Fizzy Friends
A Lavender Cushion Story
by Jacqui Brown
(special web release)
by Jacqui Brown
(special web release)
‘Lavender,’ a small voice called from over the back fence. ‘Are you there?’
‘I’m here, Christopher,’ Lavender called back. She moved her small plastic chair to the fence and climbed up. Standing on the seat on her tippy toes, she could just peer into the neighbour’s garden. ‘I can’t come over to play today. Mummy said I have to stay in the back garden.’
‘Me, too,’ said Christopher. ‘But there’s nothing to do here. Do you want to meet me at the floppy plank?’
‘Alright!’ Lavender climbed down and ran to the bottom of the garden where the loose plank in the fence that ran between their back gardens was. She sat down cross-legged and waited. The paling began to move as Christopher pushed at it from the other side. They grinned at each other through the gap.
‘I was going to play with Miss Bobby-Socks, but she’s off looking for her string,’ said Lavender.
‘Dad’s taken Tank and Turbo for a walk,’ said Christopher. ‘I suppose I could kick the soccer ball. But there’s no-one to kick it back.’
‘I wanted to swing, but I can’t get high if there’s no-one to push me.’
‘We could race snails?’
‘Ew!’ said Lavender. ‘Cartwheel competition?’
Christopher screwed up his nose. There was a pause. ‘Thumb wars?’
Lavender and Christopher reached for each other’s hand through the gap. One two three four, I declare a thumb war,’ they shouted together. There was a flurry of thumb movement, but in seconds, Lavender had Christopher’s thumb squashed under her own. ‘You’re really not getting better at it, are you?’
Christopher shook his head. ‘I went to a birthday party yesterday. I heard about a drink called a ‘spider’.
‘A spider? What’s that?’
‘You get a fizzy drink, put ice cream in it, and it fizzes and bubbles everywhere – you have to drink it really fast or it explodes!’
‘Ooh,’ said Lavender with big wide eyes. ‘I wish we could try it.’
‘Me too,’ said Christopher.
‘But we can’t,’ said Lavender.
‘Because we’d need a cup. I have one of those. But we also need straws.’
‘I have straws.’ said Lavender. ‘If only we had ….’
‘Ice cream!’ said Christopher.
‘Fizzy drink,’ said Lavender, at exactly the same time. They stared at each other.
‘But I have fizzy drink!’ said Christopher.
‘And I have ice cream!’ said Lavender.
‘Meet you back here!’
Lavender ran inside. She climbed onto the kitchen bench and found the ice cream in the freezer. Then she searched through the kitchen drawer and pulled out two stripy long straws.
Lavender and Christopher met back at the floppy plank. Christopher put a plastic cup on the grass between them, and poured the fizzy drink in. Lavender handed him a straw and kept one for herself. ‘Are you ready? On the count of three.’
‘One,’ said Christopher. Lavender unwrapped the ice cream.
‘Two,’ said Christopher. Lavender held it above the cup of fizzy drink.
‘Three!’ Lavender dropped the ice cream into the cup. The drink bubbled and foamed. Then it fizzed over the top of the cup!
‘Quick!’
They stuck in the straws and began to suck and suck. Christopher snorted as fizzy went up his nose. Lavender started to laugh. ‘Keep drinking,’ she yelled. The fizzy was tingling her tongue. Finally there was a slurping noise as their straws reached the very bottom. They laid back on the grass, each still in their own backyard, and giggled.
‘That was fun!’ said Lavender.
‘Best morning ever!’ said Christopher.
‘I’m here, Christopher,’ Lavender called back. She moved her small plastic chair to the fence and climbed up. Standing on the seat on her tippy toes, she could just peer into the neighbour’s garden. ‘I can’t come over to play today. Mummy said I have to stay in the back garden.’
‘Me, too,’ said Christopher. ‘But there’s nothing to do here. Do you want to meet me at the floppy plank?’
‘Alright!’ Lavender climbed down and ran to the bottom of the garden where the loose plank in the fence that ran between their back gardens was. She sat down cross-legged and waited. The paling began to move as Christopher pushed at it from the other side. They grinned at each other through the gap.
‘I was going to play with Miss Bobby-Socks, but she’s off looking for her string,’ said Lavender.
‘Dad’s taken Tank and Turbo for a walk,’ said Christopher. ‘I suppose I could kick the soccer ball. But there’s no-one to kick it back.’
‘I wanted to swing, but I can’t get high if there’s no-one to push me.’
‘We could race snails?’
‘Ew!’ said Lavender. ‘Cartwheel competition?’
Christopher screwed up his nose. There was a pause. ‘Thumb wars?’
Lavender and Christopher reached for each other’s hand through the gap. One two three four, I declare a thumb war,’ they shouted together. There was a flurry of thumb movement, but in seconds, Lavender had Christopher’s thumb squashed under her own. ‘You’re really not getting better at it, are you?’
Christopher shook his head. ‘I went to a birthday party yesterday. I heard about a drink called a ‘spider’.
‘A spider? What’s that?’
‘You get a fizzy drink, put ice cream in it, and it fizzes and bubbles everywhere – you have to drink it really fast or it explodes!’
‘Ooh,’ said Lavender with big wide eyes. ‘I wish we could try it.’
‘Me too,’ said Christopher.
‘But we can’t,’ said Lavender.
‘Because we’d need a cup. I have one of those. But we also need straws.’
‘I have straws.’ said Lavender. ‘If only we had ….’
‘Ice cream!’ said Christopher.
‘Fizzy drink,’ said Lavender, at exactly the same time. They stared at each other.
‘But I have fizzy drink!’ said Christopher.
‘And I have ice cream!’ said Lavender.
‘Meet you back here!’
Lavender ran inside. She climbed onto the kitchen bench and found the ice cream in the freezer. Then she searched through the kitchen drawer and pulled out two stripy long straws.
Lavender and Christopher met back at the floppy plank. Christopher put a plastic cup on the grass between them, and poured the fizzy drink in. Lavender handed him a straw and kept one for herself. ‘Are you ready? On the count of three.’
‘One,’ said Christopher. Lavender unwrapped the ice cream.
‘Two,’ said Christopher. Lavender held it above the cup of fizzy drink.
‘Three!’ Lavender dropped the ice cream into the cup. The drink bubbled and foamed. Then it fizzed over the top of the cup!
‘Quick!’
They stuck in the straws and began to suck and suck. Christopher snorted as fizzy went up his nose. Lavender started to laugh. ‘Keep drinking,’ she yelled. The fizzy was tingling her tongue. Finally there was a slurping noise as their straws reached the very bottom. They laid back on the grass, each still in their own backyard, and giggled.
‘That was fun!’ said Lavender.
‘Best morning ever!’ said Christopher.
