A Girl Dare to Wish

流星划过天际时，吹灭生日蛋糕上的蜡烛前……你是否也许过愿望？愿望里有没有想过，人人，包括我们自己，都值得并应...

As Amy rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction.

“Watch it, dwarf, ” the boy yelled， as he dodged around the little third grader. Then, the boy imitated the way Amy limped when she walked.

Amy closed her eyes for a moment.

“Ignore him,” she told herself as she headed for her classroom.

It wasn’t as if he were the only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her every single day. The teasing made Amy feel all alone.

在艾米绕过教室对面的走廊的拐角时，她撞到了一个迎面跑来的五年级的高个儿男孩。

那个男孩在避开这个三年级的小学生时大叫，“看路，小矮人。”然后，他模仿起艾米跛行的样子。

艾米将双眼闭上了一会儿。

“不理会他，”她前往教室时对自己说。

其实他不是唯一做出这种事的人。好像自从艾米上三年级后，每天都有人在嘲笑她。别人的嘲笑使她感到孤单无助。

Back home at the dinner table that evening, Amy was quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at school. That’s why Patti was happy to have some exciting news to share with her daughter.

“There’s a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio station，”Amy’s mom announced. “Write a letter to Santa and you might win a prize.”

Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.

Out came pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her letter. She wrote：

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

Love,

Amy

那晚，回到家里，艾米坐在餐桌旁边默不做声。她的母亲知道她在学校里遇到不顺心的事了。因此帕蒂乐意和她的女儿分享一些激动人心的消息。

“电台有一个‘圣诞节愿望竞赛’的节目，”艾米的母亲告诉她，“给圣诞老人写封信，你也许会得到奖品。”

艾米咯咯地笑了。竞赛听起来很有趣。她开始思考她最想要的圣诞节礼物了。

艾米拿出铅笔和纸，开始写信。她写道：

亲爱的圣诞老人:

我的名字叫艾米。我9岁了。我在学校有一个麻烦。你能帮我吗，圣诞老人？孩子们嘲笑我讲话、走路和奔跑的方式。我患有脑瘫。我只想拥有没人取笑我的一天。

爱你的，

艾米

When Amy’s letter arrived at the radio station, the manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy who didn’t understand her disability. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the News Sentinel. The little girl’s story spread quickly. She asked for such a simple, yet remarkable, Christmas gift — just one day without teasing.

当艾米的信送到电台时，经理李·托宾仔细地阅读了信的内容。他知道脑瘫是一种肌肉紊乱的病症，所以可能艾米的同学从外表看不出她有残疾。他认为韦恩堡的市民最好能听到这位特别的三年级学生的故事和她非同一般的愿望。托宾先生给当地报纸打了电话。

第二天，艾米的照片和她写给圣诞老人的信登上了《新闻前哨》的首页。这个小女孩的故事很快传开了。她要求的只是这样一个简单但是值得注意的圣诞节礼物——只是没有取笑的一天。

During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support. Amy and her family read every single one. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other. She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.

在那个难忘的圣诞节期间，世界范围内超过两千人寄给艾米信件表达友情和支持。艾米和她的家人阅读了全部信件。每位来信者都向艾米传达了一种特别的信息。通过来自陌生人的卡片和信件，艾米瞥见了一个充满了真正互相关怀的人类社会。她认识到，再多的或再恶毒的嘲笑都不能再使她感到孤单了。

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high.

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Fort Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at school got an added bonus. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.

That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21st as Amy Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught everyone a universal lesson.

“Everyone,” said the mayor, “wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth.”

很多人都感激艾米，因为她能勇敢地说出心声。其他人则鼓励她不去理睬嘲笑，勇敢面对一切。

艾米的确实现了她的愿望，在南韦恩堡小学度过了没有取笑的一天。还有，学校的每个人都学到了额外的东西。教师和学生一起讨论嘲笑会让他人感觉多么糟。

那一年，韦恩堡市长正式宣布将12月21日作为全市的“艾米日”。市长解释说，因为艾米敢于许下这样一个简单的愿望，她给了大家一个普遍的教训。

“所有人，”市长说道，“都希望并且应该得到尊重、尊严和友善。”

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