote for me instead of Brandon!
Inside, the classroom was set up a lot differently than normal. All the desks were pushed back to make room for a podium at the front. Behind the podium were the posters of everyone running for president. All of the posters were so colorful, including mine.
The other kids also brought things like stickers, postcards, and snacks.
Sally smiled at me when she saw my wagon.
“You brought an
entire wagon of snacks?” Sally asked. “That’s such a great idea! Good luck! You’re going to be amazing.”
“Thanks, Sally! You’re a good friend.”
“Good morning, Mindy,” said Mr. Brady. “Is that wagon of snacks for your campaign?”
“Yup!”
Mr. Brady clapped his hands together. “How creative! Please set it aside right here at the front of the classroom and go to your seat. We’ll get started soon.”
I did what Mr. Brady said. The first thing I saw when I sat at my seat was Mr. Snuffles. He was wearing a red-white-and-blue bow tie. He looked so handsome!
During the morning announcements, I counted the different names on the posters. There were four other kids running besides me. One was Priscilla, the girl who always asks questions. Then there was Brandon, the mean kid. The other two were Jose and Opal, who are both really quiet and sit at the back of our class. I’ve only talked to Opal a few times when I’ve needed to borrow a piece of paper, and she is really nice!
If I didn’t win, I’d be okay if anyone other than Brandon became class president.
“Okay, class,” said Mr. Brady after the announcements ended. “We have five really smart and talented individuals today who want your vote for the class-president election. I’m going to need all of you to be a good audience when they’re giving their speeches. Can you show them your absolute best audience behavior, just the way we practiced?”
Everyone nodded. We were all excited to hear the speeches!
“Okay, without further ado, I’ll introduce you to our first candidate: Mindy Kim! Please give her a round of applause! Mindy, you’re up. Step up to the podium!”
Oh no! I was first!
Everyone started clapping.
I gulped and walked around with my wagon of snacks, handing a snack to every kid before I went up to the podium.
Everyone said thanks except Brandon. He stuck his tongue out in a really mean way.
I was mad but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to make a bad impression as a presidential candidate!
When I was up at the podium, I took a deep breath and put on a brave face. I gripped both sides of the podium and set my shoulders straight, like Dad had told me to do when I was practicing.
It was time for me to give my speech!
Chapter 12
Hi,” I began. “My name is Mindy Kim, and I’m running for class president! I am eight years old.”
This was always the easy part, so I said it with no problem. I looked around the classroom and saw Sally quietly cheering me on.
I nodded at her and kept going. “The things that are most important to me are my friends and my family. I live with my dad and my dog, Theodore the Mutt! I am very responsible, caring, and friendly.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brandon laugh and whisper something into his friend’s ear. I gulped. My legs started shaking, but I kept going.
“As class president, I would make sure to be everyone’s friend. I like giving snacks, because snacks make everyone happy. And I want to make you happy too! So I will give everyone lots of snacks and make sure that everyone knows what’s happening in the classroom. I’m also going to do my best to help everybody.”
I was so nervous my face was hot, and my hands were really sweaty. But I was so close to being done!
“So, vote for me, Mindy Kim! Friends, kindness, and snacks for everyone!”
I bowed, and the class clapped. I was kind of dizzy, but I felt a whole lot better now that I was done.
When I sat down in my seat, Sally patted me on the back.
“You were great!” she said. “I’d vote for you even if you weren’t my friend!”
“Thanks, Sally!” I said.
“Great job, Mindy!” said Mr. Brady. “It’s not easy going first, but you did an amazing job. Next up is Brandon Paulson. Brandon, come on up!”
A lot of the boys in our class cheered.
Brandon pumped up a fist into the air and said, “Yes! Finally it’s my turn!”
Brandon was really good at speaking, and he didn’t look nervous at all. The more he spoke, the more his friends cheered. By the time he was finished, I was sad. It looked like he was going to win for sure.
“Don’t give up!” Sally said. “You never know who’ll win!”
I nodded. She was right.
The other three kids were really good too. I especially liked Priscilla’s speech, because she said she would help make our classroom be the very best it could ever be. Her poster had a picture of Mr. Snuffles on it, which I thought was really funny!
And then, finally, it was time to vote. Everyone wrote down their pick on a piece of paper and dropped it in the ballot box at the front of the room.
“I’ll announce the winners at the end of the school day,” said Mr. Brady. “But for now, it’s time for lunch!”
Lunch went by super slowly, and so did the rest of the school day. I ate and worked and played at recess like I normally did, but my mind was on the class-president election. I really wanted to win!
When it was time for the class-president announcement, Mr. Brady stood at the front of the class with a small piece of paper. The paper with the name of the winner!
“Okay, class,” Mr. Brady said. “Thank you for being patient. Everyone was so great. I’ve counted up the votes and will now announce the name of the class president. Everyone did such a good job, and I’m proud of everyone who ran. It was a close race!”
Finally it was the moment of truth!
Chapter 13
Everyone should be proud of themselves, including the people who didn’t run, but voted,” Mr. Brady continued. “You all made your vote count, just like your parents will hopefully do on Election Day tomorrow!”
“Just tell me I won already!” yelled Brandon.
Mr. Brady frowned. “Brandon, please calm down. Friends, what do we do when we want to talk?”
Everyone raised their hands.
“Yes, Priscilla?”
“We raise our hands!”
“Very good!”
Brandon grumbled and slumped into his seat. He was not being a good candidate!
“He’s such a big baby!” said Sally. “I really hope he doesn’t win.”
Mr. Brady waited until we all quieted down before clearing his throat.
“Okay, class. The next president of Room 303 of Wishbone Elementary for the 2020–2021 school year is…”
I held my breath and crossed my fingers and toes. I closed my eyes, too. I really hoped I would win!
“Priscilla Jones!”
Everyone cheered and clapped. I opened my eyes. I was sad that I didn’t win, but I was really glad that it wasn’t Brandon.
“Yay, Priscilla!” I said, joining the people cheering for her. Opal and Jose said yay too. We were all happy for her!
Priscilla is always the one who asks all the questions and makes sure she understands everything. She is really smart and nice, too! I hoped she would make our class great.
The only person who wasn’t cheering was Brandon. He looked really mad, and his face was red.
“No fair!” Brandon shouted. “There needs to be a recount. I deserved to win!”
“Brandon!” said Mr. Brady. “I am very disappointed in you. Please sit with me in the classroom during recess tomorrow.”
I cheered on the inside. Even though I hadn’t won the class-president election, I was still happy.
After school, Dad came to pick me up. Eunice usually picks me up, so I was surprised!
“I wanted to see how my presidential candidate did on her big day,” Dad explained. “Luckily, I’m between projects right now, so I could leave work early! How did the election go?”
“I didn’t win,” I said.
“Aw, I’m so sorry, Mindy,” replied Dad.
“It’s okay. Priscilla Jones won, and she’s really nice and smart. I’m glad she won!”
Theodore was in the car with us. He licked my face, like he wanted to
cheer me up.
“Tell you what,” Dad said. “Even though you didn’t win, I think you still deserve a prize for working so hard on your speech. You improved so much, and that’s a really big accomplishment! Why don’t we go get milkshakes on our way home?”
“Yay!” I yelled.
I love milkshakes! And I love spending time with Dad.
“You know, Mindy, I was just thinking,” Dad said on our way to the milkshake shop. “The things that you promised in your speech—being everyone’s friend, being nice to everybody, and giving out snacks—those are all things that you can do on a day-to-day basis. You don’t have to be the class president to do all three! So even though Priscilla is the class president, why don’t you try to help people and set a good example for everyone else in the class too?”
“Okay, that’s a great idea!”
As we sipped our mint-chocolate milkshakes, I knew Dad was right. And even though I hadn’t won, I was still really happy. I’d made a really good speech! I hadn’t forgotten my words! And someone really great was our class president.
Today was a good day.
Chapter 14
Priscilla is a really good president, just like I thought she’d be. She leads the class during the Pledge of Allegiance, is really fair when assigning classroom jobs, and does her best to help everyone too! Even though I’m still kind of sad that I didn’t win, I’m glad that the job went to the perfect person.
A week later there was a new kid in our class. Mr. Brady said her name was Lindsey and that she’d just moved here from Minnesota. She looked really shy. She didn’t know anyone and didn’t have any friends yet, just like I hadn’t when I was the new kid last year, in second grade.
During lunch, Lindsey sat alone. She looked really sad! I remembered what Dad had told me, and I decided to try to help.
“Hey!” I waved at her.
She pointed at herself, like she couldn’t believe I was talking to her.
