PART 6

PIXIE’s Story: THE PAINS IN MY LIFE

characters

 

Pixie

  • Honest and truthful- tells her true feelings without pretending
  • Sensitive- does not like to be called “Pricilla”
  • Emotional- bursts into tears during argument

 

 

 

 

 

Sophie

  • Outgoing- often goes out for sleep-overs.

 

 

 

Hetty

 

  • Intelligent – gets good grades for her homework
  • Patient- she patiently goes over the mathematics questions

with Pixie

  • Kind- she does not mind helping Pixie with homework
  • Understanding and obedient- she follows her parents orders to

sleep wherever they ask her to.

 

Dad

  • Quiet- he keeps to himself
  • Indifferent- does not bother to interfere with the problems

others face in the family

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucy

 

  • Ø Understanding- tries to adapt and make things work
  • Ø Kind- she takes care of Pixie
  • Ø Responsible- She looks after the family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

synopsis

Pixie stays at her father’s place during

weekends fortnightly.  Her Stepmother is

Lucy she has two step sisters. They are Sophie

and Hetty. Dad promised her that she would

have a own room but Hetty and Sophie had a

terrible quarrel that it was decided that Hetty

moves out of her sister’s room into Pixie’s

room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pixie hates Hetty’s habits. Hetty drives her

mad. She hates the way Hetty cocks her head on

one side and fiddles with her hair, the way Hetty

sniffs when she reads and roll the cat over the

carpet like a sausage. Most of all she hates the

way Hetty teases her name- Priscilla.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hetty was good at Maths and has good

natural manners. She is also good with

animals. She gets “Excellent” written by her

teacher for her homework. Pixie thought of

ways to get her out of the room. Pixie

started to do things to show the room is haunted.

 

 

 

 

 

Pixie started to tell ghost stories about the room

but Hetty did not get scared. So Pixie tried to

disturb her by asking her maths questions. Hetty

went through each problem with Pixie- Pixie

wasn’t  even trying to listen but she must have

understood because on the next week she actually

got the comment as “Well done!” from her

teacher.

 

 

 

 

Next, Pixie tried the silent treatment to get

Hetty out of her room. Pixie had expected Hetty

to go back to Sophie’s room but Hetty went to

her mother and told her what was going on.

Lucy, her stepmother came to her room and

talked to her. They argued – each one of them

poured their hearts out. In the end they cried

their eyes out and hugged each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucy moved Hetty’s bed back into Sophie’s

room. Pixie is happy now- at least she is not

pretending any more and everyone knows how

she feels. Hetty no longer calls her ‘Pricilla’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pixie comes down more often and when she

needs help with her homework, Hetty helps her.

Hetty can explain things well. Pixie’s teacher

even said that if she keeps on like that, she might

get promoted to the next level.

 

 

In return, Pixie tells Hetty ghost stories. Hetty

likes to  listen to ghost stories.  After listening

to the stories, she goes back to her room.

Sometimes, when Sophie goes to sleep over at

a friend’s house, Hetty will sleep in Pixie’s room.

They drag the Hetty’s mattress into Pixie’s room.

Dad hears them giggling and suggests that

they leave the mattress on Pixie’s floor, but

they just ignore him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice A

 

Write short answers for the following.

 

  1. What is Pixie’s real name?

 

………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

  1. Which two sisters had a big quarrel?

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

  1. List all the things Hetty does that irritates Pixie?

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. What happened when Pixie gave Hetty the silent treatment?

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

  1. What was the outcome of Lucy’s talk with Pixie?

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

 

Answer

  1. Pricilla
  2. Hetty and Sophie
  3. The way Hetty cocks her head on one side and fiddles with her hair, the way Hetty sniffs and the way she rolls the cat over the carpet.
  4. Hetty told her mother about it.
  5. Hetty moved to Sophie’s room. Pixie is more understanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice B

 

Complete the boxes for Lucy and Pixie by filling them with the correct statements each of them had said.

LUCY

                        PIXIE
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

  1. No, she is not. Not to me. Not really.
  2. But don’t you think that’s true for pretty well everybody in the world?
  3. After all, I’m not used to sharing a bedroom with someone who isn’t family.
  4. I’m talking
  5. Not properly
  6. I hear there’s a bit of problem between you two.
  7. We didn’t get to choose.
  8. And, I didn’t choose you, either.
  9. That’s different… Quite different
  10. We both try.

 

 

Answer:

LUCY PIXIE
But don’t you think that’s true for pretty well everybody in the world? No, she is not. Not to me. Not really.
Not properly

 

 After all, I’m not used to sharing a bedroom with someone who isn’t family
I hear there’s a bit of problem between you two I’m talking

 
And, I didn’t choose you, either We didn’t get to choose.

 
We both try.

 

 That’s different… Quite different

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice C

Read the extracts from the novel and answer the questions below.

 

1.

And I can’t stand Hetty Payne. I just can’t stand her. I’m not too keen on Sophie,

to be fair. But Hetty drives me mad. I hate the way she cocks her head on one side

and fiddles with her hair. I hate the way she sniffs without noticing whenever she’s reading. I even hate the way she rolls the cat over the carpet like a sausage. But

most of all I hated the way she teased me about my name. ‘Lunch-time, Pricilla!’

she’d yodel up the stairs.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. What is the relationship between Pixie with Hetty and Sophie?

 

………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

  1. What does the surname “Payne” symbolize to Pixie?

 

………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

  1. How does Pixie feel about Hetty?

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. What irritates Pixie the most? Why?

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.

Can Hetty Payne explain things? Can camels spit? My stepsister can explain

things till hell freezes over. I stood there, bored out of my mind, while she went

through each problem, and why you have to tackle it the way you do, and where

it’s easy to go wrong. I got so bored I even started listening (and some of it must

have accidentally stuck, because a week later, for the first time in my life, I found

a neat little “Well done!” on my maths test). But it was still pointless. Hetty didn’t

even seem to notice me wasting hours of her time, let alone mind.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. What was Hetty explaining?

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. What was Pixie’s plan when she asked for Hetty’s help?

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. Why did Pixie say that “…it was pointless”?

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. Explain why Pixie came up with a plan in the first place?

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.

“Do you?’ she raised her eyebrows. ‘You insist you’re not family(and here she

imitated my scornful voice) ‘but you certainly have no idea how to behave as

a guest. You sit and take. You never stir yourself to offer to help with anything.

And in all the time that you’ve been coming, you’ve never so much as offered

me a daffodil picked off a council roundabout!’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Who is the person who raised her eyebrows?

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. Describe in your own words what you understand by the term ‘scornful’ as used in the extract?

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. What was Pixie’s weakness?

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

  1. Explain why the two of them are having the conversation as in the extract.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Answers

 

  1. a.         Hetty and Sophie are Pixie’s stepsisters

b.         Payne symbolizes ‘pain’ as Pixie does not like her stepsisters

c.         Pixie cannot stand Hetty’s habits.

d.         When Hetty calls her name ‘Pricilla” because she does not like to be called as Pricilla

 

  1. a.         mathematics problems

b.         she wanted to waste Hetty’s time and irritate her

c.         Hetty was not irritated and she did not even mind helping Pixie

d.         She wanted Hetty to move out of her room/ she does not like sharing a room with Hetty

 

  1. a.         Lucy/ Pixie’s stepmother

b.         being abusive, insulting- to hurt the feeling of the other party

c.         she does help around the house/ she is selfish/ does not appreciate

d.         Hetty informed Lucy that Pixie is not talking to her, so Lucy came to talk things out with Pixie

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