Miss Lucy was the only guardian present. She was leaning over the rail at the front, peering into the rain like she was trying to see right across the playing field. I was watching her as carefully as ever in those days, and even as I was laughing at Laura, I was stealing glances at Miss Lucy’s back. I remember wondering if there wasn’t something a bit odd about her posture, the way her head was bent down just a little too far so she looked like a crouching animal waiting to pounce. And the way she was leaning forward over the rail meant drops from the overhanging gutter were only just missing her – but she seemed to show no sign of caring. I remember actually convincing myself there was nothing unusual in all this – that she was simply anxious for the rain to stop – and turning my attention back to what Laura was saying. Then a few minutes later, when I’d forgotten all about Miss Lucy and was laughing my head off at something, I suddenly realised things had gone quiet around us, and that Miss Lucy was speaking.

(Excerpt from Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Available on https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2017/ishiguro/prose/)

Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity. Good. His dad had the pickup going. He could get up now. Jess slid out of bed and into his overalls. He didn't worry about a shirt because once he began running he would be hot as popping grease even if the morning air was chill, or shoes because the bottoms of his feet were by now as tough as his worn-out sneakers.

"Where you going, Jess?" May Belle lifted herself up sleepily from the double bed where she and Joyce Ann slept.

"Sh." He warned. The walls were thin. Momma would he mad as flies in a fruit jar if they woke her up this time of day.

He patted May Belle's hair and yanked the twisted sheet up to her small chin. "Just over the cow field," he whispered. May Belle smiled and snuggled down under the sheet.

"Gonna run?"

"Maybe."

Of course he was going to run. He had gotten up early every day all summer to run. He figured if he worked at it – and Lord, had he worked – he could be the fastest runner in the fifth grade when school opened up. He had to be the fastest – not one of the fastest or next to the fastest, but the fastest. The very best.

(Excerpt from Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson. Available on https://www.e-reading.club/bookreader.php/135126/Patterson_- _Bridge_to_Terabithia.pdf)

Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity. Good. His dad had the pickup going. He could get up now. Jess slid out of bed and into his overalls. He didn't worry about a shirt because once he began running he would be hot as popping grease even if the morning air was chill, or shoes because the bottoms of his feet were by now as tough as his worn-out sneakers.

"Where you going, Jess?" May Belle lifted herself up sleepily from the double bed where she and Joyce Ann slept.

"Sh." He warned. The walls were thin. Momma would he mad as flies in a fruit jar if they woke her up this time of day.

He patted May Belle's hair and yanked the twisted sheet up to her small chin. "Just over the cow field," he whispered. May Belle smiled and snuggled down under the sheet.

"Gonna run?"

"Maybe."

Of course he was going to run. He had gotten up early every day all summer to run. He figured if he worked at it – and Lord, had he worked – he could be the fastest runner in the fifth grade when school opened up. He had to be the fastest – not one of the fastest or next to the fastest, but the fastest. The very best.

(Excerpt from Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson. Available on https://www.e-reading.club/bookreader.php/135126/Patterson_- _Bridge_to_Terabithia.pdf)

Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity. Good. His dad had the pickup going. He could get up now. Jess slid out of bed and into his overalls. He didn't worry about a shirt because once he began running he would be hot as popping grease even if the morning air was chill, or shoes because the bottoms of his feet were by now as tough as his worn-out sneakers.

"Where you going, Jess?" May Belle lifted herself up sleepily from the double bed where she and Joyce Ann slept.

"Sh." He warned. The walls were thin. Momma would he mad as flies in a fruit jar if they woke her up this time of day.

He patted May Belle's hair and yanked the twisted sheet up to her small chin. "Just over the cow field," he whispered. May Belle smiled and snuggled down under the sheet.

"Gonna run?"

"Maybe."

Of course he was going to run. He had gotten up early every day all summer to run. He figured if he worked at it – and Lord, had he worked – he could be the fastest runner in the fifth grade when school opened up. He had to be the fastest – not one of the fastest or next to the fastest, but the fastest. The very best.

(Excerpt from Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson. Available on https://www.e-reading.club/bookreader.php/135126/Patterson_- _Bridge_to_Terabithia.pdf)

João Romão foi, dos treze aos vinte e cinco anos, empregado de um vendeiro que enriqueceu entre as quatro paredes de uma suja e obscura taverna nos refolhos do bairro do Botafogo; e tanto economizou do pouco que ganhara nessa dúzia de anos, que, ao retirarse o patrão para a terra, lhe deixou, em pagamento de ordenados vencidos, nem só a venda com o que estava dentro, como ainda um conto e quinhentos em dinheiro.

Proprietário e estabelecido por sua conta, o rapaz atirou-se à labutação ainda com mais ardor, possuindo-se de tal delírio de enriquecer, que afrontava resignado as mais duras privações. Dormia sobre o balcão da própria venda, em cima de uma esteira, fazendo travesseiro de um saco de estopa cheio de palha. A comida arranjava-lhe, mediante quatrocentos réis por dia, uma quitandeira sua vizinha, a Bertoleza, crioula trintona, escrava de um velho cego residente em Juiz de Fora e amigada com um português que tinha uma carroça de mão e fazia fretes na cidade.

Bertoleza também trabalhava forte; a sua quitanda era a mais bem afreguesada do bairro. De manhã vendia angu, e à noite peixe frito e iscas de fígado; pagava de jornal a seu dono vinte mil-réis por mês, e, apesar disso, tinha de parte quase que o necessário para a alforria. Um dia, porém, o seu homem, depois de correr meia légua, puxando uma carga superior às suas forças, caiu morto na rua, ao lado da carroça, estrompado como uma besta.

João Romão mostrou grande interesse por esta desgraça, fez-se até participante direto dos sofrimentos da vizinha, e com tamanho empenho a lamentou, que a boa mulher o escolheu para confidente das suas desventuras. Abriu-se com ele, contou-lhe a sua vida de amofinações e dificuldades. “Seu senhor comia-lhe a pele do corpo! Não era brinquedo para uma pobre mulher ter de escarrar pr’ali, todos os meses, vinte mil-réis em dinheiro!” E segredou-lhe então o que já tinha junto para a sua liberdade e acabou pedindo ao vendeiro que lhe guardasse as economias, porque já de certa vez fora roubada por gatunos que lhe entraram na quitanda pelos fundos.

(Trecho retirado de O Cortiço, de Aluísio de Azevedo. Disponível em: http://objdigital.bn.br/Acervo_Digital/Livros_eletronicos/cortico.pdf)

João Romão foi, dos treze aos vinte e cinco anos, empregado de um vendeiro que enriqueceu entre as quatro paredes de uma suja e obscura taverna nos refolhos do bairro do Botafogo; e tanto economizou do pouco que ganhara nessa dúzia de anos, que, ao retirarse o patrão para a terra, lhe deixou, em pagamento de ordenados vencidos, nem só a venda com o que estava dentro, como ainda um conto e quinhentos em dinheiro.

Proprietário e estabelecido por sua conta, o rapaz atirou-se à labutação ainda com mais ardor, possuindo-se de tal delírio de enriquecer, que afrontava resignado as mais duras privações. Dormia sobre o balcão da própria venda, em cima de uma esteira, fazendo travesseiro de um saco de estopa cheio de palha. A comida arranjava-lhe, mediante quatrocentos réis por dia, uma quitandeira sua vizinha, a Bertoleza, crioula trintona, escrava de um velho cego residente em Juiz de Fora e amigada com um português que tinha uma carroça de mão e fazia fretes na cidade.

Bertoleza também trabalhava forte; a sua quitanda era a mais bem afreguesada do bairro. De manhã vendia angu, e à noite peixe frito e iscas de fígado; pagava de jornal a seu dono vinte mil-réis por mês, e, apesar disso, tinha de parte quase que o necessário para a alforria. Um dia, porém, o seu homem, depois de correr meia légua, puxando uma carga superior às suas forças, caiu morto na rua, ao lado da carroça, estrompado como uma besta.

João Romão mostrou grande interesse por esta desgraça, fez-se até participante direto dos sofrimentos da vizinha, e com tamanho empenho a lamentou, que a boa mulher o escolheu para confidente das suas desventuras. Abriu-se com ele, contou-lhe a sua vida de amofinações e dificuldades. “Seu senhor comia-lhe a pele do corpo! Não era brinquedo para uma pobre mulher ter de escarrar pr’ali, todos os meses, vinte mil-réis em dinheiro!” E segredou-lhe então o que já tinha junto para a sua liberdade e acabou pedindo ao vendeiro que lhe guardasse as economias, porque já de certa vez fora roubada por gatunos que lhe entraram na quitanda pelos fundos.

(Trecho retirado de O Cortiço, de Aluísio de Azevedo. Disponível em: http://objdigital.bn.br/Acervo_Digital/Livros_eletronicos/cortico.pdf)