Katy Read online

  ‘What do they all like to eat?’ asked Dorry. ‘I’m the chief zookeeper and I do all the feeding.’

  ‘Will you play zoos with us, Katy?’ said Jonnie. ‘Oh please! We can put the zoo on the kitchen table so you can reach comfortably.’

  ‘Yes, you always get the best ideas and make it real,’ said Dorry.

  ‘Play now! And can I have all the dragons?’ said Phil.

  ‘Play later,’ said Izzie firmly. ‘I shall want to set the table for Christmas dinner. Now Elsie, go with Dad and help fetch Katy’s present from the garage.’

  ‘But I’ve already had my Christmas present: my lovely red Doc Martins,’ I said.

  ‘Well, just this once we’re giving you another present too,’ said Izzie. ‘Shut your eyes, Katy.’

  I shut my eyes obediently.

  ‘Wait till you see, Katy!’ Elsie called triumphantly.

  ‘Can you guess?’ said Clover, putting her arm round me.

  ‘Give me a clue,’ I said.

  ‘Well, it’s got wheels,’ said Clover, giggling.

  For a mad moment I thought she meant a new skateboard or a bike. And then I realized. It would be a new wheelchair. I felt painfully disappointed. My own wheelchair wasn’t quite right for me. It was an adult one because I’m so tall, but it was very heavy and clunky, the bog-standard sort. Dad and Izzie had been conferring for ages about getting me a lighter model. It was very kind of them, and generous, because fancy wheelchairs were very expensive, but who in the world would get excited about a wretched wheelchair as a Christmas present?

  Me! Elsie told me to open my eyes and she proudly pushed the most amazing wheelchair into the room, shiny and light and streamlined and bright red. It even had dyed crimson sheep’s wool on the seat for extra comfort.

  ‘Oh, I love it, I love it!’ I said.

  Dad took hold of me on one side and Izzie the other and they carefully lifted me into my new chair. It was like getting into a Ferrari after months of driving an old banger.

  ‘Wheeeee!’ I went, wheeling myself at top speed round and round the living room.

  ‘Hey, hey … you’ll knock us all over!’ said Dad. ‘So is it really comfy? It certainly looks the right size for you. We had to take such a chance ordering it, but we wanted it to be a surprise.’

  ‘And it’s a wonderful surprise. I absolutely love it. Thank you soooo much,’ I said, giving him a hug and then Izzie one too.

  ‘Let’s all go for a walk with Katy in her new wheelchair!’ said Clover.

  ‘Later. After dinner. Come on, we’ve still got lots of presents to open,’ said Izzie. ‘I’ve got one from Katy. I wonder what it is?’

  She seemed to love her little buttoned purse. Dad liked his wallet and immediately transferred his cash and credit cards into it. Clover and Elsie and Dorry and Jonnie and Phil liked their purses too. Dad gave them each a shiny silver fifty-pence coin to keep inside them.

  Then there was a further flurry of present-opening. We’d bought Sally and Tyler their own little stockings. Sally had a packet of Dreamies and a toy catnip mouse in hers. She had five Dreamies as a special Christmas treat and then retired to the back of the sofa, her mouse in her mouth. Tyler wasn’t very interested in his doggy chews or his new ball, but he loved the growing pile of wrapping paper. He kept jumping in it and tearing it and rolling in it, barking excitedly.

  I had two presents left. I was a little bit disappointed in Helen’s present. It was a DVD of the Paralympic Games.

  ‘What a thoughtful present, Katy, especially as you’re such a sporty girl. Helen’s so clever,’ said Dad proudly.

  It was almost too thoughtful. I didn’t want to watch any softie sports specially for the disabled. I was sure it would be very boring. I tossed it to one side and picked up Dexter’s present.

  It was a book, my very own book, Katy Superwheels. It wasn’t just one cartoon; it was a whole graphic novel about a girl in a wheelchair who goes to school and stands up for herself. Every time she argued with the head teacher her wheels grew so that she rose six feet in the air. She had many battles with an infuriating pretty girl – Dexter drew an absolutely perfect likeness of Eva even though he’d never seen her. The story ended with the school disco. Dexter had someone spiking the fruit punch with alcohol and everyone getting drunk. There were hilarious portraits of the teachers, and Katy Superwheels herself veered tipsily around, pursued by the handsomest boy in the room. They had a dance together, exactly like Ryan and me, only they ended up under a big sprig of mistletoe. The last picture was in the shape of a heart and there was a silhouette of a couple kissing.

  ‘Oh my God!’ said Clover, who’d been peering over my shoulder, reading along with me. ‘Did you and Ryan kiss?’

  ‘No! And nor did I get drunk!’ I said.

  ‘Why are you blushing, Katy? Let me see that book!’ said Izzie, sounding anxious. ‘What’s all this about drunkenness and kissing?’

  ‘It’s all fantasy, Izzie. A cartoon version of my life. Dexter always twists things about,’ I said.

  Izzie and Dad came to have a look.

  ‘He’s done it beautifully,’ said Dad. ‘This is the weird young man in the hospital, right? He’s actually very talented.’

  ‘And it’s so detailed, page after page. He must think a great deal of you, Katy,’ said Izzie.

  There was a little card too, but I didn’t show it to anyone. It was just for me.

  Dear Katy,

  Glad things are working out for you. You’ve made me consider going back to school myself. I’ll need A levels to get to art college.

  This book is my reply to all your emails. Keep them coming, kiddo.

  Love Dexter x

  It was so strange – this was somehow turning into the best Christmas ever. Izzie cooked a wonderful turkey dinner. Dorry ate ten roast potatoes with his and then had two portions of ice cream and begged for more.

  We helped Dad do the washing-up and then we all went for a walk to the park and back. I wheeled myself at a gentle pace, children all around me, but on the way home, the downhill stretch, I raced by myself, faster and faster.

  I’m Katy Carr, I’m Katy Carr, I’m Katy Carr I shouted inside my head and I felt Mum running along beside me, the way she had when I was tiny, pedalling my red car. She was still there. She always would be.

  When we got home Dad and Izzie dozed in front of the television while all us children played with the Magical Zoo. I made up all kinds of adventures for the creatures. We got so involved it felt as if we had unicorns pawing the living-room carpet, mermaids singing in the bathtub, dragons blowing fiery breath to warm our toes, phoenixes flying round the paper chains and dinosaurs sticking their vast leathery heads through the windows.

  When I went to bed that night I turned the pages of Dexter’s book again, relishing all the little details. I was still wide awake, so I slotted the first disc of Helen’s Paralympic DVD into the computer. I only planned to watch it for ten minutes but it was surprisingly riveting. The competitors were all so brilliant. This wasn’t softie sport – this was the real thing! I’d had no idea that people with all kinds of disabilities could achieve so much. There were only snatches of the men’s and women’s basketball but I replayed them over and over. It was real, competitive, skilled sport – and oh how I wanted to have a go!

  Mr Myers had given me the name and phone number of the guy who ran the basketball club. It was still scrunched up in the bottom of my book bag. I’d ring him as soon as the holidays were over. Maybe even sooner. I was desperate to start.

  I was fizzing with excitement. I played another disc, the opening ceremony this time. It was incredible: an imaginative recreation of The Tempest and a brave new world where everyone was equal, everyone was included, everyone had a chance to star as themselves. There was an amazing young woman in a wheelchair playing Miranda. She had fantastic blue streaks in her short hair and wonderful red sequin jeans. I watched her, spellbound. At the end everyone was dancing and singing and laughing �