Level Two. Care and Share.

Level Two – Care and Share.

By Michelle Lloyd.

 

New One and his Mum had been hard at work because it was to be a special day,

all the effort, hard work and preparation had been ongoing for a theatre play.

The school had sent out a letter to say that New One had the lead role on the stage,

a lot of rehearsal and memorising had been done as there was many a word on the page.

The page was full of lines that New One was to say,

all about his experience of school and that all important lived through first day.

Out of all the young ones, it was New One who had won the part,

he had thought it an honour but in fact it had meant lots of work and many early starts.

New One knew the school was looking at him to do well,

it was up to him to the whole school, all his friends and their parents to tell…

of what it was like to be the New Boy, the New student and the New One,

it had been all happiness at first but now the weight of the responsibility felt like a tonne.

 

The night before the actual play,

New One tried to his Mum to say he really didn’t think he could go through with the day.

School friends and parents had wished New One Good Luck,

New One felt his heart thundering like his electric toy truck.

All New One could see was the faces of friends,

all he could think of was how he could make amends,

because he really didn’t think he could stand on that stage alone,

he knew he would muddle up every word and blush as red as a raspberry ice cream cone.

New One’s Mum had practiced his lines with him and helped him to write,

all about what his first day had been like, all the first experiences, sounds and sights.

The evening it went on and New One looking pale was sent to bed,

he knew he would not sleep and instead would be thinking of what needed to be said.

 

New One was woken early the next morning and taken to school,

everyone happily smiling at him while he felt like a fool.

To none of his friends he could talk, when R V or Little Herbert approached New One quickly the other way walked.

R V and Little Herbert had thought his action odd,

he had ignored them, not even said hello or given them a nod.

Finally at the end of the day, at three forty five,

the School Stage it did come alive.

New One was stood by his teacher at the front of the crowd,

his Mum, Dad and Nanny all sat in the audience so proud.

New One looked out at them all and felt his tummy turn,

thoughts of anger and upset filled his mind as he imagined the audience very stern.

Announcements were made and as the heart beats were loud in New One’s ears,

the moment arrived, it was lights, parent’s cameras flashed and confirmed were New One’s worst fears.

As he looked at the eager expressions, every word fell out of his head,

the hours of practice had left him blank with long stretching out minutes of nothing said.

One second went by, then there was two and New One didn’t know what to do…

Parents looked at him and he at them,

his fears had bolted and he didn’t know what to do for them to stem.

Just as the teacher was to take to the stage,

as New One had reached breaking point, full of tears and rage,

a little voice spoke out and a friend was at his other side,

as R V began talking and Little Herbert was there to guide.

There was a truly lovely few moments as New One turned to his friends in shock,

he could not take in what had happened, it was difficult to measure his relief as it felt like the clock of stress which had held him in its grip ceased to tock.

R V began with what his first day had been like,

Little Herbert followed on with a bit of that and then wandered on to a story about his favourite bike.

The audience at little Herbert’s attempt did laugh and New One soon felt able,

word after rehearsed word from him poured as his heart calmed, he felt secure and stable.

His parents smiled at the three as the evening ended a great success,

it could all have been such a mess.

New One’s friends had stepped in at just the right time,

for a while there New One had thought that for him it had been the end of the line.

 

Later that evening New One confessed his nerves to his Mum,

he told of his fears and how to them he had succumb.

New One’s Mum smiled, kissed him as she tucked him in his little bed,

That is what friends were for to him she said.

You always knew who your friends were through think and thin, because those were the people who would stand by your side,

when things mattered most it would be them who would guide.

Your friends are the people who know the problems of your heart,

the people from whom it hurts to be apart.

Little Herbert and R V were the ones who to New One were true friends,

to his problems and happiness they were the first ones to tend,

and they were the ones who for him they did care,

because when he really needed them they took on the strain, and his problems they did share.