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Granny Gertie’s Wish List

by Dulcinea Norton-Smith, Lancashire, UK

Granny Gertie didn’t bake cakes or knit scarves. Granny Gertie was a world famous explorer.

When Lucy was 3 years old Granny Gertie went swimming with sharks in the Solomon Sea. She wore a sequined swimsuit and swished through the slippery seaweed.

When Lucy was 4 years old Granny Gertie went to round up reindeer in Russia. She wore red rollerblades and a rainbow raincoat. She roared and raced around the rumbling reindeer.

When Lucy was 5 years old Granny Gertie gave Lucy a piece of pink paper. “When I was a little girl” said Granny Gertie “I was scared of many things. I wished I was brave. This is the wish list that I wrote of the things that I wished I was brave enough to do. If you can be brave enough to do all of these things I will give you a super special surprise”

Then Granny Gertie leapt onto a llama in her lime green leggings and lavender leotard and left to look for lizards and lynx in Latvia.

On Monday Lucy looked at wish number 1.

“I wish I was brave enough to hold spiders and worms”.

Even though they seemed scary and yucky Lucy found a spider and a worm and put them in her hand. They wiggled and tickled and squiggled. Lucy giggled.

On Tuesday Lucy looked at wish number 2.

“I wish I could wear twenty two hats to school and not be afraid of people laughing at me”.

Lucy went exploring in Mommy’s closet. She found as many hats as she could and piled them on top of her head.

At school everyone laughed but Lucy gave her friends a hat each and they all laughed together. After that every Tuesday at Lucy’s school was Silly Hat Day.

On Wednesday Lucy looked at wish number 3.

“I wish I was noisy not quiet”.

Lucy tied pan lids to her arms and legs. Lucy walked around the house making CLANG CLASH BANG BASH noises. Mommy got a headache and told Lucy that it was bedtime.

On Thursday Lucy looked at wish number 4.

“I wish I was brave enough to get dirty and messy”.

Lucy went into the garden and poured a big jug of water on the flower bed.

Lucy squelched and squirched and sludged through the slushy sloshy mud. She had mud in her ears and in her hair, mud between her toes and on her nose. Mommy was not happy. She made Lucy have a long bath.

On Friday Lucy looked at wish number 5.

“I wish I could eat sweets all day long”.

That day Lucy would not touch her breakfast or lunch. Lucy sucked sugary sweets and chomped chewy chocolate all day long. By bedtime Lucy felt sick and sore in her stomach. “That was definitely NOT a good wish” Lucy thought.

On Saturday Lucy looked at wish number 6.

“I wish I danced more”.

Lucy and Mommy put loud music on the radio. They twizzled, turned, boogied and bounced.

The next day was Sunday and there were no wishes left. Lucy and Mommy wore their pajamas until lunchtime and watched movies in bed until they heard a shout from outside.

When they got to the garden they saw Granny Gertie plunging and pirouetting from a parachute.

As they feasted on cupcakes Lucy told Granny Gertie about her week. About worms and spiders, hats and pans, mud and sweets, dancing and singing.

“What a brave girl you are Lucy” said Granny Gertie. “I think that you’re ready for your surprise. You are coming on my next adventure.” She pointed to a beautiful bright blue boat tied to a big bunch of bobbing balloons.

“We are going boating in Barbados to bathe with barracuda.”

As Lucy and Granny Gertie bounced beyond the beautiful clouds in their brilliant bright blue boat Lucy was happy that she wasn’t scared of anything. Not one single thing.

The End.