Grandpa and Emily

By Anna Warwick (1983)

Grandpa and Emily were great friends. Emily was five and Grandpa was sixty-five. Emily had long, curly blonde hair. Grandpa had short, straight grey hair.

Every day after school Emily went to Grandpa's house. If it was hot they would make popcorn and eat it out on the verandah. If it was cold they would make a hot chocolate and drink it by the fire.

But no matter if it were cold or if it were hot, they would always, always go for a walk. Sometimes they would go to the zoo, sometimes they would go to the park, and sometimes they would go to the beach.

Today they went to the beach. Grandpa wore his grey coat, Emily wore her dark blue one. Black clouds began to gather up in the sky, but never ever would Grandpa do up his top coat button.
Neither did Emily.

"There's no point" Grandpa used to say, "in having top coat buttons, because when you do them up, the wind still blows."
Emily nodded.
"Never once in my long life have I ever done up my top coat button."

Suddenly there was a crash of thunder and lightning, then the rain came pouring down. Grandpa looked at Emily shivering in the rain. Emily looked back at him.

Then Emily did up her top coat button.

"Run!" said Grandpa as he grabbed Emily by the hand.
"Stop!" shouted Emily.

She reached up on tiptoe and did up Grandpa's top coat button.

Then they ran back to Grandpa's house. They made a hot chocolate and drank it by Grandpa's cosy fire.
Then he said: "Emily, from now on I think you and I should always, always do up our top coat buttons."

And do you know what? They always, always did!