closer.
âGo home!â Jonny shouted, as loud as he could. It was something heâd heard his mother shout at dogs before. The dog-like thing cocked its head to the side.
âI donât want you to hit me,â it said.
âI donât want you to bite me,â said Jonny.
âBiting people is scary,â the dog-like thing said. âItâs all hard and painful and then they hit you. I donât bite people anymore.â
âAll right, then, why were you following me?â Jonny picked himself up. The thing definitely wasnât a dog. It was taller than Jonny and its fur had a feathery quality to it. Its eyes were big and green like new spring leaves on the tree outside Jonnyâs bedroom. Its feet were big too, and round like plates.
âI havenât seen anyone like you on this path for a long time,â it said, and Jonny nodded. He rubbed his muddy hands off on his shorts and shivered, because it really was cold.
âIâm going to the end of the rainbow,â Jonny said, but it was very dark now, and there was no rainbow left in the sky. âIâm Jonny. Whatâs your name?â
The thing made a woofing noise, which to Jonny sounded a bit like âruffâ so he made that its name, and together Jonny and Ruff walked the path for what felt like hours. Ruff stayed close to Jonnyâs side and he wasnât so cold any more, and when the twig goblins jumped out and tried to scratch him, Ruff growled and barked impressively, and they ran away.
Jonny was so tired, and his feet were sore and his legs were cold and he was wishing very hard for his bed and a warm cuddle from Mum. He stumbled and fell, skinning his knee, and he couldnât stop the tears from coming.
âWeâre almost there,â Ruff said, leaning against Jonny a little to share some heat, and Jonny nodded and pulled himself up again, one hand in Ruffâs feathery hair as they walked because it was comforting, like a teddy bearâs fur.
The trees seemed to lighten, become less scary, less dark and twisty and more leafy-green-friendly, and Jonnyâs tears stopped flowing. A spring came back into his step. There was a glowing light, like the branches were full of glow worms or fireflies, and Jonny heard soft singing.
A door opened in the path in front of him, and the light from it was as comforting as the nightlight he was too big to use anymore, except when there was a storm. Together, he and Ruff went through the door. Surely now, they were at the end of the rainbow.
There was a bed for him, certainly, and a beautiful lady wrapped him in the softest blanket and he got warm again very fast. Ruff curled in a circle at the foot of the bed. Fairies gathered to tell him how strong and brave heâd been.
âYou can rest now,â the voices said, rasping and quiet. âYouâre safe, youâll have gold.â Jonny caught one last glimpse of the world his parents inhabited before the door to the path closed forever, and he fell asleep.
Kiss Your Mother
Alan Lindsay
âT here! Right there. Thatâs where she hung herself.â
This was the last room, the largest, and the only one with a high ceiling. For all the anticipation of sneaking into the empty âhanging houseâ, the boys were getting bored. Then this. Six pairs of eyes watched as Bubâs bike lamp played on the beam above their heads.
âHow do you know?â asked Eric, annoyed at being trumped by his little brother.
âLook,â said Bub. âAll along the beam. Dust, dust, dust â no dust â dust. The rope mustâve knocked the dust off.â
The other boys followed the light.
âJeez, I reckon youâre right.â
âThat means she mustâve used one of these chairs,â said Jake.
âWhaâ dâyou mean?â
âYouâve got to stand on something and kick it away. Then your feet canât reach the ground and
âGo home!â Jonny shouted, as loud as he could. It was something heâd heard his mother shout at dogs before. The dog-like thing cocked its head to the side.
âI donât want you to hit me,â it said.
âI donât want you to bite me,â said Jonny.
âBiting people is scary,â the dog-like thing said. âItâs all hard and painful and then they hit you. I donât bite people anymore.â
âAll right, then, why were you following me?â Jonny picked himself up. The thing definitely wasnât a dog. It was taller than Jonny and its fur had a feathery quality to it. Its eyes were big and green like new spring leaves on the tree outside Jonnyâs bedroom. Its feet were big too, and round like plates.
âI havenât seen anyone like you on this path for a long time,â it said, and Jonny nodded. He rubbed his muddy hands off on his shorts and shivered, because it really was cold.
âIâm going to the end of the rainbow,â Jonny said, but it was very dark now, and there was no rainbow left in the sky. âIâm Jonny. Whatâs your name?â
The thing made a woofing noise, which to Jonny sounded a bit like âruffâ so he made that its name, and together Jonny and Ruff walked the path for what felt like hours. Ruff stayed close to Jonnyâs side and he wasnât so cold any more, and when the twig goblins jumped out and tried to scratch him, Ruff growled and barked impressively, and they ran away.
Jonny was so tired, and his feet were sore and his legs were cold and he was wishing very hard for his bed and a warm cuddle from Mum. He stumbled and fell, skinning his knee, and he couldnât stop the tears from coming.
âWeâre almost there,â Ruff said, leaning against Jonny a little to share some heat, and Jonny nodded and pulled himself up again, one hand in Ruffâs feathery hair as they walked because it was comforting, like a teddy bearâs fur.
The trees seemed to lighten, become less scary, less dark and twisty and more leafy-green-friendly, and Jonnyâs tears stopped flowing. A spring came back into his step. There was a glowing light, like the branches were full of glow worms or fireflies, and Jonny heard soft singing.
A door opened in the path in front of him, and the light from it was as comforting as the nightlight he was too big to use anymore, except when there was a storm. Together, he and Ruff went through the door. Surely now, they were at the end of the rainbow.
There was a bed for him, certainly, and a beautiful lady wrapped him in the softest blanket and he got warm again very fast. Ruff curled in a circle at the foot of the bed. Fairies gathered to tell him how strong and brave heâd been.
âYou can rest now,â the voices said, rasping and quiet. âYouâre safe, youâll have gold.â Jonny caught one last glimpse of the world his parents inhabited before the door to the path closed forever, and he fell asleep.
Kiss Your Mother
Alan Lindsay
âT here! Right there. Thatâs where she hung herself.â
This was the last room, the largest, and the only one with a high ceiling. For all the anticipation of sneaking into the empty âhanging houseâ, the boys were getting bored. Then this. Six pairs of eyes watched as Bubâs bike lamp played on the beam above their heads.
âHow do you know?â asked Eric, annoyed at being trumped by his little brother.
âLook,â said Bub. âAll along the beam. Dust, dust, dust â no dust â dust. The rope mustâve knocked the dust off.â
The other boys followed the light.
âJeez, I reckon youâre right.â
âThat means she mustâve used one of these chairs,â said Jake.
âWhaâ dâyou mean?â
âYouâve got to stand on something and kick it away. Then your feet canât reach the ground and
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