Sunday, 23 September 2012

The Leaving of Lilly


Lilly left Michael when he was eight. Michael was very sad about it but Lilly said it would be alright.
            Michael liked Lilly, but not everybody liked Lilly. Old Mummy didn’t like Lilly. Old Mummy used to hit Michael when he told her about Lilly and what Lilly said. There is no Lilly said old Mummy. But that was a long time ago.
            Michael couldn’t remember when, but one day when he was very little, they came to take him away from Old Mummy. Old Mummy can’t look after you any more they said to him. But we can give you to a new Mummy and Daddy who can look after you. (Michael couldn’t remember if he ever had an Old Daddy or not). Can Lilly come as well, asked Michael? Yes, Lilly can come.
            Michael liked New Mummy and New Daddy. They didn’t hit him and they didn’t have the horrid smell that Old Mummy used to have. After a while, Michael quite forgot about Old Mummy. He stopped calling New Mummy ‘New Mummy’ and just called her Mummy.
            Michael didn’t tell New Mummy and New Daddy about Lilly at first. He didn’t know if they would like Lilly or not. So he used to talk to Lilly, quietly, at night when he didn’t think they were listening. Lilly was always kind to him. Lilly always told him it was going to be alright. Michael always liked Lilly.
            Then one day Daddy showed Michael a new game. It was a game with cards. It was a fun game called ‘Wis’ and you had to be very clever to win all your cards. When Daddy went out of the room, Michael thought that it would be fun to play with Lilly. He didn’t know if Lilly liked playing Wis, but Lilly said she would try. So Michael gave Lilly some cards. Then Daddy came into the room.
            What are you doing Michael asked Daddy? I’m playing Wis with Lilly said Michael. Who’s Lilly asked Daddy? Lilly’s my friend said Michael. Is Lilly sitting on the chair, asked Daddy? No, Lilly doesn’t need to sit down, but she does need me to hold the cards.
            Then Daddy pretended to talk to Lilly. Of course Daddy couldn’t really see or hear Lilly but that was alright said Lilly because Lilly would talk to Michael and Michael could talk to Daddy. Michael was glad that Daddy liked Lilly and later on that day, Lilly met Mummy as well. Mummy seemed to like Lilly.
            Then Michael went to school. At first he thought that Lilly could go to school as well so he took her along. But Jimmy from Form 7 heard Michael talking to Lilly, and laughed at him and called him a baby. You’d better stay home said Michael to Lilly. That’s okay said Lilly.
            So Michael only talked to Lilly at home. He thought that would be alright. But he noticed that now sometimes Mummy and Daddy looked sad if Michael talked to Lilly or talked about Lilly. One day a man came round to see Michael. He was a very important man with a posh suit and a briefcase. He told Mummy and Daddy to go out of the room and then he talked to Michael about Lilly and wrote things down on a piece of paper.
            Is Lilly here now, asked the man. No she’s in the bedroom said Michael. Does Lilly eat anything? No she doesn’t need to eat. What does Lilly look like asked the man? That was hard for Michael to say. She looks like Dawn at school he said (because Dawn was a girl and was the same age as Michael and probably looked like Lilly).
            Mummy and Daddy came back in the room and told Michael to go and play. But Michael sat outside the door and listened. He heard the man say things like only natural, nothing to worry about, only child, adopted. He wondered if they were talking about Lilly and if Lilly was making Mummy and Daddy sad. He didn’t want to make Mummy and Daddy sad.
            He talked to Lilly that night. I don’t know if I can play with you anymore Lilly said Michael. I don’t think Mummy or Daddy like it and I don’t know if they’ll like you when I go to big school. That’s okay, said Lilly. I’ll go away and you won’t have to talk to me. But don’t worry. If you ever need me I’ll come back.
            And so Lilly left Michael.

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