and only takes the good stuff, like cakes and biscuits. Last Friday when he went off looking for robbery victims during lunch time, I casually strolled over and looked in his lunch box. There was nothing in there. Maybe he is stealing because he is hungry. I feel really sorry for him.
Ted and I went for a walk in the bush near a creek at the bottom of the school. We were looking for little fish in the creek when we saw movement in the bush. We bobbed down and watched carefully. You wouldn’t believe who it was, our Deputy Principal and her husband. She was going off at him because he had forgotten the bait for their fishing expedition. He kept saying, “Yes dear” – “No dear” – “I know dear.” It was so funny! Ted and I looked at each other and our bodies started to shake from trying to stop the laughter escaping from our mouths. Anyway they kept on walking along the path. Funny how some people are like that, bossy at work and bossy on the weekends! That poor man! If I was him I would wear ear plugs.
We played around for a bit longer, seeing who could skip the flat rocks as we tossed them across the water. My best rock skipped 6 times, pretty impressive! I had to leave because Dad would be home soon, but Ted was going to hang around for a bit longer, his Dad was playing golf with his friends (he does that every Sunday).
Monday
Guess what, there is a school competition and you can win passes to Water World Park. I really want to win! It would be so much fun. I love waterslides!!!!
Tuesday
I entered the waterslide competition today. I’m in a group with Gretel and Madonna (she told me to call her Maddi for short). The girls are really keen to win too. I hope I don’t let them down. They asked me to take care of the graphics. I’m kind of excited about this because I’m pretty good at designing on the computer. I also like painting and drawing pictures, so that will definitely help as well.
I really like Maddi. She is really pretty, she has great hair and really beautiful eyes; when she smiles her face lights up. And she gives off a really positive vibe. When I am near her I feel funny inside, a little nervous and a little excited. I can’t wait to go to school tomorrow and tell her about my ideas for our project.
Wednesday
Maddi and Gretel really like my ideas! Maddi told me that I am very creative and smart. This is SO COOL! That is what my Mom used to say to me. I know that Mom would really like Maddi.
During lunch time I was about to walk around the corner when I heard my name. So I stopped and listened. It was Maddi talking to Gretel. They were saying how happy they are that I’m in their group for the competition. Then I heard Gretel say, “And he’s such a nice boy.” Awww that’s so nice. But then I heard something that almost made me fall over. Maddi told Gretel that she likes to make up names for people and my secret name is Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. I didn’t know what to do. I know I blushed to the deepest shade of purple possible. Then I held my breath and slowly took a few steps backwards, spun around and quickly walked away.
Surely she is joking. Me…tall, dark and handsome, it has to be a joke! Secretly, I hope it isn’t. Maddi makes me feel good. She makes me feel happy. I think I like her a lot.
Thursday
Today was try-out day for school sport. There was a choice of basketball (great for all the giants), football (the jocks have that one stitched up) and soccer. So I decided to try out for soccer, it isn’t as rough and I thought I’d have a chance.
I have a tendency to daydream. I glanced over at the girls’ groups and saw Maddi holding a soccer ball. I was imagining myself being a school soccer star thinking how Maddi would be so impressed and wasn’t really listening to the teacher giving directions. So off I walked with a group of boys. We were divided into two teams and walked out onto the field. That was when I noticed some of the boys around me. Why were the jocks trying out for soccer? Where were the soccer nets? Why wasn’t the ball round?
Then the ball came flying into my hands. Oh no! It’s a football! That is when Dan (they call him Dan the man) came bearing down on me. He hit me like a ten-ton truck. The ball flew out of my hands and I was flat on my back. I heard the whistle blow and saw faces looking down on me. They picked me up and carried me off the field. Dazed but still alive (only just) I walked to the benches and thought about my mistake. In future, I’m going to listen!
The really bad thing is that by the time I recovered and went over to the soccer try-outs, the teams were filled. So that means I have to do alternate sport. All the kids call it reject sport. There are five choices for reject sport: yoga, gym, ball skills, history club, math games and computer graphics. We had to put a number next to each activity from 1 to 6. I put one next to computer graphics and 6 next to all the other choices. Then I drew a smiley face next to my top choice. I hope the teachers understand that I REALLY want to do computer graphics.
Friday
Oh NO! I can’t believe it…they put me in the history club group. My friends are in ball skills and computer graphics. How can they justify having stupid things like history club in reject sport? I told Dad, but he just grunted. I’m really NOT looking forward to next Thursday! Seriously!!!!!
Saturday
Today I worked on our project for the Water World Competition. The pictures look great! The girls are going to love them. When I grow up I think I’d like to have my own business. I could design logos, banners and pictures for websites. That would be so much fun.
When I was little I wanted to be a rubbish collection man. Every time the rubbish truck came past I’d run to the front yard and watch. Then one day, Mom took me out to meet him. He let me smell inside the truck. Boy did it stink! He told me to choose another job or have that smell in my nose for the rest of my life. At the time, I thought he was a bit mean to destroy my dream of becoming a rubbish man. But over the years, every time Mom and I saw a rubbish truck we would look at each other and laugh.
Who knows…I might end up being the next Steve Jobs. Imagine inventing a new type of computer system! How exciting would that be! Or designing a new game or making animations for a film. See, I told you I am a dreamer.
Sunday
Today I asked Dad about the fob watch. He had a really black look on his face. “Richard, your Mom came from a crazy family. They had lots of weird ideas and used to make up stupid stories. It is just a watch. It has no special powers.”
This was what I expected him to say. What do I do now? Should I just put it away and forget about it? I struggled with this thought all day long. Grandma Mary was a bit weird…but Mom wasn’t. And in her letter she said that she wanted me to explore it. Dad probably said the same thing to her. So I grabbed the watch and put it in my pocket, climbed an oak tree in the backyard and asked Mom what to do. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for an answer, but nothing came.
I held the watch in my hand and gently rubbed it. I thought about Richard the Lion Heart during his crusade to win back the holy land. The year was 1191. My history teacher had told us gruesome stories about both sides. I was thinking about the Christians marching to Jerusalem and then...
My vision blurred and I felt like I was falling through a tunnel of darkness. All around me were a mish-mash of sounds, some voices talking in languages I didn't understand, animal noises and a variety of banging, crashing and creaking sounds.
Next thing I knew I had hit the ground with a thump and I laid there stunned. I must've fallen out of the tree. As I lay on the ground in front of my eyes there wasn't the soft green grass of my backyard… but a dry dusty mixture of gravel, sand and larger rocks.
What was going on, where was I? "Move boy!" growled a rough, loud voice. I looked up to see a medieval knight mounted on a huge horse almost walking on top of me. I rolled to the side, out of his way and came to a halt against the block wall. As I scrambled to my feet, I looked up at the wall. It was huge and stretched up above me. It wasn't just a wall, it was the inside wall of an olden day castle. Above me I could see soldiers in chain mail walking along the top and above them on two poles were large flags t
hat flapped in the breeze. One of the flags was red with three yellow lions on it. The other flag was blue with a white cross.
"Which way to the palace?" I just stared dumbly at him, stunned by what was going on. "What's wrong boy, have the Saracens cut out your tongue?” asked the gruff old knight. His fellow knight nudged his horse closer and eyed me up and down. "Those are strange clothes you have on boy, where'd you come from?" he asked. "I'm from Harper Valley sir,” I replied. The sir just popped out, but it did seem appropriate when talking to a large man in armor with a sword towering over me on a huge horse.
"Sir Edward," said the second knight, "there is something strange about this fellow, he could be a spy for the Saracens, we should take him with us to the palace." "Walter get a rope on him and bring him with us." Suddenly I noticed a third man dressed in long robes as he came riding towards us on a small horse. He looked younger than the other two. He pulled the rope from his saddle swinging a loop of it in the air and launched it at me. The loop landed around my neck and the men watched as Walter pulled it tight. I reached up to try and pull it off when all three started to ride off. I was pulled in a stumbling run behind them. I forgot about pulling the rope from my neck and just