Willow The Wisp

Everyone Altogether!

Forget The Dentist!

Yes, you can forget the dentist now, and I can too, because there are now three more exciting things that are going to happen to me in September and October.

First, Frances arrived yesterday and said yes, we can go out, but Mum has to select someone from Key to help look after Grandma. The funding came in well! Second, we are getting a new car! It'll be a white car with something to plug in so you can play all your music. I have to find out its name, sorry if I don't know it. I also chose the picnic bag for our car, and it's coming today. In fact this morning, Mum quoted Yoda when she said I chose the right picnic bag. Finally, it's Hallowistmas, which means wrapping up my new Scream Street books in lovely paper and presenting them to me on the day of their release. It is set to be the best 2022 ever!

Niles Plays

One day, I spent time at Cleo’s house with her, Luke and Resus. Niles was cleaning the kitchen, and we were doing a jigsaw puzzle. It was a picture of a huge pyramid with palm trees surrounding it. As we were doing the puzzle, I was thinking about Bluey’s dad, Bandit. “Hey, guys, have you ever seen Bluey’s dad play with his two girls?” I asked. “We have, like, a couple of times before.” said Cleo. “You have seen them from our own backyard enough times to understand who Bluey is, she has the best father in the whole entire universe! Has your dad ever been like this?” “My dad’s too wimpy to play like an Australian father,” said Luke, “Maybe if he was strong and tough he would be.” “My dad isn’t much of a playful young father type, he’d much rather drink blood than play with me.” said Resus. “As for mine…” Cleo hid her face in her hands. “He’s always childish and stupid. He never has time to play with me, and his brain was put into the bin when he was mummified.” “You told me that on your Deathday, Cleo,” I said. “If only your dad was much like Bluey’s dad, then life would be as perfect as a can of tomato soup.” It took us a while to think about what to do with Niles. I gazed thoughtfully at Niles hoovering around the kitchen. Then I had an idea. “I know! Why don’t we teach your dad to be more like Bluey’s dad?” “Good idea!” my friends agreed.

We ran up to Niles and I asked him, “Mr Farr, can we play hide and seek?” Niles turned off the hoover and gazed at us thoughtfully. “Hmmmm…you three may be a bit old for that game.” Soon, we were bragging Niles to play the game, our voices not heard over Niles’ pleas for us to stop talking, until Cleo said, “Why don’t we have a game of sardines?” “Sardines?” said Niles, “Okay, I’ll get some out of the fridge.” Cleo facepalmed. Why was life so difficult for her? I ran up to Niles just as he took the sardine tin out of the fridge. “Mr Farr, no, wait!” I cried, “This isn’t sardines!” Niles had already eaten one sardine. “What?” he said with a full mouth, “This is good.” “No, Sardines is hide and seek in reverse! One player hides, and the others go and look for him. Whenever one person finds the hider, he or she joins them, until every single player is hiding.” “Oh, okay,” said Niles, and he put the sardines back in the fridge.

Niles hid while we all counted down to one. Then, we searched around the house for Niles. We searched under the sofa and on shelves, we searched in Cleo’s bedroom and in the bathroom, but there was still no sign of Niles…until I went into the kitchen. I had found him first. Niles grabbed me and let me hide under the table with him. I giggled, but Niles told me to “Sssssshhhh!” Luke, Resus and Cleo were looking for me and Niles, and wondering where I had gone to. “Maybe she went down into the basement and never came out again.” “What? The one with the talking skeleton?” asked Luke. “That’s Dr Skulley, you silly goose! Remember the time when we went through the basement to look for the Stone Of Ra?” asked Resus. “Guys, this isn’t a time to talk about the past, we must be focused on looking for-” DING DONG! The doorbell rang. “Yep, looks like a nice time to hide.” said Cleo, and she, Luke and Resus raced under the table with us, giggling and whispering excitedly.

“Hello? Sybil! We’ve come to see how you’re getting on!” It was Rusty and Jack. They had arrived to Scream Street to see what we’ve been up to. Rusty couldn’t see us anywhere. “Sybil? Luke? Where are you guys?” called Rusty, but there was no response. “Maybe they’re having lunch,” said Jack. “Yeah, maybe,” said Rusty, “Come on. Let’s go and see them.” Rusty and Jack entered the kitchen, and heard giggles and whispers coming from under the table. Jack began to feel scared. “Is the house haunted?” “No, not really,” said Rusty, “I think it sounds like they’re hiding under-” But before he could speak, we all jumped out screaming with laughter, landing on top of the two dogs. “I can’t believe we fell for it!” laughed Rusty. “Thank god you found us,” said Cleo, “We thought we might surprise you. We didn’t know you were coming to Scream Street!” “Well, we’re the seekers now.” said Jack, “Why don’t we play the game again, only this time, I’ll hide first.” “Yeah!” we all cried.

So we all counted while Jack went to hide. And do you know where he hid? No? Well, you do now…

He hid under Cleo’s bedclothes!

THE END.

Something New

I just HAD to go onto the CBBC Creative Lab. Boo me all you want, but I'm only using it to talk about my addiction to finding new things online!

The Perfect Tale For Hallowistmas

Watch this next time you're seeking to buy the new Scream Street books and escape the terror of Series 2 on CBBC.

You Can Get It If You Really Want

KFC & Mega!

I've had a fun time with my support worker at KFC today. We had boneless chicken with popcorn chicken, fries, a cookie and some Pepsi Max - all of this looked so delicious, it felt like I hadn't eaten in days! Then she got me a Mega magazine, complete with Pokemon, I Am Groot (y'know, the shorts that have a catchy and lively rhythm in my favourite of the shorts, Groot Takes A Bath), Sox in Space, Gumball and of course Lego Star Wars. Here's to another fun day out!

It's finger-lickin' good!

Easter With Pamchetta

Have you met my friend Pamchetta? You’re doing it now. He’s not one of my friends at school, neither is he one of my friends at the local playground. He’s my imaginary friend. He’s a brown cartoon rabbit. He has a pink, heart-shaped nose, a pink sparkly overcoat and two large feet with yellow toes. We always like to hang out together when I’m at school during break time, at home during free time and sometimes I like to whisper secrets to him when I go to sleep at night. However, there’s one downside - I have autism, which means I am sensitive to loud noises and have meltdowns whenever I feel overwhelmed or agitated. Whenever I have meltdowns, Pamchetta gives me his favourite purple rubber hippo to squeak until I feel better. Mum would ask me, “Who gave you this purple hippo?” and I would say, “It was Pamchetta!”

Pamchetta and I love Easter. Pamchetta claims he was born on Easter, surrounded by a stable full of cows and sheep and rabbits and chicks. This is similar to the birth of baby Jesus, only it is set at Easter. And we all know that Jesus was resurrected on Easter, right? Maybe. Pamchetta was born on Easter, and was given his first chocolate bunny as a present. He ate it all down in one big gollup! He has a sweet tooth, which means he can eat any chocolate that is in our fridge or what we have at birthdays or Christmas. Sometimes, he throws chocolates into the shopping trolley when Mum and I aren’t looking. “It was Pamchetta!” I’d yell. “Well, tell Pamchetta to put them back, we don’t want any chocolate on this list today.” My mum would say. Mum would pretend Pamchetta was there, and everyone thought he was real, even my teacher at school.

One day, I was very nervous. I was going to the shopping centre with Mum to meet the Easter Bunny for the first time. The only trouble was, I’ve heard terrible rumours about children who have been scared by the Easter Bunny upon first encounter. You’ve seen the photos of children crying as they sit on the Easter Bunny’s lap, haven’t you? Not me. Everything was about the change the way I see that white fluffy-tailed legendary figure forever.

“Pamchetta, I’m afraid,” I whimpered. “Of what? Have your shoelaces turned into spaghetti again?” asked Pamchetta. “No, not that. It’s just that I’ve never met the Easter Bunny before.” “The Easter Bunny is my cousin. You’ll grow to like him, I promise. Oh! Maybe we could do some training to practice asking the Easter Bunny what you want for Easter this year!” He turned confused. “What do you want for Easter by the way?” “A Barbie Dreamtopia Unicorn Pet Playset,” I replied. “Unicorns? I love unicorns! Better worth asking the Easter Bunny for a ride on one then!” “How can you train me to become an Easter Bunny tamer?” I asked. “Well, first, we have to go back to basics. I’ll pretend to be the Easter Bunny, and you pretend to ask me what you want for Easter this year.”

Pamchetta sat on the sofa and I sat on his brown, furry lap. Pamchetta cleared his throat and said, in a jolly and cartoony Bugs Bunny-like voice, “What do you want for Easter this year, kid?” I responded, “A Barbie Dreamtopia Unicorn Pet Playset.” “Good!” cried Pamchetta, clapping his paws. “Now let’s try it with one of your toy bunnies.” Pamchetta ran upstairs and sorted through my toybox. Teddies, dolls and squeaky toys flew in all directions, until he found Arnold, my beloved plush bunny. He raced downstairs like an electronic lightning bolt and put him on the sofa. He leapt up onto the sofa and said, in a squeaky voice, “So, Olivia, what do you want for Easter this year?” I said again, “A Barbie Dreamtopia Unicorn Pet Playset.” Pamchetta and I were repeating this over and over again, until we were laughing and fist-bumping each other over such a repeated victory. That is, until I heard my mum calling, “Olivia! Time to go!” “This is your chance, kid,” said Pamchetta, “Go for it!”

At the shopping centre, I had my yellow ear defenders on whilst I waited in a big huge queue of children who were longing to meet the Easter Bunny. He was a tall, white figure in a stripy green-and-blue waistcoat who sat on a throne surrounded by yellow and pink pastel Easter eggs. I waited and waited as child after child told the Easter Bunny what they wanted this year. I looked around and saw Pamchetta standing near the escalator picking his teeth with a small bamboo toothpick, waiting for my turn.

When it was my turn, I sat on the Easter Bunny’s lap and stared into his huge plastic cartoony eyes. I looked around and saw Pamchetta wearing a producer’s headset and holding up cue cards like someone filming a TV show. “What do you want for Easter this year, Olivia?” asked the Easter Bunny. I gulped, thinking of what I was going to say. Then I looked at Pamchetta’s cue card and said loudly and clearly, “I would like a Barbie Dreamtopia Unicorn Pet Playset, please. Thank you, Mr Easter Bunny.” “Smile!” said a brightly-dressed camerawoman wearing white bunny ears as she took a picture of me and the Easter Bunny. I leapt off his leap and waved. “Bye, Easter Bunny!”

Pamchetta was jumping up and down wearing a party hat and throwing confetti in the air. “You did it, you did it, you did it!” he shouted, and blew into a party squeaker. “Okay, not so loudly, I think I’m sensitive to noises,” I said. “Okay, so I’ll use…” said Pamchetta, and brought a cowbell out of his waistcoat. He rang it loudly and clearly. Mum and I continued shopping, and at one point when we were shopping at the local clothes shop, Mum asked, “I heard someone ringing a cowbell earlier. Was that you making all that noise?” “No, mum, it was Pamchetta! It really definitely is Pamchetta!” I cried.

The next morning was Easter morning. I woke up, and found a bright purple basket at the end of my bed. It was lined with green fake grass and littered with Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. One thing caught my eye. Something I wished I’ve wanted for a long time…a Barbie Dreamtopia Unicorn Pet Playset! “IT’S THE UNICORN PET PLAYSET!” I shouted, “Pamchetta, come down here this minute!” Pamchetta was sleeping in a hammock, and my shouting made it spin so he fell onto the floor. He looked at my basket. “Wowee! Kazowee! I think I’m in chocolate heaven!” He took a chocolate bunny, ripped off the paper and stuffed it into his mouth. “And I’m in Heaven thanks to my new playset. The Easter Bunny granted my wish alright,” I said. Pamchetta and I laughed as we shared a fist bump, and then continued to enjoy our Easter treats. All the while, a funny white rabbit wearing a green-and-blue waistcoat was watching through the window. He turned around and clicked his fingers, and in a flash of sparkling pink light, he was gone.

THE END.

Baby Chloe

Hi! I’m Chloe. I would like to tell you of the time I first met Bluey as a baby. It all started one day in my bright blue seaside-themed nursery. My mum came in just as I was waking up. “Good morning, Chloe.” she said. I couldn’t speak yet, so I just waved my fists in happiness. My mum then sniffed the air. A stinky smell drafted straight into her nostrils. “Poo! Someone’s stinky. Time for a nappy change,” she said. She picked me up and took me out of my cot, and placed me on the changing me. She took off my dirty blue environmental nappy, powdered and wiped me and then placed a clean blue nappy with white spots on it. I looked a little embarrassing as a baby without a nappy on, but I have grown up a lot.

Next, we had breakfast. We had it downstairs in the kitchen. It took my dad a long time to wake up, as he was still in bed. Mum was pretending to be an aeroplane, making my blue plastic spoon fly into my mouth. Some of my food dribbled down my chin, but I still enjoyed this mashed up fruity treat. At last, my dad came in with his morning paper under his arm, feeling very tired. “Morning, love,” said my dad. “Still up all night cradling Chloe to sleep?” asked my mum. “Should I ever,” said my dad, “I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.” “Well, someone has to look after Chloe when she cries in the middle of the night. Why not splash some cold water on your face? That always makes me feel better when I’ve had a rough night.” “Oh! Yeah, right,” said my dad, and instantly he ran up to the kitchen sink, ran the cold tap and splashed some freezing cold water on his face, like his nose was on fire. I saw this and clapped delightedly, laughing and squealing. “Look - Chloe loves that.” I smiled. “We should film this and put it on Youtube.” “Must…extinguish…face fire…” puffed Chloe’s dad in exhaustion.

For the next hour, my mum let me watch the fish in our fish tank. All the fish looked so big and the water was so wavy and splashy. She had to hold me up because I was too small to stand up just yet. I reached out to touch the glass, and it felt like I could go right through the tank and stroke the fish, like the tank had watery walls and the fish would fly out and swim slowly around the house. “Look at all the fishies!” said my mum. She made bubbling noises like a fish, and turned her paw into a fish, making it swim along beside me and nibbling gently on my side. I once saw a programme all about classical music, and one of the kids who was going on the adventure made an excellent fish impression. I also remember they were chased by a squid. The squid looked really scary, and I was crying, so mum had to put on another programme about a blue bear and a yellow rabbit.

Later, we went to the park. I enjoyed watching people playing in the playground with their kids, ducks splashing in the pond and kites floating in the breeze. Mum would point them out and pretend the kites were beautifully coloured birds coming from the rainforest. “There’s a parrot, Chloe. It goes, “Polly wanna cracker?”” I tried to flap my arms like a parrot. Suddenly, I saw some people I never met before. There were two families - one had two dogs that were blue, and another was orange. The other was an entirely human family - well, almost, four of them were human. No, five! I heard the fifth one, a teenage boy, was a werewolf, but as I got older, I found out he could turn into a werewolf whenever he got angry. There were three vampires, a half-dog, a leech, and two Egyptian mummies. They were waving hello to us as we came and sat down on the bench. Mum placed me on the picnic rug beside the blue puppy and the strange little human baby. I stared at them in confusion. Were they friendly?

“This is Chloe,” said my mum, “Isn’t she sweet? It took her Dad ages  to get up. Been helping soothe Chloe to sleep again.” “We can totally relate to you, Layla,” said the young girl’s mum, “Sybil’s been crying all night too, but luckily Luke here is an expert at soothing her to sleep. She’s even been soothed when he changed her nappy.” Luke? Was that the boy’s real name? And why is the girl named Sybil? “I totally love her. I love her as much as a game of Zombie Kickboxer.” said Luke. “We never play it in front of Sybil, because we might bash her face.” said the young vampire. “Resus!” hissed his mother, “Be nice. We have company.” Resus? His name was Resus? After some blood thingy? “Children these days. It’s so nice to see how they grow up across the years. In their first years you see them playing with stacking rings and spitting out milk and clapping along to nursery rhymes, but as they get older, screens is all they get attached to.” said the orange dog, who was named Chilli.

She then pointed to the blue puppy. “Bluey, this is Chloe.”  she introduced. This orange haired woman, called Sue, knelt down to Sybil. “This is Chloe, Sybil. Say hello.” Sybil reached out a hand to wave, but she fell flat on her stomach. We all laughed and laughed and laughed. “Such a nipper!” laughed the large blue dog, named Bandit, “Despite all my clumsy mistakes, there’s more to her than making me kneel on an animal sound book.” “I’ll play with the babies!” said Luke, “I’m an expert with little kids.” “Why don’t you play with Chloe and Sybil?” asked mum. “Always,” said Luke. “But what about us?” asked Resus. “We want to play with the babies too!” said the mummy, whose name was Cleo. “Now, kids, let Luke play with the babies. You two play with Bluey.” “Bluey is as Bluey does.” said Resus sarcastically. “I’ll help!” said Bandit.

Luke took me and Sybil to the pond. There were lots of ducks floating about, and fish swimming in the water. Luke took off his shoes and socks, and dipped his feet into the water. Luke’s socks gave a dreadful pong, but I placed one of his socks on my ears, pretending a sock puppet had attached itself onto my ear. “Uh oh, looks like the stinky sock parasite has emerged from your body,” laughed Luke, and took the sock off my ear. He put it on his hand and pretended it was a snake, hissing that he didn’t want a bath and wanted to bite someone on the bum. It then decided that it wanted to tickle, so he tickled me first, then he tickled Sybil, who laughed the loudest. He held us over the water up to our ankles and sang ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5’ as we waited for fish to come and tickle our toes. When they did, we wiggled our toes furiously, laughing. Luke turned his hand into a fish, and made it swim along beside us. He introduced us to the ducks, and made quacking noises. He ran into the distance and began pretending to be a duck, waddling like a chicken and pretending to nibble bread.

Suddenly, Resus and Cleo ran in, Resus holding Bluey in his arms. “Is it our turn now?” asked Cleo. “Yeah, we’ve had our time with Bluey, when is it our turn?” Luke concerned a moment. He looked at me. He looked at Sybil. He looked at Resus. He looked at Bluey. He looked at Cleo. Then he sighed, and said, “Fine. We’ll share the babies.” Now, Luke had Sybil, Cleo had me and Resus had Bluey. We held piggyback races, we played on the swings, we played a cheeky game of hide and seek and peek-a-boo and took off all our shoes and socks and dipped them in the pond all together. It was so much fun, that I never even wanted to leave.

At sundown, it was time for us to go home. As Mum took me back to the car, I waved goodbye to my new friends, a frown plastered on my face like a builder put pink plaster on it. On the way home, my mum said to me from the front of the car, “Don’t worry, Chloe, we’ll see your new friends tomorrow. They’ll meet up there.” When we got home, we watched a documentary about whales on the TV. Those whales were so beautiful, I could watch them all day. I turned to the fish tank, with our fish swimming about. Then I turned to the window, with the sun setting in the cocktail orange sky, and some cockatoos flying back to their nests. I closed my eyes and pictured me and my mum swimming under the sea with our whale family. I wasn’t wearing a nappy at all, so I was free to be at one with the sea. It was just like those motivational images of mothers and babies swimming together in the sea.

Then I opened my eyes and it was bathtime. I was sitting, surrounded by lots of frothy bubbles and my squeaky whale toy, as my mum washed me with my baby bath gel. She popped bubbles and made them fly in the air, taking handfuls of bubbles and blowing them. I popped them and tried clapping my hands to reach them. I kicked my little legs in the water and laughed and squealed. I once splashed mum and she laughed too, splashing me a little bit. When I got dried, she wrapped a red towel around me so that I felt like a little underage superhero. Once, my dad came in and said, “Hey hey hey, it’s a superbaby!” and picked me up, making me fly around the room. The amount of warm air made my fur fluff up, so my mum had to use a hairdryer and brush to straighten it again.

Later on, she tucked me into my cot and kissed me goodnight. She whispered into my long ear: “I promise we could see Bluey again. Maybe Sybil. But no matter who we meet, the most important person in your life is me.” She went out of the room, took one last look at me, and turned off the light. I fell fast asleep, and began to dream my first dreams. My ones of playing with Bluey and Sybil and Luke and all his siblings, who I know will be my friends forever.

I.B.F.Fs: Forever My Sister

FADE IN:

EXT. FLOWER FIELD. DAY.

Sophie and Zura race along the field, laughing and playing tag amongst the falling rose petals. All the while, we hear Sophie narrate:

SOPHIE

(VO)

This is me with my sister, Zura. Zura and I make a great team. No, wait: make it a perfect sisterly pair. We are the best of friends, and we live together, snuggled in the safe, golden suburbs of our pyramid home.

Sophie hides behind a blossom tree. Zura screeches to a halt, and then looks around for her little sister, while she peers out from behind the tree, giggling.

SOPHIE

(VO, cont’d)

Zura and I do everything together, whether it’s playing tag on days like this or going to the park. We love each other more than Zura loves her friends at school. I know that every child is unique, but since she’s covered in bandages, Zura stands number one in my list of friendship trophies.

Sophie leaps out from behind the tree and tackles Zura to the ground, both of them plummeting into the grass below and lying sprawled out, head to head, laughing as butterflies flutter around them. The butterflies cover the screen and fly off, leading us to:

EXT. PARK - PLAYGROUND. DAY.

Sophie and Zura race in with Zura’s father Palm and spot the great big blue slide nearby.

SOPHIE

(VO)

One day, Zura and I went to the park. We spotted the slide and figured out if we could slide down.

ZURA

Come on, Sophie, race you to the slide!

SOPHIE

Not if I could beat you to it first!

The two girls laugh as they race towards the slide. Zura climbs up and slides down, and Sophie follows.

ZURA

Wheeeeeeee!!

Sophie just sits at the top of the slide, looking down nervously. SHe is feeling really scared.

ZURA

Come on, Sophie, give it a try!

SOPHIE

Erm…er…I..I can’t.

ZURA

You can’t?! Are you serious?!

SOPHIE

Yeah, I guess. I’ve never been down the big slide before.

ZURA

Don’t worry, I’ll catch you.

SOPHIE

(nervously)

I don’t think I can…

ZURA

I’ll catch you! Just be truthful to yourself. I promise.

Sophie concerns a minute, then slides down, crashing into Zura and landing on her bottom. Sophie begins crying loudly. Palm rushes into frame.

PALM

What’s the matter? Oh, Zura, you should’ve told me.

ZURA

Sorry, dad, Sophie was a bit too scared.

SOPHIE

I want to go home! I want to go hooome!

PALM

(sighs in irritation)

Oh my.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. BACK OF CAR. AFTERNOON.

Sophie sits in her car seat crying, while Zura strokes her hair and comforts her.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. STREETS - THE NEXT DAY.

Sophie and Zura walk hand in hand across the streets towards the Wheelers’ house.

SOPHIE

(VO)

It had been almost a day since I hurt my bum, so as a little treat, Zura decided to take me to see the Wheelers. They’re a kindly old couple who set up face paint stands at school fairs, in case you’re wondering.

SOPHIE

I wonder how Mrs Wheeler would paint my face?

ZURA
Like a lion!

SOPHIE

Or a tiger?

ZURA
That’s a bit borrowing, isn’t it?

SOPHIE

Borrowing? This isn’t some copyrighted programme starring a cartoon dog, you know!

EXT. MR & MRS WHEELER’S HOUSE - DAY.

The two approach the front door, and Sophie knocks. Mr and Mrs Wheeler, a kindly old zebra couple, open the door and are delighted to see them.

MR WHEELER
Fancy seeing you here.

MRS WHEELER
What are you doing here?

SOPHIE

We’ve come for a visit!

ZURA
It was my idea. Sophie landed on her bum on the slide yesterday, so I thought it might be great if we went to visit you.

MRS WHEELER

Ah, good. Now come on in, I’ve got the face paints set up.

SOPHIE

Yay!

The two enter the house.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. WHEELERS’ LIVING ROOM. DAY.

Mrs Wheeler sits on her comfy pink chair with Sophie sitting on a green stool in front of her table, which is lined with colourful face paints.

MRS WHEELER

Now, how would you like your face painted? Lion or dragon?

ZURA

(O.S.)

Oh yes, Memphiles is looking forward to seeing me next week.

Sophie looks around and sees Zura talking with Mr Wheeler.

MR WHEELER

Seems like you haven’t seen Memphiles for years and years. Back in my day, people kept in touch with close relatives during the war via paper and pens.

ZURA

Ever since I was mummified and shipped away to Britain, I’ve been waiting ages to see him again. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I walk into his pyramid!

Sophie races in between Mr Wheeler and Zura, yelling:

SOPHIE

ZURA!

MR WHEELER
What? I’ve never heard such outrageous behaviour!

SOPHIE

Is it true that Zura’s leaving?!

MR WHEELER

We’ve just been talking about it.

ZURA

(a beat, then, sadly)

Yes, it’s true, I’m going away for two weeks.

Sophie feels downhearted. She sits on her stool and Zura sits next to her, comforting her.

ZURA
There there there, Sybs. It’ll be okay. Just be brave, develop courage and put up a stiff upper lip, just for those two weeks, until I return home. You can write to me if you want.

SOPHIE

Really?

ZURA

Yes. Just trust me.

SOPHIE

I hope I won’t trust you like I did when I fell off the slide.

ZURA

This is different. Sophie, coping without siblings takes a long time, but eventually, you’ll get used to them. Promise me you’ll be brave for me?

SOPHIE

Promise.

The two share a warm, snuggly hug.

MRS WHEELER

Well, this takes me back to my own grandmother’s house.

SOPHIE

Zura, there’s one more thing we need to do before you spend your last night here for now…

CUT TO:

INT. WHEELER’S LIVING ROOM - A FEW MOMENTS LATER. DAY.

Mrs Wheeler finishes painting Zura’s face with green face paint and white and dark green bits. Sophie’s face is already painted with yellow paint, almost like a lion. Once she finishes, she holds up a large handheld mirror to both their faces.

MRS WHEELER
What do you think?

ZURA/SOPHIE

Wow!/Chique!

MRS WHEELER
Now, can you give me a big, loud roar?

Both sisters take a deep breath, and…

SOPHIE/ZURA

RAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRR!!!

The two giggle and hug again.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. WHEELER’S HOUSE. AFTERNOON.

Sophie and Zura exit the house and wave goodbye to the Wheelers as they walk off into the sunset.

SOPHIE

(VO)

I knew I did something right, and from that moment on, I learned that I can cope without my sister by my side. When the day came, it was a day I won’t forget.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. TRAIN STATION. DAY.

Sophie approaches Zura in happy tears, and shares one last hug with her. Zura sobs, and Sophie reaches into her pocket, taking out a friendship bracelet. Zura takes the bracelet and winds it around her arm, smiling. The two let go of each other’s hands, and Sophie runs away, wildly waving goodbye to Zura.

INT. BACK OF FAMILY CAR. DAY.

Sophie looks out the back window and waves goodbye wildly at Zura as her mother drives off into the sunset.

THE END.

The Memory Book Activity Guide

1.Ask the children to bring in photos of happy memories they spent with their parents or families, or when they were at school.

2.Tell the children that memory books are vital for keeping important memories like happy ones or sad ones.

3.Give each child a copy of the Bluey Memory Book activity page.

4.Ask them to stick their photos into the pages they were given.

5.Ask the children to put themselves in Hudson’s shoes. He is a foster child who had a bad start in life, but now is living a happy life thanks to Angel, his foster mother. Ask them the following questions:

• What is it like to be a foster child?

• Have any of you experienced a difficult situation in your family?

• All our families are different. What makes us one great family?

• Which of your friends act like family to you?

6.Explain to your class that you are now going to create a group photo using photos of them and their friends. Lay out a big piece of sugar paper on the table and ask them to stick these photos wherever they fancy on the page. Give them pictures of Bluey to stick around them.

7.Wrap up the exercise by reading The Memory Book to your class, then asking them how they felt when they heard the story being read to them.