Lizzie Hayes' Magical Christmas Travels- Part 1

Here's Part 1 of a serial of a children's story/poem that I'm going to be posting up on my blog from time to time...hopefully the last part will be around Christmas time! I know I'm perhaps not appealing to the right audience on my blog, but I hope that you enjoy it...

Lizzie Hayes’  Magic Christmas Travels

Chapter 1

Have you met young Lizzie Hayes?

She’s quite the traveler these days.

Of course, she didn’t used to be-

She’s never even seen the sea

‘Til her mum said one Christmas Eve

‘We’re off to see your Grandad Steve!’

Lizzie had not met him before

And feeling shy, was quite unsure.

(She usually spent Christmas Day

With Grandad Den and Grandma May

But fed up with all England’s rain

This year, they’d scampered off to Spain!)

She'd heard things about Grandad Steve,

Crazy things she could not believe

(From her cousins Adam and Rob

Who loved to make her scream and sob),

Like how his white beard reached his toes

And how he had a big fat nose

And how his dog was quite a fright

With big sharp teeth and twice her height!

So while they drove up to Steve’s house,

Liz was as quiet as a mouse,

And as the rain came thrashing down,

Liz thought to herself with a frown,

‘Wish Grandad Den and Grandma May

Had not gone off on holiday!’

Just as she began to feel ill

She saw Steve's house up on the hill-

The roof shaped like a wizard’s hat,

The house-front looked just like a cat!

Lizzie had never seen before

Whiskers painted next to the door

To make it look like a cat’s nose

With two bright, cat-eyed shaped windows!

Grandad Steve, with a flaming torch,

Was stood there waiting on the porch.

There he was, just like Liz had feared

Stroking a floor-length wizard beard,

Wearing a bemused sort-of frown

As well as a green dressing gown,

And with that HUGE dog by his side-

Well, Lizzie really could have cried.

‘Come in!’ he said, ‘it’s been twelve years

Since I last saw you, Lizzie dear!’

‘Dad,’ said Mum, ‘Lizzie’s only nine!’

‘Well then,’ said Grandad Steve, ‘that’s fine!’

All furniture was rife with grime

And from another place or time.

Each wall had a map of the world

Stained with age, and all corners curled-

Candlelight gave them an evil glare

Yet Lizzie could not help but stare.

‘You’ll be up in the attic with Chumps,

Don’t worry if there’s a few bumps,

There's just some ghosts that live up there-

You’re a big girl so you won’t care!’

Poor young Lizzie was terrified,

‘I’ll go instead!’ her mother cried,

‘No no,’ said Steve, ‘it must be her-

‘It’s a room she really would prefer.’

‘OK’ said Mum with huge sorrow,

‘Liz, I’ll swap with you tomorrow-

It’s getting late’ continued Mum,

‘Off to bed, or Santa won’t come!’

Reluctantly, Liz said goodnight

And went upstairs with candlelight.

Her cousins had indeed been right-

Chumps the dog WAS twice Lizzie’s height!

Lizzie was scared in the first place

As Chumps came right up to her face…

But when he just licked Lizzie clean,

She realized that he wasn’t mean.

As she laid down to rest her head

She saw a box behind her bed

Wrapped up in paper shiny and red

With a snowman label that said:

‘Dear Lizzie- Please do not delay

Don’t wait for this ‘til Christmas Day,

The magic will GO if you pause

So open NOW!- Love Santa Clause’

Lizzie felt a little heady,

Santa had been round ALREADY?!

She looked at Chumps, whose bright eyes said

‘Open it, Lizzie! Don’t go to bed!’

Well, if Santa Clause told her to

There was nothing else she could do!

So she ripped it open to gape…

At a tatty box with duct tape.

She reached inside, felt something round

And tried to work out what she’d found.

Too curious, she pulled it out

And gave a little surprised shout!

A globe, yellowed, very dusty

And smelling a little musty.

Why a globe? Liz rightly thought,

What a strange present to be bought!

I have never been out of the UK,

Ah well, I’ll love it anyway.

With the candlelight nearly dead

Liz spun the globe once before bed

And saw a NOTE round Italy

She peered closer- it read ‘Turn me

And with your finger, stop the spin-

Then allow the fun to begin!’

So obeying, with fingers flexed,

She spun and stopped; what happened next

Made Chumps bark and poor Lizzie shout-

What was it? Read on to find out!