April
Shower was a little girl who hated water. When it rained, she wore a
scowl and angrily brushed away spits from her face. She wouldn't wear
a hood, but she would open up her spotted umbrella and walk with
small fast steps holding it over her head. or shelter under it with
her feet tightly paired together. If she was inside, she liked
hearing its pitter-patter on the roof or watching it race down the
window. She would wait to see the sun peep from the clouds, but
secretly she hoped to catch a rainbow. “Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue...” She sang to herself one rainy Friday afternoon, her voice trailing off to hum the rest of the tune. As she hummed, she continued with her colouring, a stick family outside their house with a rainbow in the background. April was staying with Gran as her parents had gone away and wouldn't be back until Saturday. She had one whole day. What could her and Gran get up to? She poked her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and drew purple flowers in her picture.
“That's lovely April.” Gran said placing a glass of squash and a chocolate biscuit beside her. “What shall we do tomorrow?”
“Can we feed the ducks please?” April said through a mouthful of biscuit.
“I don't see why not. We'll get some stale bread from the corner shop, and then in the afternoon you can help me make jam tarts.” Gran said wiping her hands on her apron.
“My favourite!” Squealed April, thinking how she loved to sieve the jam through tights.
“That's settled then, but I want these things cleared away and the table laid.”
“Yes Gran!” April trilled, zipping her crayons into her pencil case.
“Knives, forks, spoons. Knives, forks, spoons...” She recited as she set the table.
For the rest of the evening, April was good. She ate all her vegetables up and didn't make a fuss when she was sent to bed. “Night Gran. Ducks and jam tarts tomorrow!” She excitedly said, giving Gran a kiss on the cheek.
In the morning when she woke, she quickly got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. There's your dippy egg with soldiers.” Gran said spreading a thin layer of marmalade on her toast and indicating April's place at the table.
“Can we go now Gran?” April asked as soon as she'd finished.
“Yes, if you brush your teeth and put on a jumper.” Gran had to shout as April had already jumped up from the table.
As they
left, the sun was shining, and April skipped ahead to buy stale bread
from Mr. Ahmed. Gran puffing behind her. From the shop, they crossed
over the road to the pond on the other side. The ducks ran to greet
them and pecked at the bread's plastic covering.“Wait Greedy!” April told a duck, as he ripped a whole slice of bread from her hand. She hurriedly tore up crusts and threw them to the ducks around her. The sun had gone in and splodges of rain were falling. The ducks ruffled their feathers, quacking with pleasure.
“Gran,
it's raining.” April whimpered, “And we don't have an umbrella.”“Now April, don't be silly. It's just a passing shower. A spot of rain can't harm you.”
Gran was right; rain didn't hurt and when it was fine beads, the sun came back out.
“Look April!” Gran exclaimed looking upwards.
Overhead was a beautiful rainbow. April flung her arms around her Gran and sang, “I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow and I've seen a rainbow too.”
