آزمایش خطرناک

CHAPTER 5 - A Dangerous Experiment

At lunch that day all the Wave members sat at the same table.

Brian, Brad, Amy, Laurie and David were there. Robert Billings walked in.

‘Robert, come and sit with us,’ said David. ‘We’re all members of the Wave.’

Robert gave the Wave salute and came to the table.

Suddenly Laurie said, ‘I think this is all very strange.’ David turned to her. ‘What’s strange?’ he asked.

‘All the things we do for the Wave,’ said Laurie.

‘It’s different,’ Amy told her. ‘That’s why it feels strange.’ ‘Yes,’ said Brad, ‘we’re all together now. That’s what is great about the Wave. We’re all members of the same team.’ ‘Do you think that everybody likes that?’ Laurie asked.

‘Who doesn’t like it?’ David asked.

Laurie felt her face go red. ‘I don’t think I like it,’ she said.

Suddenly Brian pulled out his ‘Member of the Wave’ card.

‘Don’t forget that you are a Wave member, Laurie. You mustn’t break Wave rules.’

‘Laurie isn’t breaking any rule,’ said David.

‘But she mustn’t say bad things about the Wave,’ said Robert quickly.

The others looked at Robert. Robert did not usually say any thing. Laurie smiled.

‘I’m happy that you’re sitting with us, Robert,’ she said.

‘That’s one good thing about the Wave. Now we’re all in the same team.’

The students at Gordon High loved the Wave. Every day there were more new members. All round the school there were Wave pictures. Students gave the Wave salute when they met.

Ben Ross was very surprised. ‘And my history students arc working very well,’ he told Christy. ‘They want to say the Wave words and give the Wave salute in every lesson. But they do more homework than they did before.’

‘I hear that the football team are all members now,’ said Christy. ‘But do you think that the Wave is good for the students? Are they learning anything?’

‘Christy, the Wave is an experiment.’ said Ben. ‘There was no discipline in this school before 1 started it. Now I tell the students to do something and they do it. I think this new discipline is good for them.’

Laurie sat on a desk in The Grapevine office. Other students sat on desks near her.

‘It’s always the same with this newspaper,’ said Laurie.

‘Everybody wants to see their names in The Grapevine. But nobody wants to do the work. Alex, where’s your story about music?’

‘What story?’ said Alex. ‘Oh yes, 1 remember. I’ll do it next week.’

‘Alex, you need discipline to write for a newspaper!’ said Laurie. ‘We must work as a team. I want your story tomorrow.’ Alex laughed. ‘Are you a member of the Wave?’ he asked.

‘I’m in Mr Ross’s class’ said Laurie. ‘Everybody in our class is a member.’

‘Everybody in the school is talking about the Wave,’ said Alex.

‘Write a story about it.’

Laurie looked at the others. ‘Yes. Perhaps I will. It’s a good story,’ she said. ‘We can ask the other students what they think.’ ♦

Principal Owens wanted to see Ben Ross in his office. Was there something wrong? Ben knew that Principal Owens wanted to talk about the Wave.

On the way to Principal Owens’ office Ben met many students. They all gave him the Wave salute.

The door was open, and Principal Owens sat behind his desk.

Ben was surprised when the old man smiled at him. He looked down at Ben. ‘Tell me what this Wave thing is about, Ben,’ he said. ‘Everybody in the school is talking about it.’ Ben told the story of his experiment.

‘It’s very strange, Ben,’ said Principal Owens. ‘Are the students learning anything?’

‘They’re doing better than before,’ said Ben. ‘I think the Wave is helping them.’

‘I don’t like these Wave salutes and Wave pictures,’ said Principal Owens.

‘It’s all a game,’ said Ben-Principal Owens looked at Ben. Then he said, ‘I’m not very happy about this thing, Ben. You must watch it very carefully. Remember that these are young people in your experiment. Sometimes we forget that they are young.’