Writing for Fun
Josephine's Fidgety Hands - Vivian Burdon
August 2014
Josephine sat on her hands like Nanny Dorkin had showed her. 'This will stop those pretty little hands of yours twitching about when you get all hot and bothered Josie,' Nanny had said as she showed her how to put her hands under her bottom.
She was right. It did stop the twitching about but only her top half. Her legs and feet were still swinging and bouncing about all over the place.
'Josephine always twitches about when she is all hot and bothered,' her Mum had told Nanny Dorkin.
'And she always gets hot and bothered when she's upset.'
Nanny Dorkin had told her Mum, 'She's just like her Dad.' Nanny had sighed.
Nanny Dorkin was Dad's Mummy but she wasn't sad about Dad anymore because she was in heaven with Jesus.
Mum was still sad about Dad because he was away at the war.
Her Mum wasn't as sad as Danny Morgan's Mum though, because his Dad wasn't coming back from the war, not like her Dad.
Danny was her best friend in all the world and he had been very, very sad today because it was his Birthday and his Mum had told him he couldn't have a party because he didn't have a Daddy to buy sweets and cakes and jelly and things. This made Josephine sad too. She got even sadder when the other children wouldn't help her make a party for Danny when she asked them at Sunday school. They had said silly things like, 'Didn't she know there was a war on?' and 'They hadn't got much either.' They had a darn sight more than Danny,' Josephine had thought to herself as she wandered home.
Josephine needed a plan to stop being upset. Then her legs and feet would stop twitching about and she wouldn't annoy her Mum who was had been crying because her Daddy's home visit had been cancelled. So here she was in the parlour trying to keep out of her Mum's way and trying not to fidget.
It was no good she needed her hands. Out they popped and started dancing around. 'That's better I can think now,' she said. Then poof! It came to her. She jumped down from the big old saggy chair and started rummaging in the sideboard drawers and cupboards. She needed the bunting her Mum had made for the church fete, some newspaper, a pot of glue from Dad's shed and her best crayons and a big cardboard box from the pantry.
'Finished,' she said to herself and she stood back to admire her work. The front porch was cheerfully dressed with buntings and on the step was the big cardboard box with brightly coloured paper butterflies and stars and circles stuck all over it.
On the front wall she had placed a long piece of paper weighed down by her best smooth pebbles from the bedroom window ledge. On the paper she had written, 'This way to the magic party box.'
Now she needed to talk to her Mum. 'Here goes.' She took a big breath and marched into the scullery. 'Mum may I have a word please,' she said in her calmest voice. She watched as her Mum wiped her red, wet hands on her apron and turned round. She saw the faintest of smiles trying to make its way onto her mum's face. With another deep breath Josie explained her plan to her Mum, without going too fast and getting too giddy, like her Nanny Dorkin had taught her, and she finally got to the bit where she said, 'And I would really like the small cake that you made for Dad's coming home surprise.' Now he wasn't coming after all would her Mum 'Let her have it please?'
Her Mum's hand reached forward and gently swept Josephine's wayward hair behind her ear. 'Well, let's see Josie, I think if we are going to make your plan work we better put some decorations around the cake and some little cherries from the garden on the top.' Josephine hugged her lovely Mum. Or did her Mum hug her? It didn't matter it felt wonderful.
Later that day Josephine was sitting on the step looking into the colourful cardboard box. Her Dad's special cake sat in the middle looking very fine indeed.
'Oh, oh . . . here are my first little fishes,' she thought, standing up to wave to Helen and Edith, the twins from number 25. 'What you got there, Josie?' they chimed as they stepped up onto her path.
'Well . . .' Josie tried to sound very clever, 'this is a very magical box that will turn into a magnificent party as soon as it's ready. It's such a shame though because I don't have all the bits needed to make it work'.
'What does it need?' they sang, peering into the box greedily. Josie was ready with her reply. She had seen them with Pontefract cakes at Sunday School this morning so she said, 'Mmmmmm I think it wants Liquorice.'
'Oh we have some of that here, look. Shall we put the bag in the box? Will we see the magical party?'
Josie needed to calm them down quickly so she said sternly, 'Now you two, we must wait until all the ingredients are in the box and it won't work if too many people stop and stare at it!' That worked, Josephine was pleased to see them scurry away. She was even more pleased when they stopped to tell Jimmy Dickson all about the box. Jimmy ran home immediately, then reappeared sauntering and whistling down the road towards Josephine's house. She smiled at him as he dawdled past.
'What you got there Josie? The Turner twins told me you have a magic party box that needs some stuff to make it turn into the best party in the world.'
'That's right Jimmy do you want to be part of it?' Jimmy ran up the path holding out a large piece of Parkin. 'Do you know Jimmy Dickson that piece of cake is just what the box needs next? Drop it in and run along home. Come back at 6 o'clock tonight.'
Jimmy was followed by little Emma and her big brother Bert who had a small chocolate bar and a bag of toffees. The trickle of children turned into a steady flow until the decorated box was brimming with jelly beans, and aniseed balls, pear drops and Victoria sponges and a whole load of other sweets and cakes and a big jelly, shaped like a rabbit, wobbling on the top. There were even a couple of toy cars, a wind up bear with clashing cymbals , a bag of marbles and a game of snakes and ladders with brightly coloured tiddlywinks and a tiny dice. She had told the children who brought these toys that it didn't matter that you couldn't eat them because the box needed some toys to help the magic work quicker.
At 6 o'clock her Mum, just as she had promised, came walking down the street with Danny and his Mum. Josephine ran indoors and got the old school bell Granddad Dorkin had kept after he retired from the primary school. She rang it load and clear and then stood and watched as children came out of their houses and walked towards her house. Her Mum ushered and shooed them all into the best room which was decked out with more buntings and streamers from the Christmas box. Then her Mum and Danny's Mum set about putting all the sweets and cakes and jelly on the table next to the small tea plates and spoons already set out. Josephine and the other children took the toys and games and started playing with Danny on the floor. Mum then brought in a jug of homemade Elder cordial she had been saving for Christmas and poured them all a glass.
Everyone at school said it was the best party ever. Danny had told her it was a party he would never forget and kissed her on the cheek. She had pushed him away and told him not to be so soppy.