My Little Brother the Copycat
Everything Zainab does, her little brother Idris copies. It drives her mad, until she finds out why.
My name is Zainab, I am eight years old, and my little brother Idris is a copycat.
If I have cereal, Idris has cereal. If I wear my red hat, Idris wears his red hat. If I say, "Can I go to the park?" Idris says, "Can I go to the park?" in exactly the same voice, only squeakier.
It is the most annoying thing in the whole world.
On Saturday, I got a new scooter for my birthday. It was blue, with lights in the wheels. I was practicing in the front yard when Idris came out on his old plastic scooter, the one that only has three wheels.
I did a turn. He did a turn. I lifted one foot off the back. He lifted one foot off the back and nearly fell over.
"Stop copying me!" I shouted. "Get your own ideas!"
Idris's face went all crumpled. He dropped his scooter on the grass and ran inside. I heard him crying.
I felt hot and cross. But I also felt a bit sick inside. I went to the kitchen. Mum was making tea.
"Idris copies everything I do," I said. "Everything!"
Mum put down the teapot. "Do you know why he copies you?" she asked.
"To annoy me," I said.
Mum shook her head. "Because he thinks you are the coolest person in the world. You know how you watch videos of your favorite football player and try her moves?"
I nodded slowly.
"To Idris, you are his favorite player. He wants to be just like you."
I didn't know what to say. I had never thought of it like that.
I found Idris under his bed, which is where he goes when he is sad. "Idris," I said, lying down on the floor so I could see him. "Sorry I shouted."
He sniffed. "I just wanted to do the trick."
"Do you want me to teach you properly?" I asked.
He came out so fast he bumped his head.
We spent the whole afternoon in the yard. I showed him how to bend his knees on the turns and how to look where he wanted to go, not at his feet. By dinner time, he could do the one-foot trick without falling over.
Then something surprising happened. Idris invented his own trick. He spun around in a circle on his scooter, with his arms out like a helicopter.
"That's so cool," I said. "Can you teach me?"
Idris looked at me. Then he grinned the biggest grin. "Copycat," he said.
I laughed so hard I fell off my scooter. And I didn't mind one bit.
⭐ The End ⭐
💬 Talk about it
- What color was Zainab's new scooter?
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Blue. - Why did Mum say Idris copied Zainab?
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Because he thinks she is the coolest person in the world. - Where did Idris go when he was sad?
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Under his bed. - What trick did Idris invent?
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Spinning in a circle with arms out like a helicopter.
