Naughty Naughty girl!

No!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Lisa

  “Lisa! Go and get me five carrots please!”

  “No!!!!!!!!!!!!”

  “Lisa! Do as you are told!”

  “No!!!!!!!!!!!!”

  I am nine years old, had velvety long brown hair and glistening green eyes. I wear pretty pink dresses all the time, even in winter. I do not go to school because I have a tutor to teach me at home.

  Everyone thinks I look adorable. But I am really naughty! A normal day in my house would go like this:

  Morning: Spill milk all over carpet and then draw all over walls. Paint all chairs on seats. Pull all buttons off Mum and Dad’s clothes. Use buttons to ambush Dad on landing, also use shower head.

  Afternoon: Write rude words in bathroom all over walls. Run to park and cheek gang. Run away then spray paint side of bus. Earn another gang’s trust for this and return home. Then leave all taps on in house, watch flooding.

  Evening: Block up toilet and put mouse traps in Mum and Dad’s bed. Eat a big snack then pour water over Mum’s favourite outfit. Run straight to room and un-tidy everything.

  Night: Play out with gang 2 (The eastern Eagles) until Mum and Dad start shouting. Go in and draw faces all over homework. Go to bed but when Mum and Dad asleep go downstairs and steal food from fridge. Read gigantic book for rest of night. No sleeping!

  See? That’s how awful I am. My parents have given up telling me off, I only like my Gran, my brother Ryan, my dog spot and my baby sister Juliet, and I am so tough, nothing makes me cry. Not even when one of the members of Gang 1 (The Barbaric Bears) hit me really hard 2 years ago (Big mistake) I just beat him up. And I was 7 and he was 14. I know right. Twice my age.

  Anyway, this particular morning I feel very naughty, so I will do everything on my list (Twice!). But I have a reason to do it. Anger boils up inside me and I keep it from controlling me by being naughty. I get angry because my tutor Mrs White is very strict and has a terrible temper, and keeps shouting at me to keep my back straight and my hair tidy.

  I never daydream through my lessons and am a very bright and clever girl. I get caned even when I am sitting up straight and my hair was tidy. So I live in anger and pain and naughtiness. But Mrs White says I am ‘Telling tales as usual’. But I don’t tell tales!

  I have no friends because my street is filled with adults. Yuck! But one Sunday I went to my Gran’s house. Ryan and Juliet stayed at home with a baby sitter. It is a long way and I fell asleep in the car. My dad talked to my mum about something boring. Then we arrived.

  It is a beautiful little cottage, hidden away in the woods, with a lovely green garden tucked into it like a napkin. In the garden is a row of snapdragons, a row of Laburnums, a row of sun flowers and a row of giant daisies.

  The house is covered in ivy and is made out of dusty, red bricks. The windows have been cleaned until they sparkled and the door has been painted forestry green. The path leading up to the house is made out of white stones and Gran was standing at the door, waving madly.

  “Lisa darling! Come on!” Gran shouted. I ran to the boot of the car, took out my suitcase and sprinted up the path, and didn’t even say goodbye to mum and dad.

  “Lisa, you get to stay here for 6 weeks!” Gran laughed. I secretly loved it at Gran’s.

  “Why don’t you go and explore for a bit?” Asked Gran.

  “Yes Please!” I smiled

  I ran off through the trees, dodging the prickly bushes until I arrived at a hole. Inside I heard slithering. My heart raced. Slithering (To me) means one thing... Snakes!

  One slithered out of the hole! It was a white Cobra! I screamed and ran back as fast as I could! It took no notice of me and carried on slipping between the leaves on the ground.

  I ran a lot of the way back, and then stopped at a large oak tree. I then lay down on the floor underneath it and slept.

  Worrying

  Gran

  ‘Oh no! Why is my Lisa not back? She has been gone ever so long! I hope she is not hurt!’ All these thoughts are whirling through my head.

  “She’s probably fine!” I said aloud. Maybe she just got lost. I thought. But I wasn’t so sure. Finally I saw her face in the woods.

  “Lisa!” I cried. She ran over to me.

  “Gran!” She laughed. “I just lost track of time!”

  “I have been so worried!” I said. And I was. She came in and I gave her some milk and cookies.

  She said she had seen a giant nest of snakes. I hope... never mind. She seemed happy enough. I then made a beef hot pot for tea. She swallowed it down. Then a lovely plate of profiteroles saw her off to bed.

  What? About the snakes? Oh. Just one of my many unknown pet... oh bother! I’ve gone and told you. Nether mind. Another time, perhaps. But I’m still worried...

  Snakes!

  Lisa

  When I woke up I heard a noise... like a slithering! Snakes! Not again! I curled up into my white bed and held my screams as the white cobra slid over my bed.

  “Morning.” It slithered and I silently screamed.

  “M...M....Morning.”I quavered.

  “Tell me. About you. Are you naughty or good? Answersssssssss, please.”

  “W...Well I guess I am n...n...naughty.”

  “Do you want to be good?”

  “Well... I guess so.”

  “Then I will teach you. As long as you save my life in return. Deal?”

  “Deal!”

  “Tomorrow pleasssssssse.”

  He then slithered away. I stayed in bed for a second and then I crept downstairs. Gran was making pancakes. My favourite! I ran through the doorway and leaped into my seat. Gran gave me 5 pancakes! Yum! Then I sat down with a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a poem:

  Forever loving

  Asking you things

  Making things for you

  If you are sad, they make you happy

  Loving and caring for you

  Yet never letting you go

  I think it is very good. So does Gran. I also drew a picture of my mum and dad, Ryan and Juliet, my dog spot and me. It looked like this:

  Yeah ok. Not the best ever picture but what the hey? My Nan drew me in stick mode:

  That’s nice, you have to admit. She is a great drawer. She was even an artist before she retired. She still draws pictures, though.

  Some people get Barbie dolls and footballs off their Gran’s. But my family get pictures. Sometimes simple ones, sometimes confusing ones. I like them all the same.

  Nan then did my hair into three plaits tied together! Then she undid it and combed my beautiful brown hair and let it flow well past my shoulders. I then went outside into the beautiful garden.

  The garden had short grass, dandelions, daisies, snowdrops and sunflowers muddled about behind a giant red brick wall with a small glass gate leading to the woods in it. I played around for a bit and then lay down on the silky grass, staring at the cotton candy cloud. Then Gran called me in her shaky voice. Was it Bedtime already? I rushed inside.

  The next day I went into the forest. And I saw the snake.

  A snaky lesson

  The snake

  I saw the girl coming towards me and I slithered towards her, my red eyes and blue scales shone in the sun. She knelt down next to me.

  “So...” She began but I interrupted.

  “Firssssst lessssson. Mannerssssssss.” I hissed.

  I then taught her to say please, thank you and all at the right times, letting other people through a door first and not interrupting someone’s conversation.

  “You are a quick learner. Come back tomorrow.” I hissed.

  So the next few days she came to me at lunchtime, brought me a bit of her lunch and then I taught her.


  First table manners, then pleasing manners, then all the other sort of manners followed. On the last day she came to me, I said it was test day. She looked scared but said bravely, “Ok.”

  I then asked her five questions on each sort of manners.

  She got every single one right! I then said the lessons were over, and she went away. And I had my tea.

  Manners

  Gran

  When Lisa got back from the forest she looked different. Not only that, she acted different. She said please and thank you, used long lost table manners and politely said she wanted to go to bed early!

  I stayed up, wondering. Perhaps I should tell you. When I was a little girl, I had a pet snake. It was called Indigo because in the evening its dark blue scales looked purple-blue. One day it started talking to me. It told me many snake secrets. But then it wandered off into the wild, never to be seen again.

  I am still sad about it. Indigo could be teaching her, but for what? She would need to give him something in return.

  Maybe... no. What? Nothing. Just thinking. But Indigo was a very clever snake. Always making deals with me. 10 mice if I won a race, 6 birds if I made him a pie... oh, funny things. Things only a snake would think of.

  Anyway, her manners improved greatly, even if it was only not asking for sweets all the time and pocket money, things like that.

  I started thinking about Indigo a lot, and drawing him too. Here’s a picture of him:

  Very good, you’ll say. To me, a masterpiece but I darn’t let Lisa see it. She’d ask. Indigo hasn’t cured her curiosity... yet.

  Oh, my Lisa. So complicated to explain to her, yet I feel she’d understand, she is such a quiet girl but oh has such a big heart...

  How?

  Lisa

  I feel that Gran knows something. Well, of course she does, she’s not stupid. But now when I talk to her it goes like this:

  “Gran?”

  “Yes dear?”

  “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pet...”

  “Snake?” She’d interrupt. “Of course Lisa.”

  “Did you ever have a pet?”

  “No.”

  “Looked after one?”

  “Stop asking silly questions. Wash the dishes and then go outside.”

  See? Like mum says every day. ‘Stop asking silly questions.’ My Gran never does that.

  Maybe she does own the snake, but I can’t jump to conclusions. I don’t want to alarm her either by telling her I’ve found her snake. What is she hiding?

  That day I went down to the woods to find something peculiar. The snake’s nest was empty! The snake was gone!

  I cried for it. Why? Because I saw a snake removal van. The man getting in it had a cage in his hand. Inside it was... Indigo! (He had told me his name)

  I ran after it! My salty tears fell bitterly down my cheeks. Indigo saw me through the window. I needed to save him! I ran faster. Faster, Faster. Then I grabbed onto the truck and lay on the roof, panting.

  The next thing I did, after my sleep, was to sit up straight so no one saw me. But the catch on the door of the van was unlocked! I swung into it quickly. Inside were snakes of all sizes and colours! Then a man saw me!

  He yelled and grabbed me! Then he tied me up and climbed into the driver’s seat, locking the door. I cried again. Then I heard voices.

  “Can she hear us?”

  “Will she help us?”

  “Ask her!”

  I looked at the snakes in astonishment.

  “Yes I will help you, O great snakes, but pray, where is Indigo?”

  “King Indigo? What do you want with our king?” A pale yellow corn snake asked her bravely.

  I told them about my deal with Indigo (Or, as I must call him, King Indigo) They understood about me needing to save him and about Gran having him as a pet.

  Then a viper looked at me through beady eyes.

  “He’s in the front with the driver. They just found him. They found me ages ago. By the way, I’m Miss Locket. Call me Miss Locky.”

  “Ok. So how do I get to him?”

  “Wait till we stop.”

  So I learnt the names of all the snakes, then they told me stories about great snake kingdoms and snake secrets. How I was lucky to be able to listen to them.

  Then the van screeched to a halt. I was thrown forward. We were at a traffic light. Then I saw Miss Locky! Out of her cage! She slithered over to me.

  “Want to be free?” She asked me.

  “Yeah.” I whispered.

  She bit into my ropes and undid them. Then I grabbed the keys off the hook and I unlocked all of the cages and opened the window to the drivers seat.

  The snakes swarmed over the driver and I tried to unlock Indigo’s cage. But it was too stiff! The man caught me by the scruff of my neck and took me into a building with Indigo! But it was a giant cage! He unlocked Indigo and put him in with me, then locked the door and went away. What would we do now?

  Cages

  Indigo

  I could easily escape but I didn’t want to leave poor Lisa. I wish I never did that deal. Then she wouldn’t have come looking for me, or ran after the van, or get locked up.

  And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell her that I was the king snake. She stroked me gently, despite these things.

  “Lisa?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry for not telling you I was king.”

  “It’s ok.”

  Then there was a silence. The cage had no key, no guard and no door. We were trapped. And Lisa shouldn’t have been trapped.

  Only the other snakes were free. But I knew that they wouldn’t come. They were scared of the man. I shall describe him for you:

  He had black hair, black gloves and black eyes. He wore black clothes and had a heart of stone. His nose was alarmingly huge. He must have been ashamed of it. He scared Lisa, I know that much.

  Lisa backed off into a corner of the tiny cage. She was petrified.

  “G...Gran w...will h...help. I l...l...left her a n...note t...telling her to f...follow the v...v...van.”

  “Good girl. Your gran isssss an expert ssssspotter.”

  Half an hour passed. No Gran.

  An hour and a half passed. No Gran.

  But when an hour and a half passed, we heard the old rumble of Lisa’s Gran’s old car. It slowed to a stop outside.

  Lisa’s Gran rushed in. And wasn’t she worried!

  My Lisa!

  Gran

  I rushed into the dimly lit room to find my Lisa and Indigo in a cage with no door! I ran over to lisa. Her face was ghostly pale.

  I then saw a button on the wall. I pressed it. All at once the creaking cage lifted up! Lisa ran to me and hugged me tight.

  “Let’s get both of you home, King Indigo!”

  In the car Indigo and I explained to Lisa how he was once my pet.

  Lisa ooohed and ahhhed. I guessed that Indigo would now stay with us, forever. As I parked up on my driveway, Indigo said something.

  “I wonder what happened to that man.” He slithered.

  “Oh! You don’t mean Mr Slitherstone do you? He ran off as soon as he saw me. I wonder if I look like a police lady...”

  We spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and joking, Lisa being very polite if she didn’t get our jokes and hearing bits of our story, good and bad.

  I knew Lisa left in three days. I had to do something for her. But what? I asked Indigo this when Lisa had went to bed.

  “What can we do?” I asked him.

  “A sssssnake party?” He asked me.

  “Maybe! But first, what is a snake party?”

  “ ‘tis a party where snakes go to dance all night and eat all day. Lassssts until around midnight.”

  “Perfect. Down at your hole the day after tomorrow, the day before Lisa leaves?”

  “You got it.”

  Gran started sewing Lisa a party dress. It was a purple dress with silver sequins on it and
snake patterns.

  Indigo tidied up his nest and told Gran what food to make.

  “Ssssso, could you make a cake with a sssssnake on top? Prefably me?”

  “Ok Indigo.” I smiled.

  Lisa knew nothing of this. She played in the garden and in the woods, only coming in for dinner and tea.

  Soon everything was set. The next morning I led Lisa down to the snakes hole.

  A snake party!

  Lisa

  I couldn’t believe my eyes! The hole that I had once been afraid of was now transformed! Snake decorations and banners saying ’We’ll miss you Lisa!’ and ’Come back soon!’ covered the entrance and walls!

  On a table outside Indigo was putting down snake cakes and snake muffins and snake cupcakes! I bit eagerly into a snake cupcake while they sang a song called ’Come back soon Lisa!’

  I then cut the cake, letting Indigo have the giant blue snake figure on top. He gave me an eye, which was huge! I joke that the snake was now blind, and we all laughed.

  Then Indigo invited us into his hole. It was really amazing! It had pieces of wooden furniture, just for snakes! And a bed which was really long!

  He showed me a picture of my Gran when she had him. She looked very pretty. She had lovely long brown hair and a pretty purple dress.

  Oh, that reminds me! Gran gave me a purple party dress with sequins and snake patterns on it! It was made out of real silk and she made it herself!

  I love my Gran. I love Indigo. I love them both! They both love me! The party was great! Gran had gave me a picture of her and Indigo that she had drew herself.

  Indigo gave me a snake skin bag, made out of some of his old skin. Gran had sewed it together. They both had worked very hard on their presents.

  Then I surprised them! I gave Indigo a little cross stitch picture of me, Gran and Indigo. I gave Gran a proper sized one. Every time I had went into the garden or woods I had taught myself to cross stitch. I had started with roses and tulips around me, then moved onto trees, then tried squirrels.