But frogs can sit still for hours on their lily pads! I hear you protest; however, you haven’t come across Felicity. She is a frog who just can’t be still…not even for a minute. In fact, in the time it has taken for you to read this, she has already changed lily pads 3 times!
“Will you sit still!” says Freda, Felicity’s mother crossly. They are waiting on the bench by the bus stop, hoping to get into town to buy Felicity’s new hockey kit for next term.
Freda and her husband Freddie live on the water meadows just outside Gloucester, Felicity is their eldest child, Felix, her baby brother is still a tadpole so has been left at home under the watchful gaze of his father. Freddy and Freda are kind and patient parents on the whole; however, Felicity’s constant fidgeting often finds them at the end of their wits.
“Good afternoon, Freda” comes a cheerful voice from behind them. Turning round to see who is greeting them, Freda sees Lavender the labrador who lives at number 49 with her puppies Lavinia and Lucas sitting obediently by her side.
“Oh, what well behaved children you have Lavender” says Freda with a pang of envy as Felicity shuffles back and forth on the bench on her bottom nearly falling off as she nears the edge.
“ I do so wish my daughter would sit still and wait as nicely as yours” she adds giving Felicity the exasperated mum glare.
Lavender beams proudly at her pups. “I’m taking them for their nursery taster session this afternoon”, I do hope they behave as nicely there” she adds anxiously.
“I’m sure they will be perfect” reassures Freda.
Felicity who is getting somewhat bored waiting for the bus and listening to all the talk about the perfect pups, takes a flying leap from her position on the bench and lands unceremoniously on Lavinia’s tail.
“ Ouch!” yelps the puppy
“Felicity!!!” shouts her mother, “what on earth are you doing?! Can’t you sit still for 5 minutes?!”
“I’m so sorry Lavender” she turns and apologises to Lavinia’s mother, “my child is a nightmare!”
Lavender who is attending to her yelping puppy tells her it really isn’t anything to worry about and that Lavinia does tend to make a fuss about nothing sometimes. In the heat of the moment, they all fail to notice that during all her fidgeting and jumping around, Felicity has dropped her pencil case – her mother had allowed her to bring it so that she could be kept occupied…and still, doing some colouring on the bus into town. Unfortunately for Felicity, this is not the first time her fidgeting has caused her to drop and lose her stuff!
At that moment their group is joined by Mavis the thieving Magpie, who has the sharpest eyesight in Gloucestershire and has been watching the scene unfold from the branches of the Maple tree that overhangs the bus stop.
“There’s a pencil case under that bench”, says Mavis in her sharp high-pitched voice. “Think I’ll just grab that and take it home to look after until the owner comes to claim it” she lies, beadily eying the pencil case with its shiny silver zip which is glinting in the afternoon sunlight.
“Oh no you won’t Mavis!” retorts Felicity sharply, “that’s mine” and with that she swiftly leaps over to where it is lying on the ground and grabs it, holding on tightly lest Mavis should try and snatch it away.
“And how do we know it’s yours?” asks Mavis slyly, “I think you should prove it, I bet you can’t can you?”
“Actually, she can Mavis!” retorts Freda crossly, she is fed up with Mavis and her thieving, last week she’s sure Mavis was guilty of pinching her favourite tea towel off the washing line in the garden.
Grabbing the pencil case from her daughter who is hopping anxiously from one foot to the other in all the excitement and is quite unable to keep still, she unzips it and holds it out close to the Magpie’s face so she can see the small colourful label that’s stuck inside which has Felicity’s name picture on it.
“I got these name labels last week because Felicity is always losing stuff on account of her fidgeting so much! So unfortunately, Mavis you’ll be going home empty handed this afternoon!” Freda stares disapprovingly at the naughty Magpie who is now looking rather sheepish.
“Ooh! What a marvellous idea!” enthuses Lavender from the sidelines, “I will have to get those for Lavinia and Lucas when they start nursery next month”
Mavis rolls her eyes, realising her luck for that afternoon has run out and flaps haughtily back up to her branch.
“Now, come along Felicity, I can see our bus coming” says Freda in a business-like manner. “Goodbye Lavender, Ill see you at the Church bazaar on Sunday.”
And with that, she takes her fidgeting daughter firmly by the hand and gets on the number 51 bus to Gloucester.
