Summary of 'The Little Girl' (Class 9 English)

To the little girl, Kezia, her father was a terrifying giant. He was strict, never played with her, and constantly gave commands. Because she was so scared of him, she would stutter (stammer) whenever she tried to talk to him. Her grandmother encouraged Kezia to understand her parents better and suggested she make a pincushion as a surprise birthday gift for her father.

Kezia stitched three sides of the yellow silk cushion but needed something to stuff inside it. While wandering in her parents' bedroom, she found some fine sheets of paper on a table. Without asking, she tore them into tiny pieces and stuffed the cushion.

Unfortunately, those papers were her father's highly important speech for the Port Authority. When her father found out, he was furious. Despite her apologies and explanations that it was for his birthday, he brutally punished her by beating her hands with a ruler.

One night, Kezia's mother fell ill and was hospitalized, leaving Kezia alone at home with her father and the cook. In the middle of the night, Kezia had a terrible nightmare about a butcher with a knife and woke up screaming.

Instead of getting angry, her father immediately came to her room, carefully picked her up, carried her to his own bed, and tucked her in closely to make her feel safe. As she rested her head on his chest, she could hear his heartbeat. Kezia finally realized that her father was not a cruel giant; he was just a very tired, hard-working man who didn't have the energy to play, but he had a big, loving heart.