Simon's Canal

#####Simon’s Canal

Don’t go near the canal!” said

Simon’s mum.

She said this ten times a day to Simon’s big sisters, Trish and Paula. Trish and Paula had to look after Simon, keep him safe from harm.

Mum put on Simon’s jacket and combed his hair. Then she said to the girls again: “Remember now, keep away from that canal!”

Simon did not know what a canal was. How could he know if he never saw it?

He guessed it was a huge and frightening monster in a lair near

Curran’s Mill. Sometimes he heard it roaring.

One dark, windy night it came galloping up the lane towards their house, hungry and angry. A good thing the door was locked and the curtains drawn.

Trish and Paula took Simon to the library.

“Simon can have a book with one of my tickets,” said Trish.

“He can’t read.” “Well, he can look at the pictures.”

“What sort of book do you want, Simon?” “A book about a canal.” “No,” said Trish. “There’s only one book about a canal. It’s too boring. You won’t like it.”

Simon know what boring meant. He had watched his dad boring holes. Perhaps the canal bored holes in people with its horns. Trish was right-he would not like that.

“Here’s a good book for Simon,” said Paula.

The cover of the book had a picture of a great, green dragon roaring across a river.

“Is that a canal?” asked Simon. “Well, it’s nearly the same,” Said Paula, thinking he meant the river. “You and your canal!” sighed Trish.

Next day, Gran came from London for a holiday. Gran loved the country.

“We shall go out every day,” she said to Simon.

When Trish and Paula were at school, Gran and Simon had fun. They went to the park. They rambled through the woods. They climbed up the hill behind Simon’s house. Then, one lunchtime, Gran said they would walk by the canal that afternoon.

Simon looked startled. His tummy felt queer and he could not eat his pudding.

“Aren’t you scared, Gran?” “Scared of a weedy old canal? I should think not!” said Gran.

So the monster was not so frightening after all. It was growing old, losing its strength. Simon began to feel sorry for it.

Gran and Simon walked through the fields. They came to Curran’s Mill. The mill stood on the banks of the water and the power from the water ran the mill. Simon did not feel scared with Gran beside him.

“Where’s the canal?” asked Simon. “Right in front of you, of course!” Gran pointed with her umbrella.

“Oh,” said Simon. He could see nothing but water.

Then he knew! The monster was invisible. It could see them, but they could not see it. The monster hummed quietly to itself. But it did not try to hurt them. It was old.

At teatime, Simon said: “They’ll never be able to catch it, anyway.” “Catch what, dear?” “The canal.”

Trish and Paula giggled. “Isn’t he funny, Mum? Who would ever want to catch a canal?”

“Good!” thought Simon. “Nobody wants to catch the canal. And the canal does not want to catch us.”

“I’d like another piece of cake,” said Simon. “Please!”