by Simon Mason
When she came the right way up, the French girl was clapping her hands, and Lucy was so excited she jumped straightaway into a cartwheel and got her timing wrong and fell onto the ground.
The French girl got off the swing and ran over, and bent down to look at Lucy. She kissed her fingertips and touched Lucy gently on the knee. Then she straightened up, made a little bound, and flung herself into three cartwheels, one after the other.
Lucy clapped. She did a cartwheel, and another, and the French girl clapped.
Lucy smiled at her. ‘Let's go on the climbing frame now,’ she said. ‘I want to show you something.' The girl stood there staring at her, and Lucy remembered.
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘I forgot again. I can't talk to you.' She stood staring at the French girl and the French girl stood staring back.
Lucy thought for a moment.
‘Well,’ she said. ‘I suppose it doesn't stop us going on the climbing frame.’
When they reached the climbing frame, the French girl jumped up, caught hold of one of the bars, and swung herself from one bar to another across to the other side.
‘Wow,’ Lucy said. ‘I can't do that.' She shook her head. But the French girl nodded. She took Lucy's hands and showed her how to grip the bars, and showed her how to swing, first one hand, then the other, then the first one again. Lucy tried it, and got to the fourth bar before she fell off, which was better than she'd ever done before, and the French girl gave her a hug. After that, Lucy showed the French girl how to hang upside down from the highest bar, which wasn't at all frightening or dangerous if you did it the right way, and after a while the French girl let go with her hands, and hung there upside down, squealing a bit.
They played so happily, and for such a long time, that afterwards Lucy couldn't remember when they'd started to speak to each other. But they really must have, because Lucy knew that the French girl was called Madeleine, just like Mum's friend, and Madeleine knew that Lucy was Lucy, because that was what she called her. And Lucy knew where Madeleine's tent was, and Madeleine knew that Lucy was the same age as her because she showed her on her fingers. Lucy supposed they had just started telling each other things without thinking, and pointing, and counting on their fingers, and it was funny how well you could talk with smiling and fingers. When they were tired of playing in the play area, they went to Madeleine's tent, and Lucy met her mother and father and her dog, which was very bushy and had bad breath.
Afterwards, Lucy took Madeleine to her own tent, to meet Mum and Dad, who were just beginning to get worried.
‘This is Madeleine,’ Lucy said. ‘She's the same age as me, and her tent is near the dusty bit where you drive in at first, and she has a dog made of thick black wool, and a sister called Annette, and her mum gave me a drink you can't get in our country, and when Madeleine grows up she's going to be a gymnast. Oh, and she's my friend.’
Dad stepped forward. ‘Very pleased to meet you, Madeleine,’ he said. ‘Is this the first time you've been on holiday in France?’
Madeleine stared at him. Dad stared at Lucy. Lucy stared at Dad.
Lucy said, ‘Dad! Madeleine's French.’
‘Oh,’ Dad said. ‘But then how …?’
But Lucy and Madeleine had already gone into the tent, chatting.
The End
A DAVID FICKLING BOOK
Published by David Fickling Books
an imprint of Random House Children's Books
a division of Random House, Inc.
New York
Copyright © 2003 by Simon Mason
Illustrations copyright © 2003 by Helen Stephens
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.
www.randomhouse.com/kids
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mason, Simon, 1962–
The Quigleys at large/Simon Mason; illustrated by Helen Stephens.— 1st American ed.
p. cm.
Summary: The further adventures and misadventures of the four members of the Quigley family—
Mum, Dad, Lucy, and Will.
eISBN: 978-0-307-54350-9
[1. Family life—England—Fiction. 2. Humorous stories. 3. England—Fiction.]
I. Stephens, Helen, 1972– ill. II. Title.
PZ7.M4232Qv 2003
[Fic]—dc21
2003047036
v3.0