Patrick never did his homework. "Too boring,"
he said. He played baseball and basketball instead.
His teachers told him, "Patrick! Do your homework or
you won't learn a thing."
And it's true; sometimes he did feel like a ding-a-ling
in the class. But what could he do? He hated homework. Then one day, his cat
was playing with a little doll and he grabbed it away. To his surprise, it
wasn't a doll at all, but a man with size. He had a little wool shirt with old
fashioned trousers and a high tall hat much like a witch's. It was an elf!
He yelled, "Save me! Don't give me back to that cat.
I'll grant you a wish, I promise you that."
Patrick couldn't believe how lucky he was! Here was the
answer to all of his problems. So he said, "Only if you do all my homework
until the end of the semester, that's 35 days. If you do a good enough job, I
could even get A's."
The little man's face wrinkled and he kicked his legs and
pursed his lips, "Oh, am I cursed! But I'll do it."
And he kept his word, that little elf began to do
Patrick's homework, but there was one glitch. The elf didn't always know what
to do and he needed help.
"Help me! Help me!" he said.
And Patrick would have to help in whatever way.
"I don't know this word," the elf squeaked
while reading Patrick's homework.
"Get me a dictionary. No, what's even better that
you look up the word and pronounce it out by each letter."
When it came to maths, Patrick was also out of luck
because the elf needed his help again.
"What are multiplication tables?" the elf
shrieked. "We elves never need that. Addition, subtraction, division and
fractions? Here, sit down beside me, you simply must guide me."
Elves knew nothing about human; to them it's something
new. So the Little elf, already a shouter, just got louder. "Go to the
library, I need books. More and more books. And you can help me read them,
too."
As a matter of fact, every day that little elf was a nag!
Patrick was working harder than ever! He was staying up nights, he had never
felt so tired, and was going to school with his eyes puffed.
Finally, the last day of school arrived and the elf was
free to go. Since then was no more homework. Patrick got his A's and his
classmates were amazed. His teachers smiled and were full of praise. And his parents?
They wondered what had happened to Patrick. In the end Patrick still thought
he'd made that tiny man do all his homework. But it wasn't the elf; Patrick was
the one who had done the homework!
-FIN-
Read the Indonesian translation
HERE
Author: Unknown
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