The Mystery Behind the Shenzhen Nongke Orchid

By Genevieve Mackenzie

The Mystery Behind the Shenzhen Nongke Orchid follows a story about a boy, Nicolai, that deeply desires friendships. His Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) creates obstacles in establishing friendships. But Nicolai excels at Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and has one friend, Sarah. Sarah acts as a friendship coach throughout identifying the thief that stole the orchid. Nicolai uses MMA in the face of ADHD and successfully works together with Sarah to solve the mystery and develop new friendships.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Genevieve Mackenzie
• Release date: Sep 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781927710524

Book preview

The Mystery Behind the

Shenzhen Nongke Orchid

A Story About ADHD and Making

and Maintaining Friendships

G. B. Mackenzie, PhD

The Mystery Behind the Shenzhen Nongke Orchid

First Edition 2021

Author: G. B. Mackenzie, PhD

Cover design: Paul Lima and G. B. Mackenzie

Interior design: Paul Lima

Copyright © 2021

Website

www.therapeuticreading.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher of the book.

ISBN: 978-1-927710-52-4

Dedication

Thank you for Alison Mackenzie's continual inspiration and for my friendships with Stephanie Cornell and Amy Campbell.

Contents

Introduction

December 18, 2005

Monday Morning

Monday Afternoon

Monday Evening

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday Afternoon

Tuesday Evening

Wednesday Morning

Wednesday Afternoon

Wednesday Evening

Thursday Morning

Thursday Afternoon

Thursday Evening

Friday Morning

Friday Afternoon

Friday Evening

Friday Night

Saturday

Sunday

Scenarios

About the Author

Introduction

The Mystery Behind the Shenzhen Nongke Orchid isn’t only about the theft of a unique flower, the Shenzhen Nongke Orchid. It’s about strategies children can use to make friendships.

Struggling to find friends is common among children, especially among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This book helps readers with, and even those without, ADHD to develop friendships. The superscripts throughout the book are linked to strategies at the end of the book that children can use to promote friendships.

So read the book, but whenever you see a superscript number, flip to the end of the book and read about the strategy that can be used to develop and promote friendships.

https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/x7Az90uC0FlqG1NQNJvbQl7YtYRlnWzoqu2O_ZLb9xIKhYpJarh3aZrZ_qlU6_VKMQpRwI5_nDi9FsJOqf0XSQHw_6yv1VK7rhIBScGS2g=s0-d-e1-ft#https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif Happy reading!

December 18, 2005

Late at night, an unknown person dressed in black disabled the security cameras in Allan Gardens, an indoor botanical garden that featured six greenhouses, and stole the Kadupul flower.

A type of cactus native to Sri Lanka, the Kadupul flower is often nicknamed the Flower from the Heaven, the Queen of the Night or the Dutchman’s pipe. It is also the most expensive flower in the world. Priceless. It was never again located.

Monday Morning

December 18, 2020

It was only a fifteen-minute walk from Maple Court Public School to Allan Gardens, the indoor botanical gardens, but for me it felt like an eternity.

Mr. Bell had asked the class to partner up for the walk. Everyone immediately scrambled to find their best friend. At first, I had looked around eagerly, but the eyes of my classmates looked over or around me. The partnered line of students at the door was ready to go within a few short minutes.

This left me standing off to the side, shuffling quietly from my left foot to my right foot and looking anywhere but at the faces of my classmates. Everyone was looking expectantly for Mr. Bell’s next move.

Okay, Nikolai, Sam and Amir—group of three at the back. And let’s go!

Sam and Amir made exaggerated sounds of dismay, and a small ripple of laughter crept through the line of students. I felt my face redden, and I cast my eyes downward as I joined them at the end of the line.

I wished Sarah was here to be my partner. But she was in Grade 6, a year below me. Sarah would have just gotten in line with me right away, and we could have spent the walk talking about playing video games or anything at all really.

I would frequently text Sarah, but if Mr. Bell caught me with my phone, my phone would be confiscated. I also didn’t want to get Sarah in trouble. She is a good student.

The mid-December weather was cold, but the walk, combined with the many layers of clothing my mom had insisted I wear, was now making me sweat.

Darn, I had forgotten to pack my water bottle. Sam and Amir shared swigs from Sam’s bottle and talked about the assignment Mr. Bell had given us for the field trip.

Okay, so we need to try to identify the five different ecological zones before anyone else does so that we get the prize, Sam was saying to Amir.

Amir replied, You can do the sketches because you’re good at art.

I’ve been to Allan Gardens before with my mom, I blurted out. I can tell you what the five zones are already! I paused, waiting for a reaction. I can also sketch! I exclaimed.

Sam groaned. Nikolai, Mr. Bell didn’t say you are partnering with us for the work! Just for the walk. We don’t need your help!

Yeah, Nikolai, Amir chimed in, remember last time when you took over the coding project in information and communications technology and broke that remote control car because you wouldn’t listen to us? That’s why we don’t want you with us.

We want to win the prize, Sam said. It’s not going to happen with your idea of help.¹

I felt my blood begin to boil. At least I’m not so seriously stupid that I fail every science test, Amir. And you guys aren’t going to, um, win the prize because you’re too dumb to figure out what an ecological zone even is . . . let alone find five of them!

Sam’s and Amir’s faces darkened. Just ignore him, man, said Sam as he put his arm around Amir’s shoulders. He’s just mad ’cause no one likes him. The guy has no friends. It’s pathetic.

As they turned away from me, Sam’s backpack knocked my arm.

Don’t push me! I shrieked, reaching forward with both arms to shove Sam.²

The commotion slowed the line of walking students, and Mr. Bell made his way to the back of the line to defuse the situation.

I don’t need to know what’s going on back here. Nikolai, come up to the front of the line and walk with me, Mr. Bell said, annoyance written on his face.

I sputtered an explanation on the way to the front of the line. I needed Mr. Bell to see that it wasn’t my fault. But Mr. Bell was busying himself giving out directions to us and chatting about the assignment with Alexis and Claire at the front of the line.

The Allan Gardens building was gradually coming into view. The familiar grand building with glass turrets brought back happy memories. It was one of the free places to visit in Toronto. I would often go for visits with my mom where we would tour leisurely through the indoor botanical garden and its six greenhouses.

My favourite was the Palm House, as it held bananas and tropical vines. It was warm. I needed to take my winter jacket off. I had never been outside of Canada, but this was what I imagined it could be like on a vacation.

Because it was nearing Christmas, Allan Gardens was putting on a Victorian Christmas Show. The conservatory was decorated with a myriad of flowering plants and more than 40 different poinsettias, flowers that looked like brightly coloured red leaves. It was glorious.

Mr. Bell’s booming voice brought me back to reality. Class, this is Lynda Heath, the manager of Allan Gardens.

Lynda was well dressed in a long coat that had flowers embroidered on it. Her glasses were thick rimmed and red; paired with her dark black hair held back in a chignon, she looked both eccentric and gracious.

Hello, students. I hope you’re enjoying your time here, she said, greeting us. Allan Gardens dates back to 1858. It is about five hectares and has six greenhouses. It is one of the oldest parks in Toronto. The most recent addition to Allan Gardens is the Children’s Conservatory, having opened its doors in 2004. She paused as we took in what she had told us.

This Friday night is the Victorian Christmas Show, she continued, and I invite you all to come. It is free, but you have to get a ticket online, and they run out fast! I hope to see you then!

Quite a bit of history here, folks, said Mr. Bell in support of what Lynda had told us. This is a real city icon. Mr. Bell shook Lynda’s hand in thanks, and then he turned to us. Now that you have your work tasks, let’s get to it!

I rushed to Mr. Bell and asked, Could I, uh, please do this assignment on my own? I’ve been here a bunch of times, and I know what I am doing. I seriously don’t want to work with a partner. Please?

I could not bear the thought of being lumped in with another set of partners who would groan and ignore me. The class would laugh again if I couldn’t get my work done. This was turning into the worst day ever, I thought.

Mr. Bell briefly appraised me. Very well, Nikolai, but I want to see you giving this 100% and staying on task. I don’t want to see you wandering off or disrupting the other groups. I hope you don’t let me down.

I felt a flood of relief rush through my body. I hurried to get my notebook out of my