| General Fiction posted March 19, 2018 |
  |
A children's story
Little Guy
by Heather Knight
Uncle Geoff is a funny guy. His hair is always untidy, as if he didn't know how to use a comb. His green eyes stare into space from behind his thick glasses and he mumbles to himself most of the time. Even in winter, he always has a handkerchief in his hand. A handkerchief that he uses to dry the beads of sweat that trickle down his face.
He reminds me of Uncle Quentin in the Famous Five stories that I used to read when I was smaller. Of course, now that I'm ten, I'm into more serious stuff.
The last time I went to stay at my aunt and uncle's, I did something I shouldn't have done. But, I promise you it wasn't my idea. My cousin Colin put me up to it.
'They'll never find out,' he said.
'How can you be so sure?' I asked. I have never liked Colin's wild schemes. We usually end up being punished.
'They are going to some kind of gala tonight. Only Martha will be home with us and you know she always falls asleep on the sofa at around seven.'
I think I'm telling this story all the wrong way. There are a few things you need to know to understand better.
My uncle is a scientist. I haven't got a clue what exactly his research is about. I only know that he has lots of secret meetings in his lab. His lab, by the way, is in the basement of their ancient home.
Ever since we were six or younger, Colin and I have been trying to find out what he does. However, so far we have failed. The basement door is always locked and we have been told never to go in there or else...
My favourite person in the world, apart from my parents when they are in a good mood, is Martha. She has been coming to the house to help my aunt for as long as I can remember. She's old, very old, but she always has wonderful stories to tell us about her childhood in the Isle of Wight. I also like it when she hugs me, because she's so fat that it feels like hugging a polar bear. Well, at least I used to like the cuddle thing when I was small...
Anyway... back to what I was telling you. My aunt and uncle left for the party at around five. Uncle Geoff was looking positively uncomfortable in his tux. His hair looked as wild as usual and he kept on looking at his feet as if his shoes were somebody else's.
'Wow, Mum. You look beautiful!' Colin told Aunt Laura.
'Thanks, love. I think your father hasn't even noticed I'm wearing this new 1,000 pound dress,' she said winking at us.
Aunt Laura always buys her clothes second-hand, she was just teasing her husband, but I think he didn't even hear her, because he didn't utter a word.
As soon as we heard the car leaving, we looked at each other and smiled. I always like it when Colin smiles. One of his front teeth is chipped because he fell off a tree when he was eight and that, together with his freckles and his red hair, makes him look kind of sweet.
We went into the kitchen where Martha was drinking tea and waiting for the cookies in the oven to be ready.
'Can we have something to eat? I'm hungry,' I told her.
'I can make you a sandwich and when you finish it, you can have a piece of coconut cake each.'
Colin and I helped her to prepare our food and then sat down to listen to one of her stories. However, I wasn't as interested as other times because I couldn't stop thinking about our plan. I wondered if Colin felt the same way.
'Why don't you two go outside and play for a while before it gets dark?' Martha suggested when we finished eating.
'We don't play, Martha. We are ten!'
'So then go outside and do whatever big kids do. You need some fresh air.'
I followed Colin into the back garden. We both knew it was not a good idea to upset Martha. She was the most loving woman ever, but she didn't tolerate disobedience.
'Tree house?' Colin asked.
'Why not? We could read for a while.'
Colin's tree house is the main reason I would love to live in a house like his instead of in a flat in the centre of London. It's huge and has real windows. Inside, there's even a table and four chairs. He's got shelves on the walls and a working lamp hanging from the wooden ceiling. On the floor there's a fluffy carpet and lots of cushions I like to use as pillows when I lie down to read.
We stayed in the tree house for an hour or so and then went back.
'Don't make noise,' I told my cousin when he was about to open the door.
'I'm not stupid!'
We walked in on tiptoe. As we had expected, Martha had fallen asleep in front of the telly. One of her Spanish soap operas was on and the noise was deafening. She couldn't hear very well and she always turned up the volume as much as the remote would allow her.
We went upstairs and into my aunt and uncle's room.
'We shouldn't be here!' I said. I was starting to have second thoughts.
'Don't be such a baby...'
The search was easy. Maybe too easy. The key to the basement was in a drawer next to the bed.
Tackling the lock proved to be bit more difficult, but not much. I wondered why we had always assumed the lab would be impossible to get into. Maybe Uncle Geoff wasn't too careful because after all their house was totally isolated. And because, let's face it, he's your cliche scientist. So absent-minded!
The basement was dark, but we found a light switch almost immediately.
What I saw left me speechless. In my mind, I had pictured a dark, damp room full of boxes and cobwebs. It wasn't like that at all. The walls were painted white and there were lots of steel worktops and cabinets everywhere. At the far end of the room, we saw a huge metal ball-like contraption.
'What do you think that is?'
'No idea....'
'Let's find out.'
Once we were near, we noticed the 'thingy' had a round door.
'How do we open this?'
'I don't know. Let's try pushing this button.'
Nothing happened. The door stayed shut.
'Maybe we should go,' I said.
'Don't be a spoilsport. I bet this is a time machine or something like that.'
Suddenly we heard a thud inside the metal 'ball'.
'What was that?' Colin asked.
Before I could answer, the door opened on its own and we saw a little guy, just a bit taller than us. He was blue from head to toe and was wearing the most peculiar clothes.
He smiled at me and said, 'Are you Geoff? I'm Arvik. Thanks for inviting me to your home.'
Colin says that I fainted after that and teases me constantly. I tell him he's imagining it. I was just tired and hadn't eaten enough... not enough glucose in my blood, you know.
Arvik has become a great friend, so everything is well, but Uncle Geoff was so angry with us he took our phones for a whole week. Oh, well... Could have been worse.
Uncle Geoff is a funny guy. His hair is always untidy, as if he didn't know how to use a comb. His green eyes stare into space from behind his thick glasses and he mumbles to himself most of the time. Even in winter, he always has a handkerchief in his hand. A handkerchief that he uses to dry the beads of sweat that trickle down his face.
He reminds me of Uncle Quentin in the Famous Five stories that I used to read when I was smaller. Of course, now that I'm ten, I'm into more serious stuff.
The last time I went to stay at my aunt and uncle's, I did something I shouldn't have done. But, I promise you it wasn't my idea. My cousin Colin put me up to it.
'They'll never find out,' he said.
'How can you be so sure?' I asked. I have never liked Colin's wild schemes. We usually end up being punished.
'They are going to some kind of gala tonight. Only Martha will be home with us and you know she always falls asleep on the sofa at around seven.'
I think I'm telling this story all the wrong way. There are a few things you need to know to understand better.
My uncle is a scientist. I haven't got a clue what exactly his research is about. I only know that he has lots of secret meetings in his lab. His lab, by the way, is in the basement of their ancient home.
Ever since we were six or younger, Colin and I have been trying to find out what he does. However, so far we have failed. The basement door is always locked and we have been told never to go in there or else...
My favourite person in the world, apart from my parents when they are in a good mood, is Martha. She has been coming to the house to help my aunt for as long as I can remember. She's old, very old, but she always has wonderful stories to tell us about her childhood in the Isle of Wight. I also like it when she hugs me, because she's so fat that it feels like hugging a polar bear. Well, at least I used to like the cuddle thing when I was small...
Anyway... back to what I was telling you. My aunt and uncle left for the party at around five. Uncle Geoff was looking positively uncomfortable in his tux. His hair looked as wild as usual and he kept on looking at his feet as if his shoes were somebody else's.
'Wow, Mum. You look beautiful!' Colin told Aunt Laura.
'Thanks, love. I think your father hasn't even noticed I'm wearing this new 1,000 pound dress,' she said winking at us.
Aunt Laura always buys her clothes second-hand, she was just teasing her husband, but I think he didn't even hear her, because he didn't utter a word.
As soon as we heard the car leaving, we looked at each other and smiled. I always like it when Colin smiles. One of his front teeth is chipped because he fell off a tree when he was eight and that, together with his freckles and his red hair, makes him look kind of sweet.
We went into the kitchen where Martha was drinking tea and waiting for the cookies in the oven to be ready.
'Can we have something to eat? I'm hungry,' I told her.
'I can make you a sandwich and when you finish it, you can have a piece of coconut cake each.'
Colin and I helped her to prepare our food and then sat down to listen to one of her stories. However, I wasn't as interested as other times because I couldn't stop thinking about our plan. I wondered if Colin felt the same way.
'Why don't you two go outside and play for a while before it gets dark?' Martha suggested when we finished eating.
'We don't play, Martha. We are ten!'
'So then go outside and do whatever big kids do. You need some fresh air.'
I followed Colin into the back garden. We both knew it was not a good idea to upset Martha. She was the most loving woman ever, but she didn't tolerate disobedience.
'Tree house?' Colin asked.
'Why not? We could read for a while.'
Colin's tree house is the main reason I would love to live in a house like his instead of in a flat in the centre of London. It's huge and has real windows. Inside, there's even a table and four chairs. He's got shelves on the walls and a working lamp hanging from the wooden ceiling. On the floor there's a fluffy carpet and lots of cushions I like to use as pillows when I lie down to read.
We stayed in the tree house for an hour or so and then went back.
'Don't make noise,' I told my cousin when he was about to open the door.
'I'm not stupid!'
We walked in on tiptoe. As we had expected, Martha had fallen asleep in front of the telly. One of her Spanish soap operas was on and the noise was deafening. She couldn't hear very well and she always turned up the volume as much as the remote would allow her.
We went upstairs and into my aunt and uncle's room.
'We shouldn't be here!' I said. I was starting to have second thoughts.
'Don't be such a baby...'
The search was easy. Maybe too easy. The key to the basement was in a drawer next to the bed.
Tackling the lock proved to be bit more difficult, but not much. I wondered why we had always assumed the lab would be impossible to get into. Maybe Uncle Geoff wasn't too careful because after all their house was totally isolated. And because, let's face it, he's your cliche scientist. So absent-minded!
The basement was dark, but we found a light switch almost immediately.
What I saw left me speechless. In my mind, I had pictured a dark, damp room full of boxes and cobwebs. It wasn't like that at all. The walls were painted white and there were lots of steel worktops and cabinets everywhere. At the far end of the room, we saw a huge metal ball-like contraption.
'What do you think that is?'
'No idea....'
'Let's find out.'
Once we were near, we noticed the 'thingy' had a round door.
'How do we open this?'
'I don't know. Let's try pushing this button.'
Nothing happened. The door stayed shut.
'Maybe we should go,' I said.
'Don't be a spoilsport. I bet this is a time machine or something like that.'
Suddenly we heard a thud inside the metal 'ball'.
'What was that?' Colin asked.
Before I could answer, the door opened on its own and we saw a little guy, just a bit taller than us. He was blue from head to toe and was wearing the most peculiar clothes.
He smiled at me and said, 'Are you Geoff? I'm Arvik. Thanks for inviting me to your home.'
Colin says that I fainted after that and teases me constantly. I tell him he's imagining it. I was just tired and hadn't eaten enough... not enough glucose in my blood, you know.
Arvik has become a great friend, so everything is well, but Uncle Geoff was so angry with us he took our phones for a whole week. Oh, well... Could have been worse.
He reminds me of Uncle Quentin in the Famous Five stories that I used to read when I was smaller. Of course, now that I'm ten, I'm into more serious stuff.
The last time I went to stay at my aunt and uncle's, I did something I shouldn't have done. But, I promise you it wasn't my idea. My cousin Colin put me up to it.
'They'll never find out,' he said.
'How can you be so sure?' I asked. I have never liked Colin's wild schemes. We usually end up being punished.
'They are going to some kind of gala tonight. Only Martha will be home with us and you know she always falls asleep on the sofa at around seven.'
I think I'm telling this story all the wrong way. There are a few things you need to know to understand better.
My uncle is a scientist. I haven't got a clue what exactly his research is about. I only know that he has lots of secret meetings in his lab. His lab, by the way, is in the basement of their ancient home.
Ever since we were six or younger, Colin and I have been trying to find out what he does. However, so far we have failed. The basement door is always locked and we have been told never to go in there or else...
My favourite person in the world, apart from my parents when they are in a good mood, is Martha. She has been coming to the house to help my aunt for as long as I can remember. She's old, very old, but she always has wonderful stories to tell us about her childhood in the Isle of Wight. I also like it when she hugs me, because she's so fat that it feels like hugging a polar bear. Well, at least I used to like the cuddle thing when I was small...
Anyway... back to what I was telling you. My aunt and uncle left for the party at around five. Uncle Geoff was looking positively uncomfortable in his tux. His hair looked as wild as usual and he kept on looking at his feet as if his shoes were somebody else's.
'Wow, Mum. You look beautiful!' Colin told Aunt Laura.
'Thanks, love. I think your father hasn't even noticed I'm wearing this new 1,000 pound dress,' she said winking at us.
Aunt Laura always buys her clothes second-hand, she was just teasing her husband, but I think he didn't even hear her, because he didn't utter a word.
As soon as we heard the car leaving, we looked at each other and smiled. I always like it when Colin smiles. One of his front teeth is chipped because he fell off a tree when he was eight and that, together with his freckles and his red hair, makes him look kind of sweet.
We went into the kitchen where Martha was drinking tea and waiting for the cookies in the oven to be ready.
'Can we have something to eat? I'm hungry,' I told her.
'I can make you a sandwich and when you finish it, you can have a piece of coconut cake each.'
Colin and I helped her to prepare our food and then sat down to listen to one of her stories. However, I wasn't as interested as other times because I couldn't stop thinking about our plan. I wondered if Colin felt the same way.
'Why don't you two go outside and play for a while before it gets dark?' Martha suggested when we finished eating.
'We don't play, Martha. We are ten!'
'So then go outside and do whatever big kids do. You need some fresh air.'
I followed Colin into the back garden. We both knew it was not a good idea to upset Martha. She was the most loving woman ever, but she didn't tolerate disobedience.
'Tree house?' Colin asked.
'Why not? We could read for a while.'
Colin's tree house is the main reason I would love to live in a house like his instead of in a flat in the centre of London. It's huge and has real windows. Inside, there's even a table and four chairs. He's got shelves on the walls and a working lamp hanging from the wooden ceiling. On the floor there's a fluffy carpet and lots of cushions I like to use as pillows when I lie down to read.
We stayed in the tree house for an hour or so and then went back.
'Don't make noise,' I told my cousin when he was about to open the door.
'I'm not stupid!'
We walked in on tiptoe. As we had expected, Martha had fallen asleep in front of the telly. One of her Spanish soap operas was on and the noise was deafening. She couldn't hear very well and she always turned up the volume as much as the remote would allow her.
We went upstairs and into my aunt and uncle's room.
'We shouldn't be here!' I said. I was starting to have second thoughts.
'Don't be such a baby...'
The search was easy. Maybe too easy. The key to the basement was in a drawer next to the bed.
Tackling the lock proved to be bit more difficult, but not much. I wondered why we had always assumed the lab would be impossible to get into. Maybe Uncle Geoff wasn't too careful because after all their house was totally isolated. And because, let's face it, he's your cliche scientist. So absent-minded!
The basement was dark, but we found a light switch almost immediately.
What I saw left me speechless. In my mind, I had pictured a dark, damp room full of boxes and cobwebs. It wasn't like that at all. The walls were painted white and there were lots of steel worktops and cabinets everywhere. At the far end of the room, we saw a huge metal ball-like contraption.
'What do you think that is?'
'No idea....'
'Let's find out.'
Once we were near, we noticed the 'thingy' had a round door.
'How do we open this?'
'I don't know. Let's try pushing this button.'
Nothing happened. The door stayed shut.
'Maybe we should go,' I said.
'Don't be a spoilsport. I bet this is a time machine or something like that.'
Suddenly we heard a thud inside the metal 'ball'.
'What was that?' Colin asked.
Before I could answer, the door opened on its own and we saw a little guy, just a bit taller than us. He was blue from head to toe and was wearing the most peculiar clothes.
He smiled at me and said, 'Are you Geoff? I'm Arvik. Thanks for inviting me to your home.'
Colin says that I fainted after that and teases me constantly. I tell him he's imagining it. I was just tired and hadn't eaten enough... not enough glucose in my blood, you know.
Arvik has become a great friend, so everything is well, but Uncle Geoff was so angry with us he took our phones for a whole week. Oh, well... Could have been worse.
 Recognized |
This story is the prequel to another one I wrote about an alien called Arvik who goes to a regular school.
I have written it for a student who told me she had enjoyed the previous one.
Pays
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and 2 member cents. I have written it for a student who told me she had enjoyed the previous one.
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