Come on Raj

Come on Raj

By Katie 3rd Grade

"Come on, Raj!" Neela called. Her head bobbed up and down, up and down, as she tread water. Raj stood at the end of the dock, looking longingly at his best friend. He wagged his tail and whined, pacing back and forth. How refreshing the lake looked, he thought.

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The August sun shined down on Raj's brown-and-white, spotted fur, making him pant. But no matter how many times Raj approached the edge of the dock and got into leaping position, his paws refused to budge. No sir, his paws said. We are staying on firm ground!

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For the past half an hour, Neela had been swimming in the lake with her friends. She was splashing around and having a grand time. She called out encouraging words to her dog, tempting him with a tennis ball, his favorite toy! Still, Raj couldn't summon the courage to leave the end of the dock and jump in the lake.

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The sweeter Neela spoke to him, the more he felt like he was letting her down. He was afraid she was going to give up on him and turn her attention to her friends. It was August after all, which meant that time again. School would start in just a few weeks. One morning, Neela would wake up and, instead of heading outside together, she would pat Raj on the head and wave goodbye. Then, she would board that big yellow monster to join her other friends. The bus, as it was called, would roar away down the street. Neela would be gone—well, gone until late afternoon, anyway.

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​Raj couldn't bear the thought of losing any more fun time with Neela. No matter how hard his paws tried to hold him back, he had to jump in the water. Raj sat back on his haunches to try and collect himself. He let out his deepest, heartiest "WOOF!" Then he stood up on all fours. He walked backward a few steps. Then he walked forward a few steps. Finally, he sprung off the dock into the air.

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Squeezing his eyes shut, Raj braced himself for the landing. Splash! His head ducked under the warm water just for a moment before surfacing. "Way to go, Raj!" Neela cheered. "You did it!" If dogs could smile, Raj would have just then. He paddled toward his best friend. He had done it! And the water was just as refreshing as he imagined it would be. When Raj reached Neela, he swam circles around her in celebration. She laughed. She told him, "I'm so proud of you, Raj! I knew you could find the courage to jump in. We're going to have such a fun afternoon swimming together in the lake." And they did just that.

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following finally gets Raj to jump into the water?

• the hot sun and the prospect of cooling off in the water

• Raj's favorite toy – a tennis ball – that Neela is waving at him

• Neela calling to Raj to join her

• the idea of not being able to have fun with Neela when summer ends

Multiple Choice

Who is telling the story?

• Raj

• Neela

• mom

Multiple Choice

For the past half an hour, Neela had been swimming in the lake with her friends. She was splashing around and having a grand time. She called out encouraging words to her dog, tempting him with a tennis ball, his favorite toy! Still, Raj couldn't summon the courage to leave the end of the dock and jump in the _________.

What other word could fill in the blank?

• pool

• grass

• water

• tub

Multiple Choice

Why was Raj afraid to go into the water?

• there was something in the water

• he was scared swim

• the water was cold

• his mom said no