Edward's Exploits

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by Jacqueline M. Wilson




  Title Page

  EDWARD’S EXPLOITS

  Jacqueline M. Wilson

  Illustrations by

  June Burton

  Publisher Information

  First published in 2004 by

  Apex Publishing Ltd

  PO Box 7086, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 5WN, England

  www.apexpublishing.co.uk

  Digital Edition converted and distributed in 2011 by

  Andrews UK Limited

  www.andrewsuk.com

  Copyright © 2004 by Jacqueline M. Wilson

  The author has asserted her moral rights

  All rights reserved.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that no part of this book is to be reproduced, in any shape or form, or, by way of trade, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, without prior permission of the copyright holder.

  Cover Design Illustration by June Burton

  Edward Goes On Holiday

  Edward was packing his suitcase, he had put in his best shorts and hat

  Eric the fox was going to feed his goldfish, so he left the key under the mat

  He made some jam sandwiches and took his train guide

  Edward was off on holiday, off to the seaside.

  He was very excited on the train and fidgeted most of the way

  The other passengers were getting fed up with him, so he thought of a game to play

  He counted all the brown cows he could see, now this really was fun

  The game didn’t last long, it was getting boring, he’d counted a hundred and one!

  At last the train pulled into the station at platform number five

  His auntie had been waiting for his train to arrive

  She greeted him enthusiastically with a hug and a kiss on the cheek

  She was cuddling him so tightly Edward felt his legs go weak!

  In the car on the way back they chatted and laughed about

  About when Edward was young, how he and his brother had made a raft

  They had taken it to the river and jumped on board ready to sail the seas

  Their adventure was cut short, the raft sank and the water was up to their knees!

  At last they arrived at aunt Kate’s house, Edward went to find his uncle Ted

  He was at the back of the house painting his rowing boat white and red

  Edward helped his uncle paint until his tummy started to rumble

  Just at that point aunt Kate came out and said “who’s for apple crumble?”

  Not only was there apple crumble but scones, chocolate cake and home made bread

  Edward had never seen so much food, his eyes nearly popped out his head!

  He ate as much as he possibly could, then he ate a little bit more!

  He would really have to stop now, his tummy was getting very sore

  He went outside and played in the sand, with his bucket and spade

  And built the biggest and best sandcastle he had ever made

  He ran in and out of the sea and jumped over the waves

  Then went walking across the rocks and looked in the old caves.

  Edward loved to explore, but the caves were dark and he was a bit wary

  What if he should meet a spider that was big, black and hairy!

  He collected funny shaped stones and shells even though they did smell

  He found the shell of a dead crab and put that in his pail as well.

  It was getting dark and getting late, it was nearly time for bed

  He would be glad to climb under the covers and rest his weary head

  He saw the light in the distance, what a welcoming sight

  He said goodnight to his aunt and uncle and went out like a light.

  The next few days were spent playing on the rocks and on the shore

  Having adventures in the caves, he wasn’t worried about spiders any more

  He would pretend to be a famous explorer, a pirate or sometimes a buccaneer

  Who would always be the hero of the story and never show fear.

  People would speak to him as they passed by and some would even smile

  But when he dug up a dead crab, or bones of a fish some of them ran a mile!

  Edward had loved his holiday and didn’t really want to leave

  He had been there seven days which he found hard to believe.

  As he waited to board the train, his aunt and uncle said goodbye

  Edward felt all sad inside and thought he was going to cry

  “Don’t feel sad Edward” auntie said as she wiped away a tear

  “We have enjoyed having you, please come back next year.”

  Edward’s New Friend

  Edward was in a playful mood, he was looking for animals to harass

  When all of a sudden, he saw something moving in the grass

  Edward was a bit of a coward, should he go over there?

  He didn’t know if he was brave enough, or even if he dare.

  What if it should bite him, that had happened to him before

  He still remembered that, it really was rather sore

  A little animal with sharp teeth, had bitten his big toe

  But curiosity was getting the better of him, he really had to know.

  He lay down on his tummy and slithered like a snake

  So it wouldn’t see him, but Edward had made a big mistake

  Edward was a rabbit and rabbits have big ears

  So all the other animals could see him including the tigers and the deers.

  The other animals were used to Edward and never batted an eye

  It was probably a game like hide and seek or maybe even eye-spy

  Little did they realise Edward was on a mission, with a mystery to solve

  Undertaking an investigation and all that would involve.

  Edward was nearly at the spot and was trying to find a smell

  Of the newcomer’s whereabouts and all was going well

  When all of a sudden a head popped through a hole in the ground

  It was black, with a large bill and wearing glasses; Edward didn’t make a sound

  His heart was racing, he jumped back totally in shock

  He landed in a big heap and banged his toe on a rock

  He recovered quickly and jumped to his feet prepared to take a stance

  When the little voice said “hi, my names Lance”.

  Lance crawled out and held out his claw for Edward to shake

  “I’m sorry to startle you, do you fancy a piece of cake”?

  “Definitely, yes” said Edward returning the shake and following Lance down the hole

  It was quite large inside with tables and chairs made of stone and coal.

  They ate cake and sandwiches too, Lance told Edward about his plight

  Of how he became lost in the jungle because of his poor eyesight

  He was digging in a garden in Epping, when his bearings he lost

  The directions mum had given him were wrong, they must have their wires crossed.

  Edward felt sorry for Lance and wanted to help, but wasn’t sure what to do

  Maybe he c
ould ask owl to soar up high and get a full view

  Of the surrounding areas and see if he could find

  Lance’s mum somewhere nearby, or even some of his own kind.

  Owl listened to their story and Lance became excited

  Owl had promised him they would be reunited

  She searched high and low and finally spotted her in a valley

  She swooped down and said “are you Lance’s mum”? she said “yes, please call me Sally”

  “I have been worried sick” she said “I want to give him a cuddle”

  “he never was very good at reading maps, he always gets in a muddle”

  They were delighted to see each other, mum said he would have to take map reading classes

  Or if he didn’t think he could do that, she’d get him stronger glasses!

  “We have to get going, I have left the rest of the family behind”

  She thanked Edward and owl and said they were very kind

  Owl said farewell and left them to say goodbye

  Edward had a lump in his throat and thought he was going to cry.

  “Goodbye Edward thanks for all your help, I’m, sorry about your toe”

  “Goodbye Lance I’m glad you’re my friend and not my foe”

  Edward would miss Lance more than he would admit

  But he still had other friends, and he ran off to tell them all about it.

  Edward’s Loft

  Edward was busy clearing out his loft

  It was so dusty up there he spluttered and coughed

  There were cobwebs and spiders, dirt and a horrible smell

  It made him feel sick and not at all well

  He never came up here, now he knew why

  It was all dusty and smelly, like a pigsty!

  He had on his blue overalls, boots, gloves and a mask

  Now he was all kitted out and ready for the task.

  He was going to be ruthless and not keep a thing

  Until he found a little toy soldier with a gun that went PING

  He remembered that little soldier, it had given him great pleasure

  He would give it to some other little rabbit for them to treasure.

  All was going well he had made a good start

  He had thrown out a burst ball and a robot that had fallen apart

  Then he spotted his old castle complete with a moat

  And just behind that, he saw his sailing boat!

  Edward had forgotten all about these great toys

  That both he and his brother played with, when they were boys

  How he loved and missed those days, the toys had made him think

  He was very hot and sweaty and headed downstairs for a drink.

  He had only thrown two things away, and only because they were broke

  He would have to try harder, he finished off his coke

  He went upstairs again and put in the bag an incomplete game

  He lifted something green, it was his school coat and inside was his name.

  Edward Benjamin Joseph Brown it said on a very large tag

  And right beside it was of course, his old school bag!

  He looked inside there were his books, they looked a bit rotten

  He wouldn’t look at his maths book, some things were best forgotten!

  He was cracking on now and managed to clear a space

  Just then he noticed some cars they used to race

  He was always the blue car, his brother always the red

  They would always end up crashing the cars, and getting sent to bed!

  Those were the days Edward thought, it was getting late he decided he’d had enough

  He had done a very good job and got rid of lots of stuff

  Although he did keep a few things from which he couldn’t detach

  Edward took all his priceless possessions and closed the loft hatch.

  Edward Needs Glasses

  Edward was walking through the forest talking to Frank the hare

  When suddenly he fell down a big hole in the ground, which gave Frank a scare

  He pulled Edward out and asked him if he was alright

  Edward said he was fine, but hadn’t seen the hole because of the bright sunlight.

  They walked further along the path, Edward turned his head to invite Frank to tea

  “WATCH OUT”! Frank shouted as Edward banged his head on a tree

  “OUCH”! yelled Edward and rubbed the red bump on his head

  “Lets go inside and I’ll bathe it for you” Frank said.

  Edward went upstairs to fetch the antiseptic and cotton wool

  But when he looked at the label he felt such a fool

  “I think my eyes need testing” Edward said

  for he had not brought down the antiseptic but mouthwash instead!

  Edward was a bit worried he had never had his eyes tested before

  It was just as well Frank came with him as he almost walked into the door

  The lady in reception was very nice and made Edward feel at ease

  She told him to take a seat and that her name was Louise.

  A lady appeared from a door marked ‘Private’ and was given Edward’s details

  She looked very stern and he noticed she had black painted finger nails

  CRIKEY! gasped Edward she looked like a witch, he tugged at Frank’s arm

  “Come in with me please” as he held tight a gold button which he kept as a lucky charm.

  He sat in a chair and stared at a chart on the wall

  Which had big letters at the top, but the letters at the bottom were small

  The letters were very fuzzy and a bit of a blur

  He wondered if he should tell the optician, but he was still a bit scared of her.

  She finished what she was doing and gave him a little smile

  “Now just relax Edward, this might take a little while”

  She asked him questions about his health and did he get headaches?

  Couldn’t she see the huge bump on his head for goodness sakes!

  She asked him to look ahead and read the letters from the top

  And when he couldn’t make out the letters any more he could stop

  Edward did as he was told but struggled on the third line

  She told him to carry on and that he was doing fine.

  But Edward couldn’t carry on, that was all he could see

  In fact, he wasn’t even sure if he was looking at a B or a G!

  She put some funny glasses on him and asked if that was better

  If definitely was, he could now see the fourth line and almost every letter.

  She changed the lenses from thick to thin

  And asked if it was better or worse for him

  She shone a small torch into his eyes and told him not to look at the light

  The light was very distracting because it was so close and so bright.

  The optician told Edward he needed glasses and wrote a prescription

  The writing was unreadable like hieroglyphics or even Egyptian

  There were many frames to choose from, should he go for one of the designer names?

  But in the end he chose a small gold pair with oval shaped frames.

  When Edward’s glasses were ready for him to try

  He looked out of the window at the trees and the passers by

  Edward was AMAZED at how clear everything was and no longer a blur

  He thanked the not so scary optician and said goodbye to her.

  They left the shop but Edward felt queer

  He wasn’t quite used to the glasses yet and everything seemed so
near

  He held onto Frank’s arm until he felt steady

  Then they started for home when Edward was ready.

  Edward was worried in case everyone would stare

  But no one seem to notice his new eye wear

  He could now see things as clear as day

  And the two young friends hopped off to play.

  Edward’s Day Trip to London

  Eric, Frank, Fergus and Mary had arranged to meet Edward at the Station

  They had been planning this day for months, London was their destination

  They were going to catch the 9.28

  And if Edward didn’t hurry up he was going to be late.

  They paced the platform impatiently, up and down

  “Edward’s always late” said Fergus the frog with a frown

  “he’s probably forgotten” Eric said buttoning up his coat

  “he forgets everything unless he writes himself a note”

  “One of us will have to go to his house”

  “I’ll go, it’ll be quicker for me” said Mary the mouse

 

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