Going home

by Trudy Duffy-Wigman

Daddy says the bus is going all the way to Inverness, through the hills and through the mountains.

‘Can me and you go to Inverness, Daddy?’

‘Maybe one day, son.  But not in the winter. See, it is already getting dark.  It will be pitch black by the time you come into Perth.  That is far enough for today.’

The Big Blue bus is coming.  It stops at the bus stop.  There is a funny yellow man on the side of the bus.

‘Daddy, that man is also going to Inverness, isn’t he?’

The door swings open.  Two ladies step out and then a man who is as old as Gramps, though he doesn’t walk with a stick.  Then Mummy sticks her head through the door and waves.

‘Alright, young man,’ says Daddy, ‘in you go.’  And he lifts me up the first step.  My rucksack is in the way.  My new jammies are in there, the ones Daddy bought me yesterday.  He’s kept the old ones, for the next time I am coming.  Rupert is also in my rucksack.  Rupert is a bear and he and I are always together.

Mummy helps me up the next two steps.  The steps are really high.  I say hello to the bus driver. He says hello too. Mummy has a window seat for me.  I sit down and Mummy gives me a drink of water. The door of the bus closes and I haven’t said goodbye to Daddy.  He is outside the window and waves at me.  I wave back.  Mummy looks ahead.  She doesn’t look happy.

The Big Blue bus drives away from the bus stop with me and Mummy and Rupert in it.  We are only going to Perth but the bus is going all the way to Inverness.