Читать книгу Ollie and the Magic Workshop - Alison Knowles - Страница 6

Ollie sighed. He had already decided he did not like Mollie and really did not want her staying with them or meeting his friends, especially Mr Wilcox, because he was Ollie’s friend, not Mollie’s. He waited for his mum and Mollie to catch up and walked into the big room where the old people drank tea with his head down and feeling very grumpy.

“Well, hello there, young lad,” called Mr Green, the grandpa who cut the grass and made all the hedges into animals with his special hedge cutter. Ollie liked Mr Green, because he said that in every hedge there was an animal or bird hiding, and it only appeared when he cut away the leaves! It did seem like that to Ollie!

“Who’s this with you, young man?”

Ollie shuffled his feet, head down, and muttered quietly, “Mollie.”

“Sorry, what was that, young fella? You have to speak up, as I think I have birds nesting in my ears, and it makes it hard to hear!”

“Mollie,” said Ollie. “Mum says she is staying with us over summer.”

“Well hello, Mollie,” said Mr Green. “I will have to show you all the animals I found hiding in the hedges.”

Mollie just looked down, also shuffling her feet, and just grunted, “Whatever.”

“Well, I guess you’re looking for Mr Wilcox. He’s out in the garden watching Mrs Bowler bowl,” and he chuckled.

Ollie thanked Mr Green and headed for the big glass doors that led out into the old people’s garden. Sure enough there was Mr Wilcox sat on a bench watching Mrs Bowler and some of the other grandmas playing bowls.

“Ollie lad, good to see you!” cried Mr Wilcox. “Come and have a seat and tell me all your news.”

Ollie sat next to Mr Wilcox still being grumpy. Ollie’s mum followed over, and behind her followed a very grumpy Mollie.

“Well, well, well,” said Mr Wilcox, looking past Ollie’s mum at Mollie. “And who is this little lady?”

Ollie just made a grumpy huffing noise.