Stories I read to Ozge at bedtime by Blank Screen 2018

Stories I read to Ozge at bedtime...

BLANK SCREEN PUBLISHING 3 Blue Anchor Yard London E1 8LR blankscreenbooks.co.uk info@blankscreenbooks.co.uk A Paperback Original Printed in the United Kingdom © Copyright 2012 Text Patris Gordon Illustrations Janet King The rights of Patris Gordon and Janet King to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted or saved without written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage. OTHER CHILDREN’S BOOKS FROM BLANK SCREEN PUBLISHING The Art Family by Jodie Rudge & Patris Gordon What Will Dr. DooLots do Today? by Jodie Rudge & Keeno Baker

Stories I read to Ozge at bedtime...

For Ozge

Contents: The Girl Who Couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Stop Talking 8

The Old Man @ Number 55 24

The Princess, the Frog, the Witch and her Daughter 34

The Girl Who Walked Home by Herself 54

The Girl Who Couldn’t Stop Talking

ake up, Ozge. It’s time for school,” said Ozge’s mum as she pulled the

cover from her daughter’s face. Ozge yawned, sat up and smiled. She’d had a very good night’s sleep. “Mum, did I stay in my bed all night? I didn’t wet the bed. Look, and your belly is happy,” said Ozge, pointing at her mum’s small, but pregnant, tummy. “Yes,” replied her mum. “Well done, you!”

Ozge’s mum was trying to think of which clothes Ozge would wear to school. She then felt Ozge’s bed to see if it was dry. “Am I going to have a bath, Mummy?” “Yes,” said Ozge’s mum, now holding two towels and unsure of which one to use. “Can I have the pink towel, Mummy?” “Yes,” said Ozge’s mum, returning the other towel back, and picking out a white vest, white knickers, a red polo shirt, a red jumper, a blue skirt and purple tights from Ozge’s wardrobe. Ozge then jumped into the bath. Splish, splash, splosh! “Mummy, is today Thursday?” Her mum was about to speak, but Ozge kept on talking, “because if it is Thursday, Mrs Jacobs said the sun will come out and all the leaves will grow back on the trees...

In the winter, the leaves don’t grow, they die... The slide at school isn’t big enough for me anymore... but when the sun is out, it is spinning around the earth, making everything warm again and helping the leaves grow for springtime.” “Yes,” said Ozge’s mum, taking Ozge out of the bath. Ozge kept on talking, even as her mum drove the car to school. “Mummy?” “Yes, Ozge,” said her mum, who was thinking that she was going to be late for work. “Can I write my name on the paper today before I go to Breakfast Club?” Ozge’s mum nodded her head. “I want to use the red pen that I got for my birthday, not the

black one you use. It doesn’t work properly,” said Ozge. Ozge’s mum looked at the time on her watch and said, “Yes, darling. You can sign your name in today.” “And will you be on time to pick me up, Mummy?” asked Ozge, looking out of the window and seeing her school friends Hilary and Matthew. “I don’t like sitting with Mrs Jacobs when everyone else is going home. She reads very quickly and doesn’t let me read the book myself. But I can, Mummy, I can read it. Do you know what my best book is?” But Ozge’s mum didn’t answer. She was trying to reverse park the car in between two other cars. “Mummy, do you know what it is?” “What is it, Ozge?” Ozge paused, tugged on her seatbelt and said, x

“It doesn’t matter.” On the way home from school that evening, Ozge kept on talking. Before her mum could ask if she’d had a good day, Ozge was already talking about what she had learned. “Mrs Jacobs said that cows ‘moo’ so people know when they are hungry. Is that true, Mummy?” Ozge’s mum was tired from a busy day at work and nodded her head. “Is it true?” Ozge said again. “Yes,” said Ozge’s mum. “Are we going home? I’m hungry, too. Pigs oink when they’re hungry. Bears growl. Dogs bark and cats meow. Did you know that, Mummy?” asked Ozge. Ozge’s mum nodded again. She thought about the clothes she had to wash later and said,

“We’re going to the supermarket to get some food and then we’re going home.” “Are we going to Tesco’s, Mum? Am I too big to sit in the trolley?” A short sigh came from Ozge’s mum, and once again, she didn’t answer the little girl. When Ozge got home, she didn’t just keep on talking, she started to scream with excitement. She thought about all the things she could do. She ran into the kitchen. “Mummy, can I play my new CD, please?” she asked. “No, can I do some egg painting instead? Or do you want to be in my theatre show? You can be my door person.” Ozge’s mum turned around, bent down to face Ozge and shouted at her:

“I WISH YOU WOULD BE QUIET!” Ozge stopped talking. She looked at her mum’s belly, made a frown and felt sad. She sat down on a chair and didn’t say anything. Ozge’s mum turned around again and began to put on their dinner. Suddenly, the front door opened and Ozge’s dad came in. He had been at work all day. He walked over to Ozge. “Hello, Ozge. Have you had a good day today at school?” he asked. Ozge shrugged her shoulders, looked over at her mum and then back to her dad. “Yes,” replied Ozge, very quietly. Ozge’s dad knew that she was upset from the look on her face, so he walked over to her mum. “Should I speak with Mummy?” asked her

dad. “Yes,” said Ozge again, quietly. During dinnertime, Ozge was still quiet and wasn’t talking to anyone. She hadn’t eaten any food and was no longer hungry. Ozge’s mum and dad were quiet as well because they were not used to Ozge not talking and wondered if she was okay. “I’m sorry, Ozge,” said her mum. “I didn’t mean to shout at you. Are you okay?” “Yes,” said Ozge, looking at her red jumper and thinking about what book she could read in her bedroom. “Do you want to go in your room and eat your food later?” her dad asked. Ozge moved her plate, nodded her head and left the dining room.

Later that evening, Ozge’s mum came into the room to see Ozge reading a book on her bed. “Are you sure you’re all right? You know I’m sorry, don’t you?” said Ozge’s mum. Ozge stared at her mum with a sullen look. “Are you hungry now? Shall I bring your food in here? Do you want some ice cream for dessert?” Ozge didn’t smile and kept on reading her book, but she was hungry, so she nodded her head. Just then, there was a knock at her bedroom door. The door opened and a huge black and white cow came into her bedroom. Ozge sat up, held fi rmly onto her teddy bear and watched the cow. “Moo,” said the cow, walking around her

room. “Do you know what would happen if I couldn’t moo?” said the cow as she stopped walking. “I would not be able to tell other cows that it is okay to eat grass, hay, garden vegetables and shrubs. That’s why cows go, moo. So we can talk to one another.” Ozge kept on looking at the cow as the cow turned and left the bedroom. She was about to say something but she heard a noise coming from her wardrobe. The wardrobe doors opened and out jumped a big, furry, brown bear. “Growl, growl,” said the bear as he stumbled near Ozge’s bed. “Bears do not growl all the time,” said the bear, stopping to look at Ozge. “We growl when we think other bears are in danger or could be in trouble. Most of the time we are quiet – just like you now.” The bear ran back into the wardrobe and

closed the door. Ozge stared and kept on looking at the door but didn’t say anything. She then heard a tapping sound at her window. Through the small gap in the window, a parrot flew into her room, circling above Ozge’s head. Ozge reached out to touch the bird and smiled. “Hello,” squawked the parrot, who had green, blue, orange and red feathers. “Hello. Hello. Hello.” The parrot did not say anything else. She flew around some more and then quickly fl ew back out of the window. Ozge stood up by her bed. “Woof! Woof! Woof!” A loud barking noise was coming from under Ozge’s bed. It was a fast barking noise. Ozge leaned over her bed and saw a small black tail wagging before her eyes. A dog was

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wagging its tail and barking under her bed. He came out and jumped onto her bed. “Woof,” said the dog. “Us dogs bark in lots of different ways. It makes other animals and people like you see things that you might not see!” “What do you mean?” asked Ozge, fi nally speaking. “Well, a fast bark: woof, woof, woof – means I want you to see something. Or if I bark softly, that means I am happy. And if I howl, or bark loudly, that means I am in pain and something has hurt me.” “That’s not nice,” said Ozge. “I know,” said the dog. “That’s why we need to bark – so you can help us!” The dog jumped off the bed and he

17 x

disappeared back under the bed. Ozge leaned forward to see him, but she could not see his wagging tail this time. Ozge’s mum came back into the room with some food and ice cream. She sat next to Ozge and watched her eat the food. “I’m sorry, Ozge. I didn’t mean to shout at you. It was not your fault.” Ozge stopped eating and looked at her mum. “I miss it when you’re not talking. We have more fun when we talk, don’t we?” asked her mum. Ozge nodded her head, and then took a scoop of her ice cream. “Yes, we do, Mummy,” she said. The next morning, Ozge’s mum pulled the cover from the little girl’s face.

Ozge yawned, and grabbed her teddy bear. She’d had a very good night’s sleep. “Mum, did I stay in my bed all night? I didn’t wet the bed. Look,” said Ozge, touching her bed. She then remembered her animal friends she had met the day before. “...Do you know, Mummy, cows moo when they are hungry?” Her mum smiled. “I do now.” “Why are you smiling for, Mummy?” asked Ozge. “Is it Friday today? Am I going to school? Can I write my name on the paper today before Breakfast Club, Mummy? I want to use the red pen that I got for my birthday, not the black one you use. It doesn’t work properly.” “Yes, of course, you can,” said Ozge’s mum, nodding her head at the same time. It was good to have the talking Ozge back again.

23 x

The Old Man @ Number 55

here was an old man, who was really, really old, who lived at number 55. He was so old he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any family and most of the

people he knew had moved to different places. He lived alone in an old, tall building on the ninth floor, and very rarely ever stepped out of his flat. See, the old man had lived a very long time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and thought heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d seen it all, so the only time he left his flat was to get some milk, so he could make his favourite tea.

One day, a young girl, who lived on the second floor in the same building, was going home. She walked into the lift and pressed the buttons quickly. But instead of just pressing number 2, the floor where she lived, she pressed the wrong button and the lift went all the way up to floor 9. The young girl had never been so far high up before, and when the doors opened, she was unsure of what to do. Being curious, she eventually stepped out of the lift and looked around. The area around her was much different from hers. It was dark, grey and a little murky, and there was only one door on this floor: number 55. She walked a bit closer to the door, and as she did, the door opened. The old man was going out to get some milk, so he decided to go to the shops. He was surprised to see the child staring at him when he opened his door.

25 x

“What do you want?” he yelled at her before she could speak. “Er, nothing. I came here by mistake,” she answered, noticing that the old man looked really old. “Well, you shouldn’t have. Go, get. Go on!” he screamed. The girl didn’t think twice about it, and quickly ran to the lift and pressed the button 2 before heading home. She told her mum what had happened when she got in, and her mum went to see the old man to explain that it was wrong to frighten young children like that. But when she arrived at his door and knocked – there was no answer. Weeks went by, and the old man sat alone in his chair watching television. He didn’t speak to anyone, not even himself. He felt like having a nice cup of tea, though. The only problem was all the milk in his refrigerator had gone off and smelled awful. He had no choice but to go outside and buy some more milk.

On his return home, he was so chuffed with his purchase of milk that he didn’t notice that he hadn’t pressed the buttons in the lift properly. He had pressed number 2 instead of 9. As the lift door opened, he stepped out, looked around and was marvelled by the difference with this floor and the floor he lived on. There were four to five flats with neatly decorated doors and clean surroundings. When he realised it was the wrong floor, he decided to go back into the lift, but he heard a familiar voice. It was the young girl. This time she was coming out of her apartment flat. She saw the old man and stopped. “It’s okay,” he said. “I won’t bite you. I’m sorry for scaring you the other day. I hope we can be friends.” The girl nodded gently. “All right, see you soon, maybe,” he said as he got back into the lift and pressed 9. Despite being alone for many years, and not

speaking to anybody, he felt happy he had apologised to the girl. He didn’t feel lonely anymore. He was just having his tea (with some nice milk), when there was a knock at the door. It was the young girl. “I just wanted to say hello. Mum said I must come home now, but I thought I’d say hello.” “Well, hello back,” said the old man. “Thanks for knocking,” and he walked the girl back to the lift – and waved to her as the doors closed. As time went by, the old man and the young girl said hello to each other many years after that. Even as the girl grew older in age from ten, 11, 12, all the way to 17, (and the old man grew older, too), she would knock on number 55 a few days each week. Or the old man would knock on her door, which was number 5 on floor 2, and they would simply say hello to one another.

But as the young girl, who was now a young woman, was getting ready to leave home and go to university in a different city from where she lived, she realised she hadn’t seen the old man in a while, and decided to go and knock on his door. “You take care at university,” said the old man as the woman waved goodbye to him after knocking on his door. When she was at university, the young woman’s mother told her that nobody had heard or seen the old man in months. The young woman returned home for Christmas, pressing the button number 9 in the lift and then knocked at his door. But there was no answer. The young woman grew older, and she went to live in another country and had children of her own. One day her mother called her to tell her the old man had gone to another place of his own. She was surprised when her mother told her that inside his flat at number

55 were not only loads and loads of milk, but he had bought toys, CDs and comic books, all wrapped up with her door number on them. He had never given them to her â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as they had only spoken by their doorsteps. Her mother said she would look after the gifts until the woman came back into the country. So, the young woman, who turned into a grownup woman and had now become an intelligent and beautiful lady soon told this story to her children, who then told this story to their children when they became older. And when the lady moved into a new and bigger house, she smiled happily at the number of her door because it reminded her of the old man from the old building where she used to live. Her new door number was... number 55.

The Princess, the Frog, the Witch and her Daughter

any, many years ago in a far, far away place lived a young lonely princess called Ozge. Ozge lived in a huge

castle with her two older sisters and her mother and father, who were also the king and queen. Her sisters were awfully mean to her every day and never played with her, even when her parents insisted they should.

The older sisters just laughed at Ozge all the time or ignored her when she tried to speak with them. One day, the princess was playing alone in the big garden at the back of the castle. She walked over to a nearby pond and casually gazed at it. She turned her head to see her sisters pointing at her, sneering in her direction and then laughing at her when she waved to say hello. Ozge did not find them very funny and felt very saddened by this. She felt really lonely again. Suddenly, she heard a noise. She looked down into the pond and there was a frog. Green with a slimy skin and a bubbling throat, the princess looked carefully at the frog. “Hello,” said the frog. Ozge shook her head to make sure she was not hearing things. Ribbit. Yes, thought the princess, that’s what I heard.

“Hello,” said the voice, in a calm and relaxed way, and sounding very human. “Hello. Can you help me?” Ozge crouched down lower to double check her hearing wasn’t confusing her. “Yes, my lady,” bellowed the frog. “You heard right? I said, ‘Hello’.” “You’re a talking frog!” said the princess, startled. “Yes,” said the frog. “I wasn’t always this way, of course. I was turned into a frog by a wicked evil witch!” The princess was still in shock and said nothing. The frog said to the princess: “I’ve wanted to speak with you for a long time and have seen you in the garden before playing alone. I can make sure that you will never be lonely again and you’ll have some friends if you help turn me back into a human.” “How can I believe you?” asked the princess, “and, err, do I have to kiss you?”

“No, you don’t have to kiss me,” replied the frog, “but to believe what I’m saying is true, a strange woman will enter the castle soon and she will stay in your bedroom tonight! “Come back here tomorrow – and then you’ll be able to help me become human again!” “Okay,” said the princess, but she was unsure how the frog would transform into a human being – and whether she believed that someone would be staying in her bedroom that night. She looked at her sisters, who were sniggering away and then frowned, as the weather began to change and a slight rain dripped down from the sky. Inside the castle, it was now dinner time and Ozge sat on the opposite side from her sisters while her mum sat at one end of the table and her father at the other. She was about to tuck into her food when there was a

loud knocking sound coming from the castle’s front door. The castle’s servant ran to answer it and Ozge turned her head to see if she could see what was going on behind her. “Your majesty and your highness,” said the servant as he came back to the dining room with a pretty young woman. “I introduce a lone traveller, madame Melanie.” The king spoke first: “Well, Melanie, hello. How can we help you?” The young woman was wet from the rain and looked nervous but then said: “I’ve travelled so far, but I am lost. I am trying to find my mother, who I haven’t seen in five years! I was told to follow the brown path but I came here instead. I don’t know where to go now.” “Where does she live?” asked the queen, before grabbing a piece of chicken on a big plate beside her. “She stays at a place called The MountWay Creek,

but nobody knows for sure where it is,” said the woman. “Ah, yes,” shouted the king, remembering something. “I know where that is. You must follow the orange path, not the brown one!” “Thank you so much,” said Melanie. “I will be on my way.” “Oh, no, no!” said the king. “You are wet and it is going to rain all night so you must not travel anymore. In fact, you can stay with us here tonight and join us for dinner as well. Then tomorrow, you can find your mother.” The queen nodded her head with approval. “Why, thank you,” said Melanie, and she sat down next to Ozge. The king added: “No trouble! Always happy to help a damsel in distress! You can sleep in Ozge’s room tonight. We’ll make up a bed for you there.”

Ozge saw her mother nodding her head again and realised this could be the strange person the frog was talking about. She was very unhappy about this because she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to share her room with someone she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know, and she was frightened that the strange person would do something to her. Her sisters were happy and clapped their hands, but Ozge put her head down and said nothing, and her legs began to quietly shiver under the table. That night, a special bed was made for Melanie. The princess was already tucked up in her bed nearby and she pretended to be asleep, because she now believed that everything the frog had told her was coming true. She would tell him tomorrow and help him become human again, and he would help her to not be so lonely anymore. But when she saw Melanie get into her bed, she wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure if she would make it through

the night first and wondered if this woman was going to hurt her instead. She kept one eye open and watched Melanie. “I know you’re not asleep, Ozge,” said Melanie. Ozge didn’t want to talk to the woman, so she made some snoring noises to pretend to be sleeping. She heard the woman laughing. “It’s okay. I’ll see you in the morning.” But Ozge didn’t want to take any chances. She kept one eye open until she woke up that next morning not realising that she had fallen into a deep sleep straight away. She looked around and saw that Melanie was gone from her bed – and noticed that she hadn’t done anything to her! Ozge looked under her duvet and saw that her legs and arms were still there! She was so happy! Maybe, she thought, Melanie isn’t a bad person after all. Just then Melanie came into the room.

“Hello, Ozge,” said Melanie. “I have just had a bath and will be leaving soon to see my mother. Thank you for letting me stay in your room.” Ozge remained quiet. “I know you were worried about me being here,” said Melanie. “But have no fear, young princess. You were very kind to let me stay.” Ozge smiled. She had never been called kind by her sisters and liked the way Melanie spoke to her as well. “It’s okay,” she finally said. “Will it take long to get to your mother’s house?” Melanie pointed outside. “I do have my horse with me, so not too long. It has stopped raining so it should be fine.” Ozge looked towards the window and saw a bright sun shining through. “Why haven’t you seen your mother in such a long time?” she asked. Melanie walked around the room and sat on the edge

of Ozge’s bed. “I’ve never told this to anyone before but my mother locked me in my home for five years!” “Five years!” gasped Ozge. “Why?” “It is because I was in love with a young prince,” said Melanie. “He used to ride by on his horse every day while I was working in the garden to say hello. One day we held hands and he told me that he would marry me and I would live as a princess in his castle not very far away. My mother saw us and was very unhappy about it. She put a spell on the house so I could never leave for five years and I never saw her or the prince again.” Melanie started to cry. “Don’t cry,” said Ozge. “I’m sure she had a good reason to lock you in the house.” “No, Ozge,” said Melanie. “She didn’t. She was afraid of losing me to the prince but she was never going to lose me, and when I see her today, I will tell

her I miss her and that I am not angry with her.” Ozge leaned forward and gave Melanie a hug. She thought how lonely it must be to not see your own mother for five years and be locked in a house, too. She decided to tell her father about it. “I’m not so sure,” said the king. “Please, Dad! We must help her!” said Ozge, while her older sisters stood nearby and made puzzled expressions on their faces. “She will be safe with me,” said Melanie, to reassure the king. “Okay, all right,” said the king. “Get one of the servants to take Ozge and Melanie on the orange path to The MountWay Creek. Now!” The queen stood next to the king and nodded her head. Ozge and Melanie were outside The MountWay Creek

one hour later and knocked on the front door. An old woman, who looked very tired, opened it. “What do you want?” she asked. “I’m looking for the witch, Madame Whitecross,” said Melanie. The old woman stared at the young woman and the young girl beside her. Her eyes became squinted to get a closer look at them. “Yes, mother,” said Melanie. “It’s me, your daughter, Melanie.” The old woman looked aghast, amazed that her spell had come to an end. “No, it can’t be so!” “Yes, it is,” said Ozge. The old woman threw up her frail arms and put them around Melanie. “Oh, come in, come in.” Once inside the house, she made Ozge and Melanie a hot drink and told them to explain what they were doing there.

“I came to see you, mother,” said Melanie. “I know you were unhappy with me, but I really miss you.” “I miss you, too,” said the witch. “I can’t believe it has been five years since I’ve seen you. You’ve grown up so beautifully. I am so sorry. I was scared that the prince would take you away forever.” “It’s okay, mother,” said Melanie. “I do miss him as well but I would never leave you.” Ozge suddenly had an idea and thought she would ask the witch for help. “Do you know what happened to that prince?” Ozge asked. “Um, well...,” said the witch, slightly embarrassed. “I also put a spell on him, too – but I do not know where he is now.” So he was telling the truth, thought Ozge. “Come on, we need to go back to the castle,” she said to the old woman and her daughter.

Ozge, Melanie, the witch, the king and queen and her two older sisters now stood surrounding the pond in the castle’s big garden. All except Ozge, they were unsure why they had been dragged there. “Just wait,” said Ozge to them all. “Hello, frog! It’s me.” The small slimy green creature appeared on a lily pad and stared up at all the faces looking at him. He was about to jump back into the water when next to Ozge he saw Melanie’s face. Ribbit! He was so happy he had forgotten how to talk. “What is this?” asked the king. “You brought us here to look at a frog!” “He’s not any old frog, Dad,” said Ozge. “He’s...” “...the prince!” interrupted the witch. They all gasped, and Melanie looked at her mother.

“Are you sure?” “Well, there’s only one way to find out,” said the witch. She pulled out her magic wand and said a spell that nobody understood. She fired the wand in the direction of the pond and the water began to bubble and vibrate and the frog on the lily pad disappeared into a puff of smoke. “It hasn’t worked,” said one of the older sisters. “Oh yes, it has!” shouted Melanie, when she saw the handsome prince standing besides the pond, dressed in the royal clothing he wore before the spell five years ago. “Thank you, mother!” The old witch smiled as Melanie ran over to the prince to hug and kiss him. “Amazing!” said the king, while the older sisters looked at each other, puzzled and not sure why it was all happening. The prince then looked over at Ozge and said: “Thank you for helping me! I’ve been trying to get

your help for years, but I’m so overjoyed now. Thank you so much!” Ozge smiled as the king patted her on the back. He was very proud of her. The queen nodded her head as well. A short time later, Melanie, the prince and the witch all moved into the castle at the king’s request and they all lived happily ever after – together. Even the older sisters liked having them live there. And Ozge, well... Ozge was never again a lonely princess. Instead, she was a very happy one.

The Girl Who Walked Home by Herself

f you know anything about living in a big city, then you will know there are some things you can do and other things you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. This story

is based on living in a big city where you have to be careful of how you cross the road, especially when some adults can drive really, really fast. Or sometimes in a big city you have to be careful when you speak to people you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know because they may not be as friendly as you want them to be. Living in a big city

means you have to watch, think and do things you may not do in a smaller city or town. This is what Ozge’s mother tried to tell her every day on the way to school. Ozge and her mother lived in London – one of the biggest cities in the world, and while they enjoyed living in a big city, they liked to visit other places, too, to see what they were like. It was Thursday morning and Ozge and her mother were walking along a busy road near her home on the way to school. They were going to see Ozge’s grandmother on Friday after school and she lived in a much smaller town in the north of England. Ozge liked visiting her grandmother because her way of life was very different from the big city. Her grandmother didn’t own a television or a mobile phone, and would only listen to the radio when she was tidying up her huge garden. She owned a green house, filled with plants and vegetables

and it even contained butterflies in it as well. Her grandmother seemed to live a quiet life, and always gave Ozge many words of caution while offering a warm smile. “Be very careful in the big city!” Ozge’s mother took her hand as she crossed the road near her school. She knew Ozge was excited about visiting her grandmother’s house that weekend, but knew she had to make sure Ozge was okay with today first. “You’ll be all right, won’t you?” “Yeah, I’ll be all right, Mum. Don’t worry!” said Ozge. Her mother frowned. “But you’re only nine years old,” she said quietly. “I’ll be ten in two weeks, remember!” said Ozge. “Yeah, I remember,” said her mother. She kissed Ozge at the school gates and waved to her goodbye, and then shook her head, amazed at how

‘old’ her daughter was becoming. School ended at 3:15pm and Ozge rushed out towards the school gates excitedly, knowing tomorrow meant she’d be going to her grandmother’s house. “Bye, bye, Selina.” “Bye, Ozge.” “Bye, Marcella.” “Bye, Ozge.” Ozge said goodbye to 20 other children before the school gates were empty and she was the only person standing there. She looked around and felt lonely. She wondered what time her mother would arrive to take her home. “Are you okay, Ozge?” asked a lady from behind her. “Yes, Mrs Falconbrook,” said Ozge as she turned around and looked at the woman. “You sure?” Mrs Falconbrook asked.

“Yes, Miss. I’m waiting for my mother. I’m sure she won’t be long.” Mrs Falconbrook said okay and then headed back into the school. Ozge looked around her, sure her mother would come around the corner at any minute. But she didn’t. Ozge’s mother hadn’t come for her. Now, if you’re ever in this situation and are unsure of what to do, then you must go back into your school and tell an adult that your parent or guardian hasn’t shown up to pick you up yet – but this is not what Ozge did. Just at that moment, she saw someone waving to her from across the road. It is Mum, Ozge thought. “Mum,” Ozge shouted. “Where have you been?” But the lady waving wasn’t her mother – and she was waving to somebody else far behind Ozge away from the school gates. Ozge was upset. She then

had an idea. She thought she should try to see if her mother was perhaps walking to the school. Ozge walked alone and went up to the road corner besides the school to see if her mother was coming, but Ozge couldn’t see anything. Even for a big city like London, there were times when it was quiet and there were only a few people around – and this was one of those times. Ozge couldn’t see anybody she knew. She wondered if she crossed the road she might be able to see her mother then. She looked left and then right and thought it was all clear to cross. She stepped off the pavement and into the road. Beep! Beep! Ozge jumped as soon as she heard the noise. She looked back again to her left and saw a car right next to her. It wasn’t too far from her body “Watch out, girl!” said the driver. Ozge stared at the driver and didn’t know what to

say. She was slightly embarrassed at being beeped in the middle of the road and thought she was going to be in trouble. Ozge looked at the driver again – and thought she looked quite familiar. She couldn’t see her face properly because the sky was getting dark, but she thought she could tell who the driver was from their body outline. Ozge quickly moved out of the road and stared at the driver from the side when she stood on the pavement. It is Mum, she thought. Ozge was happy and shouted: “Mum, I’m here. I’ve been waiting ages for you.” The driver of the car, however, looked at Ozge puzzled. The driver then turned her head and said: “Silly kids. Need to look where they’re going” before driving away. Ozge wondered why her mother wasn’t opening the car door and instead was driving off. She moved closer to the car and stared at the driver once more, and as the driver looked back at her, Ozge

realised the driver wasn’t her mother after all. Again, Ozge felt worried, and didn’t know what to do. Finally, she knew that she needed to let her school teachers know that her mum hadn’t picked her up yet. Slowly Ozge walked back to the school gates, disappointed her mother hadn’t arrived. She noticed the houses and flats opposite her school and how some windows were illuminated by an inside light and looked quite pretty. Ozge wondered if the homes were filled with children who were back from school safely. She ran to the school gates and decided she would tell Mrs Falconbrook about her mother. But Ozge had a problem – the school gates were closed. She tugged at the gates to let her in, but it was no good. She called out Mrs Falconbrook’s name but nobody came to the gates. Ozge called louder for someone to hear her, but still no-one came to see what all the noise was about.

Now, if Ozge lived in a small village, town or city, perhaps she wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have panicked like she was about to do. But because she remembered all the words of caution her mother and grandmother had told her about the big city, Ozge seemed to worry a little bit more. She knew her way around her school quite well, but because she was alone, she felt a little fearful that something could happen to her. So, she ran. Ozge ran to the school corner and down the road where she had almost been knocked down by the car earlier. She looked around her and saw that the sky was getting darker, and started running along the busy road that she used every morning when walking to school with her mother. She huffed and puffed and began to feel tired from the running. A few strangers turned their heads to see the young girl running with a terrified look on her face. She came to a nearby bus stop, which she recognised from seeing it each

morning. This comforted her, and made her relax a little, and when the loud squelching of big tyres surrounded her ears, she suddenly paused. She looked beside her in the road as a bus pulled up and its doors opened. Ozge wondered whether she should get on it. As she moved forward, she looked at the bus driver. Ozge stopped and gasped for breath. She couldn’t believe it. It is Mum, she thought. Why is she driving a bus? “Mum!” Ozge shouted at the female bus driver. “You didn’t get me from school. Where were you?” But the driver stared briefly at Ozge, not sure if she was getting on the bus or not, and then looking behind her through a mirror to check if any passengers had got off the bus. “You getting on, girly?” asked the driver, her voice very deep. It was then Ozge noticed that the bus driver wasn’t her mother. She had only thought she was.

“No, thank you!” said Ozge. The bus driver closed the doors and drove the bus away. Ozge was puzzled and confused. What am I supposed to do, she wondered. Walk all the way home. She saw a sweet shop not too far away. It was one she had been in before and thought she should ask someone if they knew the road that she lived on, and if they could direct her to get there safely. Inside the shop, it was not only full of different types of sweets and crisps, but also newspapers, magazines, peanuts and soya butter spread, and an Oystercard travel topup device, available to buy or use. Ozge looked around, barely able to see the shopkeeper, who appeared higher behind the cash register standing on a small platform. A few of Ozge’s favourite sweets and magazines caught her eye, but she remembered she had to find her way home and

someone to help her find her mother first. “Excuse me?” said Ozge. There was no reply. “Hello. Excuse me?” said Ozge, again. The shop was almost empty, apart from the shopkeeper and Ozge in it. “Yes,” said a voice. Ozge stopped before walking any further. She knew that voice. But why can’t I see the person, she thought. “May I help you?” asked the voice. Ozge froze, and did not move. The voice, she knew it. It is Mum, she thought. But she remembered that she thought the lady waving to her before by her school was her mother. She had thought the car driver who almost run her over was her mother. She had thought the bus driver was her mother, too. Surely the shopkeeper couldn’t be her mother as well?

“Hello!” said the voice, getting louder. Ozge ran back to the shop’s door before saying anything. She knew the shopkeeper wouldn’t have been her mother even though her voice sounded like her mother’s. She paused before she opened the shop door and looked back. She could just about see the shopkeeper’s hair and it was the same colour and style as her own mother’s hair. Maybe, thought Ozge, it was her mother... Ozge ran out the shop in a hurry, knowing the shopkeeper couldn’t be her mother, and continued along the busy road she walked on every morning to school. “Wait!” shouted the shopkeeper, who stood by the shop’s door. Ozge looked back and saw that the shopkeeper wasn’t her mother, just someone who looked like her. She wanted to cry. She could feel the tears ready to

fall from her eyes. She didn’t know where her mother was and didn’t know if she was even going to her grandmother’s house tomorrow. Ozge decided to run again and to go in the direction that her mother would normally take her every day after school. Ozge recognised some roads and went down them. She thought she had seen the broken drain pipe and damaged car in one road before, so she went that way. She saw the row of houses nearby and it looked like the same row of houses where she lived. She wiped the tears from her eyes, because she knew she was nearly home and hoped she could get in her house as well. Ozge walked closer and definitely recognised the row of houses. It was her row of houses. Her house was the green door: number seven. She ran to the door and knocked on it loudly. “Mum! Mum! Are you there?” Ozge shouted. To her surprise, the door opened and there stood a

woman. It is Mum, thought Ozge. But she wanted to make sure. She looked her up and down, from head to toe. She was wearing the same clothes she had on this morning when they went to school. She had the same hair style, the same face and even was the same height. It really is Mum! Ozge thought. “Mum! You’re home! Where have you been?” asked Ozge. “I’ve just got in,” said her mother. “Where have you been? Were you crying?” “Yes, Mum. I was,” said Ozge. “Why didn’t you pick me up from school? I thought you were supposed to pick me up. I saw people who I thought were you.” “You saw what?” Ozge didn’t say anything more and walked past her mother, now entering the house. She pretended not to hear the question. “I thought you were supposed to pick me up, Mum.”

“Don’t you remember what we spoke about before you went into school this morning, Ozge?” her mother said. “Yeah, of course, I do,” pretended Ozge. “What did we talk about, then?” asked her mother. “That we were going to Grandma’s house tomorrow,” said Ozge. Ozge’s mother shook her head. “No, not that part, Ozge. The bit where we agreed that you would walk home by yourself today because I had to work a little bit later than usual. You remember?” Ozge shook her head, but she could now remember when her mother asked if she would be okay to walk home by herself, and she said she would be fine. She looked at mother and then nodded her head. She had forgotten that she told her mother she was old enough to do it, and she would be ten years old in two weeks. She had forgotten that she only lived five minutes away from the school as well. 72

“Were you okay getting home, Ozge? We do live in a big city, remember. Did you feel safe?” Ozge shook her head because she didn’t know what to say. She gave her mother a hug and felt happy to be home, at last.