To my joy I am having two of my children's stories published in a compendium of children's stories for a literacy project here in Africa called 'Meetse a Bophelo'. 

I hope you enjoy them and that they encourage children to pick up a book and read or, if they are unable to, that their parents, uncles, aunts, grannies, grandpas or even their teacher enjoy them enough to read them out loud.

1.   The Fat Boy's Friend

2.   Riding the Bus with Vusi

 

The Fat Boy’s Friend

 

“We’re gonna teach you a lesson fat boy!” 

Sidney pedalled faster.  Home was two blocks away and his legs were straining with the effort.  

“Get off!”  He kicked out at Mr Pender’s Alsatian as it nipped at his leg as he tore past.  One more turn and he’d be safe.  His Avalanche dipped and lifted again around the curve, his satchel slipping dragging him to the left.  Righting himself Sidney pumped the pedals furiously.

“I’m right behind you, blockhead!”  shouted crew cut Dean Aspley.  “You’re not going to make it this time!”  

Sidney could hear the whisper of rubber tyre on tarmac next to him and looked back.   Dean and his crew were almost on top of him.  In renewed panic Sidney hunched lower on the saddle praying someone would save him.  He never even saw the kerb.

“Ha!  Got you now, fat boy!”  Dean leapt off his bike and threw the first punch.  Sidney lifted his arms to protect his glasses.  His mom would kill him if they got broken again and things were bad enough at home lately.  The punch landed squarely in his stomach and Sidney retched bracing himself for the next when suddenly Dean was lifted off him. 

“Arrrrgh!” Deans scream was followed by a sickening thud.

Sidney lowered his arm and rolled over dazed as he saw Dean lying in a heap on top of a broken fence.  He sat up just in time to see the rest of the crew riding off at speed.

            “Are you alright?”  Sidney took the hand offered and scrambled to his feet.

            “I think so.”  Touching fingertips to his bloody nose he looked at his saviour.

Jeans and black T-shirt covered a thin but well muscled body.  Well cut, red tinged hair glowed against the bright sun and concern reflected on the boy’s freckled face.

            “I’m Max by the way.  What were they hitting you for?”

            Sidney shrugged.  “Who knows?  That Dean just thinks he can beat on everyone.”   He looked back at where a groaning Dean was just getting to his feet.  “How did you do that?”

            Picking up his bike Max grinned. “Everyone knows bullies are wimps.  Come on, let’s go back to your house and get you cleaned up.”

            Happy to be safe, Sidney pedalled off alongside his new hero.

 

Max watched Sidney wincing as he washed his battered face.

            “How does that feel?” 

            “What?”

            “Your face.  How does it feel?”

            “Incredibly painful.  What do you mean?  Haven’t you been hit before?”  Sitting down at his computer Sidney looked curiously at Max.

            “Not yet.  Will you do it for me?”

            “Do what?”  Realisation dawned.  “Do what?  Hit you in the face?  Are you nuts?  I can’t hit you.  That’s crazy!”

            “Why not?  I want to feel how you feel.”  Max leaned toward Sidney lowering his face.  “Come on, hit me.  Hit me hard.”

            Sidney tapped him on the shoulder feeling foolish.

            “Harder.  Like that boy did to you.  Come on!”

            Swinging as hard as he could Sidney slammed his fist into Max’s even features gasping as he felt the impact jar right up his arm. 

            “O Wow!  I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean it!  I’m so sorry!”  He broke off to see Max laughing at him.

            “That’s awesome!  I feel it too!  It hurts like heck!”  The blood poured from Max’s nose as the two boys fell around laughing. 

            “You are so cool man!”  Sidney screeched.  “Weird, but really cool dude!”

The next few days at school were peaceful with Dean Aspley remarkably quiet.  Sidney looked forward to the rides home where he usually bumped into Max.  It was great having a friend around to while away the afternoons with.  For the first time since he could remember, Sidney was glad his Mom worked afternoons. 

“Let’s go to my place and LAN.” He suggested to Max the next afternoon.  They’d taken huge bowls of popcorn and two litres of Coke upstairs with them to devour whilst working through ‘Oblivion’.

“This is the most awesome game Dude.  You’ll love it!  I can’t believe you haven’t played this one yet.”

Max had seemed confused when Sidney explained that they could play against each other on the two terminals his Dad had set up in his bedroom, but he’d proved to be a daunting opponent.

“You sure you haven’t played this before?  You’re so fast!”

Max smiled at him. “I’m just a quick learner Dude.  Come on, next level!”

Sidney watched as his new friend racked up to the next level.  Strange, he wasn’t using his mouse. 

            “Hey!  How do you do that?”

            Max looked up, surprised. “What?”

            “Play without using the mouse.”  It came out stiffly.

Just as Max was about to answer the screens went blank.

            “Aw man!  Now what?”  Sidney stood.  “Hang on here Dude and I’ll just go see if the power tripped again.”  Not waiting for an answer Sidney bounced down the stairs to the basement.   The switches were all up.  Dragging his feet he went back up to his room to tell Max the bad news. 

            “Hey Dude, we can’t play any…”  The screens were on. 

            “Come on!  You’re way behind now!”  Max didn’t turn.  Bewildered Sidney watched as the characters on the screen responded, but to what?  Max wasn’t touching anything.  His hands were gripping the sides of the chair.  Sidney walked around to his screen.  Only Max’s eyes were moving but the characters on the screens were playing against each other.

            “What the heck is this!  What’s going on?”  Sidney backed up against the wall.  “Who are you?”

As Max looked up at him the game faded back into black and for the first time Sidney noticed that Max didn’t blink.

            “You’re freaking me out Dude.  I think you should go now.”

            “What’s wrong?  You seemed angry that we couldn’t play so I fixed it.”   Max smiled.  ‘Did I do something wrong?”

            Hands raised Sidney slid along the wall hoping the door was close.  “You’re not normal.  I need you to leave right now.”  He hoped he didn’t sound as scared as he felt.

            Max stood.  “It’s okay.  I didn’t mean to scare you Sidney.  Let me explain.”

Sidney didn’t move from the wall for the next fifteen minutes.  When Max stopped talking he simply slid to the floor and stared at his new friend open mouthed.

            “You’re from Nibiru?  The tenth planet?”  He paused.  “You gotta be kidding right?  This is some gigantic hoax or something?” 

Max shook his head.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to freak you out.  I was sent here to make contact with your kind and to report back.”

“This is so weird.”  Sidney breathed.  “How did you get here?  On a spaceship?  How long will you be here?  When do you leave?  How many are there of you?” 

“It’s just me.  I woke up here and then I met you.”  Max moved off toward the door.

“Wait!  I have questions, lots of questions.  I need to know what you know Dude.  I need to understand this thing.”

“Okay, but then you need to trust me.”

Sidney nodded.  Max knelt down in front of him and taking his hands in his own he placed them over his temples. 

“Close your eyes and look.”  Sidney closed his eyes. 

“I have been here for a very, very long time.”  Max told him.

 

Copyright © 2008 Jane van Velsen. All rights reserved

velsen@telkomsa.net

www.janevanvelsen.com

 

Riding the bus with Vusi

 

On a Friday after school

The taxi arrives, its really cool.

Awesome music blasts loud and clear

Sometimes so loud we can hardly hear

As we clamber aboard sitting hip to hip,

We’re off to Vusi’s home up in the township!

 

Peeling off jerseys, laughing out loud,

The taxi takes off, driving fast round the crowd.

We hit the highway, seatbelts on

All of us are having such fun.

Up the hill and around the bend

into the township we descend.

 

Slowing down for speed bumps as the pigs run by

then speeding up fast making chickens fly.

Brindled dogs race along with the car

And adults wave to see how happy we are

Bright red and yellow the washing dries

Hung under gleaming sun that glows in the sky.

 

We arrive just in time for tea.

Vusi’s Mom smiles when she looks at me.

It’s strange in here, for this house is wood

Not brick and tile or even mud.

With just two rooms this house is small

Not like ours where we have it all.

 

A table stands just inside the door

With a bright red rug upon the floor

Where Vusi’s sister Nobuhle crawls

and hitting her head begins to bawl.

He gathers her up with all good grace

And a beaming smile splits her face.

 

‘Go out and play now.’ His Mom smiles

The sun is hot and we run for miles

Shouting to others as we pass

We get to the stadium and fall on the grass

We count and choose the boys for each team

The ball goes in the net as if in a dream

 

‘Come on,’ says Vusi. ‘Let’s go home.’

We run past streets where cattle roam

The sun is going down so fast

And I’m sad this day just can’t last

I can smell wood smoke from the fires

As we race up the hill and over the wire

 

A lot of people are walking home now

That is something my Mom just won’t allow

She fetches us in a big, black car

Not that we even travel that far.

We burst in the door and there we see

My Mom has come early to collect me.

 

‘O please can I stay just a little bit more?’

We turn and wave as we walk out the door

I smile at Vusi and he smiles back

We’re very good friends and I like him a stack

I’ll see him at school again next week

But the weekend without him will be rather bleak.

 

 

 

 

I have, like many parents, been writing stories for my children since their births.

The 'Magic Wee wee Fairy'  was written to help my eldest, Max, with potty training and then proved exceptionally useful later with Alexander.   Many of my friends have adopted the same approach and have their own Wee wee Fairy versions - it works!

'The Noise in the Cupboard' was written when the boys were about 4 and 5 respectively and it happened just like in the story!  

It was during that time that I discovered Alexander's sense of humour.  We were walking on the beach one day and it was rather windy.  I tucked his little hand in mine and told him it was so that he wouldn't blow away.  He looked up at me quite seriously.

'But you won't Mommy, you're too fat to blow away.'

They are delicious!

'Max was Cross' was for Alexander to illustrate that sometimes all children get angry and that it is okay to feel that way.   Alexander went through a bad patch after his father and I divorced.  He was angry with us, with life and with his older brother Max.  By working through it with him on a daily basis we have overcome his anger and now he manages it well.   This was one of the stories I used to tell him during his 'bad spells'.

'Alex and the Magic Pencil' flew from my fingertips after watching Alexander write and illustrate a beautiful story (in my new photo album) about a knave who could 'magic' himself in and out of precarious situations.   I will put it up on this site in a while once I am sure that people are reading and enjoying the others.  Keep reading!

I am currently developing a screenplay for an 'inbetweenagers' movie called 'The Fat Boy's Friend'.  I have posted the short version of the children's story that inspired this.

I have never published any of these stories but would love the opportunity to do so.  I hope that they inspire you and provide entertainment for your children.