Meg, says Mum, if you just keep quiet for fifteen minutes while I finish this work, you can have anything you want. Anything? I said. Within reason, she said. That’s not anything, I said. Meg, she said, I mean it, be quiet. Alright! I said, I was only saying. What about me? says Elsie, who’d been sleeping anyway, made no difference to her. You too, said Mum. But I’m serious. I want fifteen minutes of silence.
Well I’ve got no problems keeping quiet, but Elsie, it’s just ridiculous. She keeps scratching and snorting and digging the cushions and pulling the stuffing out of her duck and scratching and snorting again. Is it time? she says, like every ten seconds. Come on, it must be time!
If you don’t stop fidgeting, Elsie, said Mum, you’ll have no treats at all and no tea tonight either, which neither of us believed a word, but it did the trick anyway, Elsie just froze like playing statues, and she never took her eyes off Mum.
Elsie just froze like playing statues, and she never took her eyes off Mum
Alright, said Mum, finally. What would you like? Sausagelivergamepie,’said Elsie immediately, and she started drooling, like literally drooling, just at the thought of it. Which? said Mum, but she couldn’t decide cause whichever she chose meant she didn’t get the other two, and she started to panic at the thought of it, which is Elsie all over, glass half empty, always.
Meg? said Mum, cause I’d been waiting really patiently, but I knew what I wanted, obviously. I was just biding my time. Beach please, I said. Oh Meg! said Mum. What? I said. Well, she said. It’s just, you know, you need to take it a bit easy and the beach, I mean, I know you love the beach, but it’s just you maybe love it a little toooo much. I didn’t say a word. I just looked at her. Alright, she said. The beach it is. But promise me you won’t overdo it. I was already rushing out the door. Of course I won’t! I shouted.
So I took it really easy.
I went for a paddle…
Nothing over the top at all…
And I had a little stroll in the edge of the sea…
And pottered along on the beach for a bit…
Nothing over the top at all…
Just chilling, really…
‘Scuse me, said Else. ‘Scuse me! I’ve decided. Can I have Game Pie, please?
You can, said Mum. And we did, as well. When we got home, we had Game Pie. Then Else went to sleep, but I stayed up and chatted to Mum for a bit. Mum? I said. Yes, Meg, she said. I was wondering… I said. I was wondering… if we’re quiet tomorrow, can we do it all over again?
