The Cookie Lady Workbook Solution : ISC Rhapsody & Prism

Story in Detail

Bernard Surle nee Bubber, a perpetually hungry teenager, after his school was on his way to see an old lady. He was mocked by a classmate, Ernie Mill, who was fixing papers for his route. Ernie laughingly asked him why he visits that old lady. Remaining indifferent to Ernie’s query, Bernard continued walking and after a few moments came to the house of the old woman, Mrs Drew.

Mrs Drew was an old lady, who lived in an old dilapidated house. She would Sit on the porch, looking for somebody to talk to. Only two men, a postman and a garbage collector used to come to her house. Her house had an overgrowth of Weeds at the front and looked like a gray box that was shabby and unpainted with sagging porch steps. An old weather-beaten rocking chair was placed on the Porch. As Bernard reached the porch, he could get the wonderful warm smell of the cookies and his mouth began to water. As he rang the bell, there was silence for a time but then Mrs Drew opened the door. She smiled and welcomed him in, saying he was just in time as the cookies were ready.

Bernard went to the kitchen door and looked in. He could see the cookies on a blue plate on top of the stove. Mrs Drew served the cookies with cold milk. Bernard greedily ate the cookies. Mrs Drew patiently watched him eat the cookies. After Bernard had finished eating the cookies, he looked towards the kitchen again at the rest of the cookies. Mrs Drew told him to wait and read something from his school books. Bernard opened his geography book and started reading a lesson on Peru from it.

As Bernard was reading, Mrs Drew keenly watched him and reflected on the fact that he had been coming to her for over a month and how while sitting on her porch, she had lured him by pointing to the cookies by her rocker. As she was reflecting on Bernard’s visits, she closed her eyes, dozing and listening; she felt something happening to her. She was beginning to change, her gray wrinkles and lines were diminishing. As she sat in the chair, she found herself growing younger and regaining her vigour. She felt the warm fullness, a breath of warmth inside her cold body for the first time in years. However, this transformation ended when Bernard stopped reading and declared that he had to go. Mrs Drew urged him to visit her again.

When Bernard reached home, he looked totally exhausted, as if somebody had stolen his energy. His mother May Surle and father Ralf Surle, realised that he had been always washed out after he had visited that crazy old lady’. His father forbade him from visiting the old lady’s house. But when Bernard said that he had promised her that he would come back, his mother allowed him to visit her one last time.

Next day, Bernard again visited her. Mrs Drew opened the door and said it was good to see him again. She went into the kitchen to prepare the cookies as she had not expected him. Bernard sat down in the living room, waiting for his favourite cookies. Mrs Drew came back and asked him to read something to her. Before he started reading, Bernard told her that this would be his last visit as his father had forbidden him to visit her anymore. Mrs Drew was petrified on hearing this. There was silence. She then took a book at random and asked him to read from it. She sat quite close to Bernard and touched his arm. She suddenly felt Bernard’s youthful life energy flow between her fingers, through her arm. She was being transformed into a young lady, filled with life, and her body filled out the wrinkles and stoop to regain the glory of youth. When Bernard stopped reading, she sent him to the kitchen to enjoy the cookies. She herself went into her bedroom and gazed into the mirror. She was, for sure, young and lovely. This time it had not gone away as it happened during Bernard’s previous visit. She then laughed gaily, opened the door for him and bid him good-bye for the last time.

At home, Bernard’s parents were anxiously waiting for him as it was getting dark and windy outside. As Bernard trudged home, he felt tired, his head aching and he stopped every few minutes before moving ahead. He felt the wind hammering at him as he stopped holding on to a lamp-post. He kept on moving as best he could but to no avail. When his parents sat down at the dinner table, they head a faint sound at the door. His father went to the door and opened it, Something gray and dry was blowing up against the porch, carried by the wind. He stared at it, but could not make out that it was their son turned into a bundle of trash.