“Matilda” is a Classic Story written by Roald Dahl and Retold by Khadija Mohsin. It is published on Storyious, the largest story-writing platform.
Matilda Wormwood was no ordinary girl. By the time she was three, she had taught herself to read using newspapers and recipe books lying around the house; by five, she had devoured Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, and countless others from her local library. Words and stories were her refuge—a way to escape the world she was born into.
Her parents, Mr and Mrs Wormwood, could hardly be called parents at all: Mr Wormwood sold second-hand cars with as much dishonesty as he could muster while Mrs Wormwood spent her days playing bingo and admiring her gaudy, lime-green outfits. To them, their daughter was nothing but an irritation, a “nuisance”, as her father liked to say, a child who spent far too much time with her nose in books.
“What’s wrong with you?” Mr. Wormwood would sneer as he caught her curled up in a chair with Moby Dick. “Why can’t you be normal, like your brother? Watch some telly!”
Matilda never answered back. She knew there was no reasoning with people who didn’t want to understand. Instead, she persevered, finding joy in the small moments the world allowed her: the kindness of the librarian; the pleasure of new knowledge; and the rich adventures she lived through stories.
Though her family underestimated her, Matilda had a secret power—her mind was sharper, stronger, and far more capable than anyone could ever imagine. And it was this very mind, powered by intelligence and perseverance, that would soon change her life for good.
Matilda didn’t face injustice only at home; her school also brought challenges, the greatest one being the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. She was a towering figure of terror with bull-like broad shoulders and a voice so deep and horrifying that it could make windows tremble. She ruled Crunchem Hall with an iron fist and punished children for the smallest missteps. Besides being cruel, her methods were also absurd. For instance, she flung children out of windows by their pigtails, forced them to consume entire cakes, and sent them to the “Chokey”, which was a narrow cupboard lined with nails and broken glass.
She considered children worms and pests worthy of being crushed underfoot. And for a girl like Matilda – little, clever, and full of curiosity – the school in Miss Trunchbull’s presence could become unbearable.
Nevertheless, Matilda didn’t believe in giving up, for her life had taught her one thing: perseverance was the only answer to unfairness. Moreover, she also had an ally.
Miss Honey, Matilda’s teacher, was as kind as Miss Trunchbull was cruel. The lady was quiet and kind, with a soft voice and the gentlest eyes. She was the one who had immediately recognized Matilda for how extraordinary a child she was.
One day, while observing Matilda tackle an advanced mathematics problem with ease, she called her, “Matilda, you’re such a brilliant child. You know that, right?”
Matilda shrugged, “No one’s ever said that before.”
The teacher leaned closer, “Well, you are. And there is one thing I need you to always remember: being brilliant comes with its own power, just like you can do things that others can’t. Be careful never to let anyone make you feel small.”
That was the first time Matilda had felt seen in her life. Miss Honey’s words affected the girl quite deeply. She began to trust Miss Honey and found comfort in her classroom, for it was a place where her mind could stretch and grow without being fearful of consequences. And it was Miss Honey who planted a seed of hope in Matilda’s heart: a hope that life could be better if she chose to fight for it.
And so Matilda’s fight began – a fight not with fists or tantrums but with her intelligence and her quiet determination. She started reading more and learning new things faster, slowly, but finally, beginning to notice the ‘extraordinary’ in herself.
One day, when Miss Trunchbull was being extra-cruel with her, Matilda felt a strange warm feeling in her head. It felt like a tingle of energy, and when she focused it on the glass of water sitting on the headmistress’ table with narrow eyes, willing it to move, it did!
The glass tipped and wobbled and fell, splashing the cold water all over the angry lady’s face. The students all gasped, and she, well, she roared. But Matilda sat still, her heart racing with excitement.
“I moved it! I really did!” she whispered to herself later. “With my mind. I moved it!”
She started practising this newfound power of hers in secret, learning to strengthen and stabilize her focus. And with time, her perseverance deepened; if she could train her mind to push objects with nothing but thought, the opportunities for her to achieve great things were endless.
The day of reckoning arrived during one of Miss Trunchbull’s infamous classroom inspections. She stormed into Miss Honey’s room, shouting insults and accusations, her face red as a beet. When she singled out a classmate for punishment over a trivial offence, Matilda knew it was time to act.
With the entire class watching in fearful silence, Matilda sat very still. She focused on the piece of chalk resting on the blackboard’s ledge and imagined it rising, floating, and writing. Her mind tingled with the effort, but she did not falter.
And slowly, the chalk lifted into the air.
Miss Trunchbull froze. The children sat with their mouths open in awe.
Letter by letter, the chalk scrawled across the board,
Agatha Trunchbull, I am watching you. Give back what you stole, and leave this school forever.
Miss Trunchbull’s face drained of colour as she backed toward the door.
“Wh-what is this? Who is doing that?!” she stammered, her voice shrill.
The children burst into pangs of laughter and began to cheer aloud, emboldened by the sight of the seemingly invincible tyrant reduced to a trembling shadow of herself.
The power of Matilda’s mind—her intelligence, her perseverance, and her refusal to give in to cruelty—had conquered the monster. That day, Miss Trunchbull fled the school, never to return, to the children’s relief.
With Miss Trunchbull gone, Crunchem Hall transformed altogether: the halls heard students’ laughter for the first time; the playgrounds witnessed students playing without fear; and the classrooms saw intelligent minds learning to explore themselves. And even better, Miss Honey became headmistress, filling the school with warmth and kindness.
About Matilda, she, too, found her happy ending. When Miss Honey revealed that the cruel headmistress had stolen her family’s home, Matilda used the combination of her power and her wits to ensure that justice was served. With that, Miss Honey moved back into her cottage, and Matilda found in her a family she had always longed for.
Looking back at her life, Matilda learned a rather important lesson: Magic didn’t change her life; her mind did. Her intelligence, perseverance in the face of adversity, and refusal to give in to a world run by bullies were the things that helped her survive.
“I’m small,” she said once to Miss Honey, “but Miss Honey, I have realized that small things can do big tasks if they don’t give up, ever.”
Miss Honey smiled with pride, “You’re right, my dear. Intelligence in itself is magic, and it is the only magic that stays with you forever and carries you far.”
And she was so right about it.
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