Withering Tights - By Louise Rennison Page 0,42

sixth group. Madame Frances is, I am afraid, still a little under the weather. So…use the time to ‘experiment’ in different forms. There’s paper, paints, chicken wire, plaster…Think of where you are, think of what the experience of Dother Hall means to you.”

Flossie did a sketch of a giant ironing board and iron which she’s going to make out of chicken wire. Vaisey went off to do moody sketches of the Dales and the clouds over Grimbottom. It was quite jolly having no one to tell us what to do.

Jo and Honey started singing and chatting.

Jo said, “I love it here now, I want to come and be here full-time, more than anything in the world.”

Honey said, “It would be fun, to be here full time weally. I weally hope and pway I get chothen to thtay. I hope we all do.”

And she started singing, “Thome where over the wainbow faw-a-way.”

And Jo joined in and they ended up standing on the desk singing, “Why, oh, why can’t I?”

Originally, I thought of wrapping the whole of Dother Hall in brown paper. That would get me noticed. There is a French artist who does stuff like that. He wrapped up the White Cliffs of Dover in clingfilm, or something. I don’t know why, but I know I liked it. However, when I went and asked Bob where the brown paper was kept he said, “In Gudrun’s top drawer.”

So I had to think of something else on a smaller scale for the time being.

I decided to make a cover for my performance art/summer of love notebook. I have collaged the front and back of it with a mixture of leaves and sheep’s wool, and stuck on some bits of slate I found which had fallen off the roof

To me it says ‘Yorkshire, the beginning of my dream’.

I am going to pour my heart and soul into it.

Alright, I can’t dance or sing, but I have got something to offer, I know I have, and I don’t mean my knees.

Gudrun came to tell Vaisey that her bed in the dorm was ready at last and that Bob will drive down later to get her stuff from The Blind Pig. Vaisey is really excited.

After the bell went, Vaisey and I walked home together, probably for the last time this summer.

Maybe forever.

We were both a bit quiet. Me, because I was thinking I would miss walking along with my new friend, but I think Vaisey was thinking about Jack. Or her hair. Or what larks she would have in the dorm.

I’m a bit jealous.

The trees were full of birds singing and you could see the moors rising above Heckmondwhite. Some of the higher crags had bits of snow on the top still.

I hadn’t really noticed how many birds sang in the woods, or the moors, probably because Vaisey and I didn’t stop talking or acting things out as we walked along together. Or she was riding Black Beauty and I was revving my Harley. And doing wheelies.

Funny how quickly you get to be good friends with someone. I was going to miss trying not to alarm Black Beauty with my bike in the mornings.

When we reached Heckmondwhite, Vaisey scampered off. She yelled, “Got to dash because Bob is coming for me in his Dude-mobile and I have to pack.”

After my supper of ‘local’ fish and chips from The Wetherby Whaler, it was nice to have Dibdobs around. She was by herself because Harold and the twins had gone to look at some cloud formations.

Dibdobs looked at me through her roundy glasses and said, “Tallulah, it’s been so lovely having you here. The boys adore you, and so do I.”

And she came and hugged me from the back, which made it a bit tricky because I was just finishing my mushy peas. She said, “I just don’t want to think about you not being here any more.”

That makes two of us.

I thought I would go and see Ruby.

Maybe the owls have hatched.

But there was no one around.

I tried calling her from the door of The Blind Pig. I didn’t like to go in when she wasn’t there. Partly because I was so shy about seeing Alex, but also because…oh dear. Mr Barraclough was there. He was cleaning his pie-eating trophies in the bar.

I said, “I was just looking for Ruby.”

He said, “She’s up back, wi’ Matilda.”

I set off up the track behind The Blind Pig towards Blubberhouse, and before I saw her Matilda came hurtling down the