The Acorn children were happily playing together, Alfie was making a den out of pillows while his younger sister Maia was playing on the rocking horse. Six year old Tobias however had stopped playing and walked over to his big sister Lisa who was looking very dreamy and deep in thought. “Whats wrong Lisa? You look as if somethings on your mind! Are you worried?”
Lisa suddenly jumped up, making Tobias jump. “I wonder what Mummy is doing, she is not herself lately. She looks as if she tries to keep calm and is nervous and something else…” she said
“Now that you mention it, Mummy is looking like that, is she planning something?” Tobias asked
“Of course your mother is doing something,” the childrens heads turned to see Mayor Trunk walk past them, he had forgotten his newspaper in the bathroom. “she is going on a cruise!”
“What is a cruise?” the children asked Lisa,
“A cruise is a big boat that drives over the ocean to far away countries and islands” Lisa sighed. Maia was not at all happy to hear this news, she did not want Mummy to be half way across the ocean and not there when she needed her. Who would tuck her up at night? No, Mummy could not go, she simply couldn’t!”
Seeing the expression of everyone Alfie suggested that they could do something to make her stay. They were soon planning their actions.
“She is coming!” called Lisa who was keeping watch a short time later.
When Mother Hollie came in, she saw the children as good as gold standing and waiting for her, too good as gold. “Whats going on?” she asked.
“Nothing, oh wait yes, could you get my bow down for me?” asked Maia
“Here you are” said Hollie as she handed her the bow
“Mummy, can I show you something?” asked Lisa
“Of course, go on.”
“It is downstairs”
Hollie followed her daughter but when she came to the stairs she tripped and fell down them
Uuuuh, she groanded at the bottom. Alfie and Tobias quickly removed the rope that their mother had tripped on.
“Are you ok?” asked Lisa
“Yes, will you go and cut the vegetables.”
Hollie clambered up the stairs and was suprised to see that she could not have tripped over anything because there was nothing.
Downstairs meanwhile the children were disappointed that their plan had not worked.
“Did you know that Matthew was not at nursery today?” asked Alfie
“Oh the poor thing, I hope none of you will get sick and have to stay home!”
The children all glanced at one another, they had all had the same idea.
“Whats wrong children?” asked Hollie
“We were only imagining how terrible it would be staying home” said Tobias quickly. This was not exactly true but not exactly a lie, after all, it would be terrible to be sick but…
“Will you make me some tea?” asked Hollie
In the kitchen Alfie spoke thoughtfully, “You know how camomile tea tastes disgusting but makes us better, then shouldn’t nice tea make us ill?”
“Good idea!” they all replied.
Lisa was just about to give her mum the tea (her favorite) when she noticed that she was on the phone.
“How terrible, sick from raw potatos, poor Matthew” she was saying.
Quickly Lisa ran back into the kitchen and made her mum some nice raw potato on a piece of bread with just a sprinkling of salt.
“Oooooh, thank you Lisa, that bread looks lovely and mmm, tastes good as well and this tea is my favorite!” she giggled
Later that day, Tobias caught his mother taking some sort of medicine, when he asked what it was, she said it was medicine against raw eggs and raw potatos , she was taking it because she felt as if her egg at lunch was not quite cooked.
It was soon evening and everyone was getting ready for bed.
Hollie had just stepped onto the yellow rug when Maia suddenly sharply pulled it away, causing her mother to bang her head on the window sill.
Hollie, holding her head went downstairs and told the children to go to bed who were now certain that she would not leave because of her head but how wrong they were…
Early the next morning the children came up the stairs to find clothes, necklaces, ribbons everywhere.
“Hello there, as you now know, I am going on a ten day cruise so I am packing for it. Lisa’s eyes widened, Tobias’s face fell, Alfie groaned and Maia whimpered.
Hollie led them down the stairs into the kitchen where two beautiful dresses lay, the children gasped, how lovely their mother would look in those!
Half an hour later, it was time to say goodbye, as Lisa silently cried into her mothers shoulder, the rest of the children looked mournfully at each other, their plans had not worked, Mrs. Marmalade would look after them, their mother really was going to leave them. Though they knew it was only for ten days, they already missed her.
As Holly walked away with Mayor Trunk, the children waved till the two were only specs on the horizon.
As you probably now have guessed, I am going on a cruise for ten days starting on Monday and Hollie is coming too. I also purchased the Cottontail rabbit family which I will write about after my holiday.
Emily
