Here is Part 7 of Lizzie Hayes' adventures...sorry it is so late! Hope you enjoy it...
Lizzie Hayes' Magical Christmas Travels
Chapter 7
The next morning, laying in bed,
Liz pondered all Granddad had said
About how dreams must be pursued-
She’d woken up feeling renewed!
But suddenly she had a thought
Of a most uncomfortable sort-
In 4 days, she’d be going home!
Though she’d still be able to roam
Around the world using her globe,
There’d be no Granddad in his robe.
Even Chumps had become a friend-
She didn’t want it all to end!
4 days to be a master sleuth
And finally find out the truth!
That day, when her mum took her out,
Liz took the chance to clear up doubt
As she’d seen her poor mum suffer
All because she’d been a bluffer.
As the two walked down the crescent,
Liz said ‘Mum, I got a present
From Granddad with magic powers
That lets me travel at all hours.
There’re many places I have been…’
‘Liz, what on earth do you mean?’
‘A globe- I know that sounds insane…’
Then Lizzie started to explain.
When she had finished, her mum smiled,
‘Well Liz, that all sounds pretty wild!
This countryside isolation
Makes you use imagination,
Keeping amused with crazy tales-
This one is really off the rails!
You’ll make a fine writer one day-
Now come, we should be on our way.’
Liz knew her mum would not believe
Until she heard from Granddad Steve
(It’s very sad a child’s word
Is usually believed absurd).
As Mum was choosing to ignore,
Young Liz did not say anymore
So off to Steve’s library she went,
Where Lizzie’s afternoon was spent
Trawling through books with pages curled
Finding out more about the world-
About where she’d been, where to go-
There’s so much she wanted to know!
She was determined not to doze
But then her eyes started to close…
Next thing she knew, it was night-time
And she could hear the distant chime
Of Granddad Steve’s old cuckoo clock,
Which really gave Lizzie a shock!
With her right cheek covered with dust,
Young Lizzie quickly had it sussed
She’d fallen asleep on the book-
Then, as she took a second look
At the page where she’d had a doze,
She saw the word ‘beaver’ and froze-
The sentence read: ‘28th May-
Bert and I made a chair today!’
Then Steve appeared out of nowhere
And said ‘Liz, what’s that you’ve got there?’
Today, he wore a purple robe,
And Liz saw that he held the globe.
Liz closed it. ‘Nothing, Granddad Steve.’
Steve’s face said: ‘That I don’t believe.’
But he seemed willing to let go
And said: ‘Almost time you should know
Exactly why this globe has power.
But look! It’s just past midnight hour
Which means it’s time for a small trip-
We should bring Chumps, or he might flip!’
So Steve whistled for Chumps to come,
Liz wondered if he would wake Mum
As Chumps was not a subtle pup,
But Mum didn’t seem to wake up.
Steve took Chumps’ paw and Lizzie’s hand
And said: ‘We’re now off to a land
That’s literally the other side
Of the world: hang on for the ride!’
Young Lizzie felt dizzy and sick
But luckily the trip was quick-
The three of them landed with bumps
In a forest. Excited Chumps
Began to bark. ‘Be quiet!’ said Steve,
‘You will make all the kiwis leave!
They’re such shy creatures anyway
Especially during the day.’
The third forest that Liz had seen,
But no forests had been THIS green!
As Lizzie looked up to the skies
A few raindrops fell in her eyes-
Steve said ‘It’s not raining much yet,
But soon it will be very wet.’
Liz said ‘Granddad, how can you tell?’
‘I know New Zealand very well
I know its skies, and what they mean
This is the seventh time I’ve been
Into this forest, I just pray
That my friend Keith is here today.’
‘Granddad, describe this friend you seek.’
‘Well, he has a long, pointy beak
His brown-feathered body is round
He always lives close to the ground.’
‘Granddad, your friend sounds like a BIRD-
To live on the ground sounds absurd!’
‘Liz, I’ll let Keith explain the rest,
Now we just have to find his nest.
You thought koalas hard to find?
Kiwis are a trickier kind!’
They seemed to be searching for hours
Getting soaked in the rain-showers,
Then Granddad noticed Chumps’ stiff tail:
‘Lizzie, I think he’s found the trail
But Keith has a great sense of smell-
Will Keith find Chumps first? Who can tell?’
So they followed Chumps down the path
Who took an accidental bath,
He was so focused on the smell,
Into a deep puddle he fell!
Lizzie tried hard not to giggle!
Then, she saw a leaf-pile wiggle
Out of the corner of her eye-
‘It’s Keith!’ said Steve, ‘Come, don’t be shy!’
It was only then that Liz saw
Two feet she had not seen before,
Then a long beak, and two small eyes
That looked on with fear and surprise.
‘Do not be sad if Keith is shy,
His whole species is the same. Why?
Because they’re always under threat-
They’re lucky they’re not extinct yet.’
‘What does extinct mean?’ Lizzie said,
‘When a species is declared dead
Forever, never to be seen
Because predators have been mean.’
Liz looked at Keith, feathered and round,
Then the bird made a bizarre sound
And Granddad Steve lowered his ear
To Keith’s beak, so that he could hear.
‘Chumps looks a beast, but he is kind,
The soppiest dog you will find!
He’ll not harm you, no need to fear.’
Granddad Steve said: ‘Lizzie, my dear
Keith says his wife has just been killed
In the cruel hands of the ill-willed,
We must hide him, and then- oh MY!
He says we must teach him to FLY!’
‘He cannot fly?’ young Lizzie said,
To which the bird nodded his head.
Granddad Steve cried: ‘What can we do?
Honestly, I don’t have a clue!’
Liz closed her eyes and racked her brain-
‘I know that this must sound insane-
I’m not sure we can give him flight
But maybe we could give him HEIGHT!’
Steve said ‘He can’t stay up the tree-
He has vertigo, just like me!’
‘Wait!’ said Liz, ‘I have an idea!
I must go home then come back here.’
‘Liz, it’s hard for you to come back.
I’ll go- what is it that you track?’
‘Back in my room, there is a ball
That bounces up to ten feet tall,
It’s pink with a purple flower.’
Steve said: ‘I’ll be back in an hour.’
Waiting for Granddad to return,
Liz decided that she should learn
More about her shy kiwi friend
And about his wife’s tragic end.
‘I’m so sorry about your wife.’
‘She was the love of my life.’
Liz did not expect him to speak,
Keith continued, voice low and weak,
‘So easy for us to be caught.
My Janet went without a thought
To find some food late in the night
When a possum fancied a fight.
There was no chance- she cannot fly.
How many more of us must die?’
Lizzie felt hot tears prick her eyes
At this tale of Janet’s demise.
‘Don’t worry, Keith- there is a way
Hopefully it’ll save you one day.’
The kiwi sadly nodded his head,
For a while, nothing more was said
Until a rustle in the trees
Made young Liz and Keith both freeze:
But it was only Granddad Steve,
Lizzie’s relief, you’d not believe!
‘Lizzie my love, here is your ball-
What do we do? What’s your next call?’
‘I noticed a flat pavement square
Raised at an angle, over there-
So, he could either hide beneath
Or it is a launch-pad for Keith-
He must hold onto the ball right,
Bounce off the slab to launch his flight
Up into that neighbouring tree
Where the ball will then stick, you see.’
‘Liz, that sounds a brilliant plan!
The question is if young Keith can
Hold onto the ball with small wings.’
Liz said: ‘I didn’t know these things.’
‘Liz, this doesn’t change anything-
We will just get a piece of string
And tie it tight around the ball
As though young Keith’s wings may be small,
He can secure them to the string!
Lizzie said ‘That makes my heart sing!
We have no string- that being said,
We can use this long leaf instead.’
‘Let’s try! We have no time to spare!’
Said Steve, ‘Let’s take Keith over there
To the slab with your ball and see
If we’ve ended his misery.’
Around the ball, they tied the leaf
And said: ‘Keith, you must have belief:
Attach your wings, RUN to the square
Bounce off it hard, then fly up there!
Does that make sense?’ Granddad Steve said,
The shy kiwi nodded his head.
‘Now try it after one, two, THREE!’
It didn’t work for the kiwi
The first few times, but the tenth go
Keith’s confidence started to show
And he could bounce right to the tree,
To which he yelled back down ‘I’m free!
Thank you, dear girl- I’ve lost my wife,
But you have helped to save my life!’
‘Keith!’ said Granddad, ‘we must depart.
Keep safe, my friend, keep strong, keep smart.
We will be back- you must be here.
Hopefully now you won’t have fear.’
Granddad grabbed Liz and Chumps, and ran
(He ran well for an older man)
To the spot where poor Chumps fell
In the puddle, deep as a well!
‘The three of us must now jump in
And shout the words ‘THE CRUEL CAN’T WIN!’
Liz repeated the words with passion,
Jumped and fell in normal fashion,
But into the LIBRARY this time,
She heard the early morning chime
And saw the sun rising outside.
Steve said: ‘Liz, I have so much pride!
Your cleverness will take you far.
Goodnight my dear- you are a star.’
With that, Steve swept out of the room
Which looked nicer without night’s gloom.
Liz was about to head to bed,
But she looked at the book instead
And recalled what she’d seen before-
Too familiar to ignore.
She was beginning to believe
That this was the diary of Steve
When he had been a little boy
In Canada, with a new toy
That let him travel everywhere.
She shut the book with utmost care,
Seeing words she dare not believe:
‘1940- Diary of Steve’.
Question is, did this journal hold
All young Lizzie wanted to be told?
I know you want to know as well-
Only the next chapter will tell.
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