Chris Higgins

Today was the day she was starting her new school. She’d been looking forward to it for weeks.
Moving to an old cottage in the countryside had felt strange at first. Especially as it was the middle of the summer holidays.
But then Bella and her little brother Sid had met Magda and they’d soon settled in. Magda was fun and it was nice having a best friend who lived next door.
Now the holidays were over and it was time to start school. Bella loved school. She couldn’t wait to meet her teacher and make new friends.
Magda would always be her very best friend though. Even if she did get Bella into trouble sometimes.
Quite a lot of times actually.

Or the time Bella had fallen through the floor of the attic to her parents’ bedroom below and brought the ceiling tumbling down with her. That had been Magda’s fault too. She was the one who’d made Bella go up to the attic to look for ghosts. But it was Bella who’d got into trouble.

Then she knew that nothing could go wrong.
She took a look in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. Mum had tied her unruly hair back neatly into pretty cornrows and the navy blue and yellow ribbons matched her navy blue and yellow uniform.

Time to go. Bella picked up her bags, which was easier said than done. There were so many she kept dropping them.
Mum scooped them up with the rest of Sid’s bags and chucked them all in the boot of the car. “We never had this

much stuff when I was at school! Get in, Bella. Sid? Where have you got to?”
Bella’s chest tightened. She didn’t want to be late on her first day.
Sid came running out of the house with his backpack and jumped in the back of the car.
Bella breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad Mum was taking them to school on their first day because then she knew that they’d get there on time.
Like Mum said, it was important to make a good first impression.
Mum started the car. Then Bella remembered.
“Stop!” she shouted. “What about Magda?”

“She asked for a lift!” said Bella.
“Did she?” Mum looked surprised. “She never asked me!”
Come to think of it, she hadn’t asked anyone, thought Bella. Magda had told her it was a good idea that her mum was taking them to school on the first day of term because it meant she could have a lift as well.
“Go and get her then,” sighed Mum, and she switched off the engine.
Bella jumped out and pressed the bell on Magda’s front door

and banged it hard.
No answer.
She banged it again.
And again.
Bella lifted the letter box and peered inside. “Magda!” she shouted. “Come on! We’ll be late for school!”
Above her, a bedroom window flew open and a head appeared. It belonged to Babcia.

“Is school today?” she enquired.
Babcia was Magda’s grandmother. Round and wrinkled like an old apple, her hair was still in its night-time curlers.
“Yes,” said Bella.
“One minute,” said Babcia politely, then she roared, “MAGDA! GET UP! IS SCHOOL!”
Bella and Sid sat in the car and waited and waited, while Bella’s mum repeated words under her breath that they would get into BIG TROUBLE for saying.
At last the door opened and Magda zoomed out, hair flying, shoes undone, clutching a paper bag.

new yellow polo shirt and navy cardigan were splattered with cherry-red yoghurt.
Mum passed Bella a handful of tissues and, between them, Bella and Magda dabbed it dry.
Dry but sticky.

“Phew! That’s better,” said Magda. “Can I have my toast now?”
Magda’s toast was stuck upside down to Bella’s skirt. Bella pulled it off and handed it to her friend without a word. Yellow butter, orange marmalade and brown toast crumbs clung to her navy school skirt in a smeary mess.
Bella tried hard not to cry.

AN EXCITING DAY

Bella woke up and wiggled her toes in her nice soft bed.

The early morning sun was already peeping through a gap in her curtains. From outside came the sounds of a dog barking and cows mooing.

Bella liked living in the country. She and her little brother Sid had moved there from the city with their mum and dad earlier that summer.

Leaping out of bed, she yanked open the curtains. The cows were pouring out of the field opposite and following the farmer down the lane for milking.

A boy shut the gate behind them and gently prodded the cows into line with a stick. A dog ran up and down beside him, snapping at their heels.

It was Tom and Fetch. Tom was in her class at the village school.

Bella rapped on the window but they didn’t hear her. She pushed the old sash window up high and leaned out.

“See you later!” she shouted.

Tom looked up and waved, and Fetch barked a greeting.