ACB 1st Advance Manual Project #4: Voltes V

Advance Manual : 226-K   Story Telling
Project # 4    : The Touching Story
Title          : Voltes V
Delivered at   : PICPA Riyadh Toastmasters Club
Evaluated by   : ACB/CL Roi Ontiveros
Target Norm    : Advance Communicator Bronze

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Opening

Have you ever had this mania over an item or items and could not explain why you have such fetish?  It could be a toy, food or perhaps a place of importance.  I do have my share too… and only one but many: sunny-side-up eggs, rubber shoes, and countless more.

Good evening fellow toastmasters! 

Allow me to share a story of a boy who had a fetish for television and cartoons.  His name was Dongkoy.

 

Body

It was one late afternoon, a typical Saturday in the province of Cotabato.

Dongkoy was still standing in the middle of the basketball field clueless of what has just happened.  With an orange dodge ball in his hands, he tried to aim for a target but there was nobody in there.  Few meters away, he watches as his playmates runs off towards his cousin’s house.  

 

“Taran-tan-taran” the familiar song filled the air! 

“Voltes-V”, his sisters shouted, and they also started running towards his cousin’s house.  The turtle-speed Dongkoy found himself running too, but he was not fast enough to gain entrance at the house.   He tried to push the dark wooden door but it was heavy and was locked from the inside.  Meekly, he knocks on the door but no one seems to hear.   His two sisters didn’t make it too, and they were squatting on the side trying to get a peek on what’s happening inside through the sliver of the door. 

“Let’s volts in”, the blurted a static voice from the TV… and follows a thunderous applause and cheer of his friends – inside the house.  Unable to contain his frustrations, he bangs the door and cried “Let me in”.   Like percussion drums, his two sisters joined in banging the door and murmuring in little voices “let us in”.   Irritated perhaps, his cousin pops up from the window and shouted “Hoy, don’t bang the door”.  

“Let us in”, Dongkoy begs.

“With your mud packed ginger feet? No way”!    His cousin then disappeared.

Dongkoy thought of washing his feet but the nearest faucet was too far he was afraid; the TV shows would be finish before he could go back.   

“If only we have slippers”, he sobbed and embraced his sisters. 

“Laser Sword”, the children shouted in chorus – from the inside.   

Dongkoy’s two sisters were getting restless. They really wanted to watch the show.  By hook or by crook, he must find a way to get inside.  Dongkoy saw a heap of copra few meters away.  He gathered two large coconuts and used it as ledge, stood on it and bingo his head reached the window!  He smiled when saw the gleaming white screen of the TV.  He could now watch the show. Yes!

He was about to enjoy the show, but his sisters started pulling his pants, shouting “me too”.  Dongkoy tried to mount her sister on one coconut, but alas, her sister was simply too small to reach the window.  The youngest was worse.  She doesn’t even know how to stand on a coconut.  No choice, he carried his sister on his shoulder to allow her to watch the TV show.  Few minutes later, she would bring her down… just to carry the other sister and let her watch the show.   While the two sisters take turn watching the show, their telegraphic narration was more than enough to let Dongkoy imagine how the show went by.

Dongkoy didn’t bother that his hands were turning purple.  He has only one thing in his mind:  allow her sisters to watch the show… so they can talk about it, later.   An hour seems an eternity, yet with a little patience they made it through.   Their friends have started going out.  

“Nyeyeye, they didn’t see”, teased the bully kids.

Dongkoy didn’t mind.  With both sisters in each hand, he just smiled and they walked merrily along the muddy path towards home. The sisters tried to fight back, but he argued “It’s alright; someday we will have one – not black and white but big colored TV”.

Over an oil lamp that night, Dongkoy and his sisters talked about the show.   Each sister takes turns as they narrate what they saw.  Dongkoy also added characters and event – that were totally out of the show.   They associated the villains among the bully in their neighborhood. They all laugh as they realized that the story that they were sharing has transformed into a reality TV show.

They fall asleep together with big smiles on their lips.
   

Closing

Thirty five years later, Dongkoy fulfilled his promised.  He bought a forty-two inch LCD TV and had been enjoying the old copies of the Voltes-V show.  His sisters had their TVs too, and perhaps also watch old re-runs of Voltes V.

Thirty five years later, Dongkoy and his sisters still share stories – not about Voltes V but stories of their lives.   

Thirty fives years later, I realized it was not the TV that matters, but the bonding that held us together that made us supportive and strong siblings.

Back to you evening master!