The Green Book – A Children’s Story

The Green Book is now published on Amazon’s Kindle. I’ve left the first chapter here as a taster. I hope you enjoy.

Secret Spells

Alana loved the long light days of summer. There was endless time to play with friends and freedom to explore the countryside as long as they all stayed in a group. She knew that Adam, Kirsty and Kurt would be playing football at the Rec this morning, so she felt particularly cross when her father sent her to tidy up her bedroom.
‘And don’t just shove everything behind the bed,’ Dad shouted. ‘I shall be up to check.’
Alana liked her room the way it was. She slumped down on the bed. ‘Why were parents so hung up about keeping the house tidy? It’d only get messy again,’ she thought, and it was then she noticed a small dark green book on the floor. ‘Strange, have Nana and Papa been to the boot fair again?’ They were always buying lovely presents for her and her brother Isaac. On the front of the book the title was lettered in gold: Secret Spell Book for Ten Year Olds.
‘I must remember to say thank you when they come over,’ she thought and bent and picked it up.
It made a Brrr sound, shook a little and flipped open to a page entitled, ‘How to Tidy Your Bedroom in a Minute’.
Alana read the page carefully. It said you had to say this awfully long word and your bedroom would tidy itself. Of course being a very bright girl she didn’t believe a word of it, but just in case she thought she’d have a go. She broke the word down into small parts and said each part carefully.
‘Bedrooma/a/cleario/uppa/messio/ka.’
All of a sudden, her toys and clothes lifted themselves off the floor. She watched in amazement, but then everything started flying around her head. Books whizzed up to the bookcase and then jiggled themselves upright and popped into place. Clothes folded themselves and jumped into drawers. Dolls found spare limbs and made themselves whole again. Her collection of rocks zoomed into the correct compartments of their display box. Alana had to put her arms round her head to stop herself being hit by anything.
Then all was quiet. She looked round her room and it was immaculate. Alana smiled.
‘That was so much fun,’ she thought, so she went into the next room where Isaac was playing with his dinosaurs.
‘I’ve got a secret Isaac,’ she said. ‘Come and sit over here in the corner with me and watch.’ She didn’t want him hurt, when the toys started flying.
Still holding the book she read out:
‘Bedroomaacleariouppamessioka.’
‘What are we doing?’ said Isaac.
‘Just watch,’ said Alana and as she spoke all the dinosaurs rose from the floor. They seemed to become alive. She was sure one of them blinked. They flew round the room and landed in their box. Cars rolled into their garage. Books emerged from all sorts of hidden places and zapped themselves into the bookcase. Alana and Isaac watched engrossed in the scene before them.
Five minutes later when Dad came to check her room, she was just sliding the spell book under her pillow. She didn’t want to lose it.
‘Oh you have worked hard Alana. Thank you. I’ll walk you up to the Rec so you can play football with your friends. Isaac do you want to come with us?’
‘No Dad. Alana magicked all my dinosaurs away and I want to get them out again. I’ll stay with Mum.’
Dad gave an indulgent smile, ‘That brother of yours has such an imagination!’
Alana raised her eyebrows but she couldn’t help grinning.

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