Twin Tales Read online

  Charles and Claire started whimpering dismally in their carry-cots, as if they could understand what she was saying.

  ‘Oh dear, they’ve started again,’ said Mum, getting to her feet.

  ‘I’ll see to them. You go to bed,’ said Dad.

  ‘You’re not even listening to me,’ said Connie.

  ‘They probably just need changing. They can’t need another feed,’ said Mum.

  ‘I’ll take a look,’ said Dad, unbuttoning both babies.

  ‘Dad, you’re not going to change them in the kitchen?’ said Connie, pulling a face. ‘Pooh! I’m trying to eat my breakfast.’

  ‘And I’m trying to keep my patience!’ said Dad. ‘What’s up with you, Connie? How can you be so rude and selfish? Why can’t you help?’

  Part of Connie badly wanted to help. She hated Mum and Dad being cross with her. But she was cross, too.

  ‘Nobody asked me whether I wanted the twins. I’m part of this family, aren’t I? And now it’s all horrid and everyone’s cross and you all keep getting on to me. You don’t know what it’s like for me. I wish there was some way I could make you understand,’ Connie wailed.

  Just then the doorbell went. ‘It’ll be Granny,’ said Mum thankfully.

  But it wasn’t Granny. It was the District Nurse, come to check up on Mum and the babies.

  ‘Hello there. I’m Nurse Meade,’ she said, smiling.

  Connie smiled back, suddenly not feeling so cross. Nurse Meade had a friendly face and a bright blue frock and her long black hair was twisted into dozens of little plaits fastened with tiny blue glass beads.

  ‘Oh, I do like your hair!’ said Connie.

  ‘Do you, sweetheart?’ said Nurse Meade, bustling into the kitchen and nodding and smiling at Mum and Dad and the two bawling babies. ‘Well, tell you what. While Dad carries on changing your new baby brother and sister and Mum pops back to bed I’ll give you one little plait of your own, eh?’

  She lifted Connie up on to the draining board and twiddled with her hair. It seemed to be only a few seconds before Connie had her own tiny twisted plait bobbing about her ear. Nurse Meade even fastened it with two of her own blue glass beads.

  ‘There. Don’t you look pretty now,’ said Nurse Meade, showing Connie her reflection in the kettle. ‘You watch out for those blue beads now. They’re magic.’

  ‘Magic?’ said Connie, laughing. Who was Nurse Meade kidding?

  ‘Magic,’ said Nurse Meade, nodding her head vigorously, so that all the blue glass beads on the ends of her own plaits swung and sparkled in the sunlight.

  5. New Grannies

  Connie didn’t think much of Nurse Meade’s magic beads. She glanced over at the babies and twiddled one bead wistfully . . . but little Claire and little Charles carried right on crying in their cots.

  Connie went off to school with Dad. She was very late and Miss Peters was cross which wasn’t at all fair, because it really wasn’t Connie’s fault. At least Connie had managed to miss half the dreaded arithmetic lesson, but all the children had been told to get into pairs for a measuring and weighing project. Karen was always Connie’s partner, but Connie hadn’t been there and Karen had paired up with Angela Robinson. Connie couldn’t stick Angela Robinson. She went to ballet and was always showing off all the different dances she could do.

  When it was playtime Connie wanted to have a good long moan to Karen about the twins. Karen didn’t seem too keen. She wanted to prance about in the playground with Angela.

  ‘That’s not fair,’ said Connie.

  ‘You’re my friend, not Angela’s.’

  ‘Yes, well, I want to be Angela’s friend too,’ said Karen, and she pointed her toes and did a sort of twiddly skip towards Angela.

  Connie didn’t point her toes and do the twiddly skip. She hunched up in a corner of the playground by herself. She twiddled the blue beads instead of her legs, but wish as she might, Karen and Angela didn’t trip mid-twiddle and fall down on their bottoms.

  ‘Magic!’ Connie sighed. ‘There’s no such thing. I didn’t really believe that Nurse Meade.’

  When they went back into the classroom, Angela said in a very loud voice that she thought Connie’s hair looked stupid with one silly plait sticking out like that. Karen said she agreed. Connie said nothing at all. She decided she wasn’t Karen’s friend any more. She didn’t seem to be anyone’s friend at the moment. Not even Mum and Dad and Granny.

  ‘It’s all because of those twins,’ Connie brooded. ‘They’ve made everything horrid. And they’ve made me horrid too, so that no one likes me any more.’

  She felt very miserable indeed as she trailed across the playground at going home time. Karen usually came out with her, arm in arm, but Karen was busy arabesquing with Angela. Connie peered round for Granny. She hoped she wouldn’t give her a little lecture about being naughty. She didn’t want to be naughty. Granny didn’t understand what it was like.

  Connie pulled on her plait, twiddling the blue beads so agitatedly that they clinked together. There was a weird little blue spark at the corner of her eye. Connie blinked. Ah, there was Granny. No, wait a minute. There were two other women pushing in front of her. They were waving and smiling and calling.

  ‘Hello, Connie, sweetheart!’

  ‘Ah, don’t you look pretty, pet! Here, would you like some chocolate, darling, I’m sure you’re a bit peckish.’

  ‘And we’ll buy you an ice cream from the van. A giant 99 with strawberry sauce.’

  ‘We’ve got a surprise for you too, Connie! We’ve been busy knitting for our favourite little granddaughter.’

  Connie’s mouth was wide open in wonder. So was Granny’s.

  ‘What . . .? Who . . .?’ Granny stammered. Then she recovered a little, and barged between them. ‘Now get this straight! Connie is my granddaughter.’

  ‘She’s our granddaughter too, now.’

  ‘That’s right. We’re her new twin grannies.’

  They smiled twin grins and each took one of Connie’s hands.

  ‘But this is ridiculous! You can’t possibly be Connie’s grannies. She’s only got one granny – and that’s me!’ Granny protested.

  ‘You’re her old granny.’

  ‘We’re her new twin grannies and we’re much nicer, aren’t we, Connie?’

  The new twin grannies were remarkably like Connie’s real granny. They were the same height as Granny – but they were several stone lighter. They were wearing the same suit as Granny – but theirs looked much smarter. They had the same grey hair as Granny – but they had obviously just been to the hairdresser. They looked quite a lot younger than Granny, too.

  Connie didn’t know what to say. The twin grannies squeezed her hands, pulling her out of the playground and along the road. Connie’s real granny had to trot along behind.

  ‘You like us best, don’t you, Connie? Would you like a Mars Bar or a KitKat? No, I know, a Mars Bar and a KitKat.’

  ‘Of course you like us best. How about a jumbo ice lolly after your ice cream?’

  ‘Yes, please!’ said Connie. ‘I do like you both. Very much.’

  There was a little wail from Connie’s real granny as she puffed along the pavement, desperate to keep up.

  ‘Can we slow down a bit?’ said Connie. ‘My other granny’s getting left behind.’

  ‘Good job, too. She’s so bossy and bad-tempered.’

  ‘Can’t be bothered with you half the time. You don’t want her.’

  Connie’s real granny gave a moan and stumbled, nearly falling.

  ‘Granny!’ said Connie. She stopped. She swung her arms and snatched her hands away from the new twin grannies. ‘I like you. Well, I think I do. But I like my other granny, too. I like her just as much as you.’

  ‘Oh, Connie!’ said Granny and she straightened herself up and hugged Connie tight. They had a very long and loving hug. And when they looked up at last the new twin grannies had gone.

  6. Purple Puddles

  Granny bought C