Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden (2 page)

Monday morning dawned sunny and hot once more. The sun sparkled on the ocean. Rosie and Lulu raced down the footpath on their way to school. Asha and Jessie ran along beside them. Mum followed, pushing Gus in the pram. People whizzed by on bicycles, skateboards and scooters, dodging the fallen twigs on the ground.

The Bell family arrived early at Shelly Beach School. Lulu tied the dogs to the
fence outside the school grounds. The girls charged through the gate. Rosie ran straight to her favourite part of the playground, which was near the back fence. This was where she usually met her friends in the morning. Lulu followed.

Both girls stopped and stared.

‘Mum!' cried Lulu. ‘Look at the garden. It's
ruined
.'

Gus jumped out of the pram. Mum and Gus came over.

‘Big mess,' said Gus. He stuck his thumb in his mouth.

‘Oh, what a shame,' said Mum. ‘It must have been the storm last night.'

Last week, in this corner of the playground there had been a small garden. Low beds had held herbs and flowers. It had been a place where Rosie, Lulu and their friends loved to play.

Now it was a jumble of dirt, stones and fallen branches. Several plants had been blown over and the pots they had been nestled in were smashed. The heavy rain had washed away most of the soil.

‘It looks terrible,' said Lulu.

Rosie prodded a crushed daisy stem with her toe. ‘All the flowers are gone,' she said.

Mum put her arm around Rosie's shoulder.

‘Don't worry,' said Mum. ‘I'm sure the garden will be fixed so that it will look beautiful again.'

Lulu's best friend Molly soon arrived, with her brother Sam and their mother Tien. More and more families gathered to look at the damage.

The principal came over. Mrs Fisher was a grey-haired woman with a very
imposing presence. She had a delightful smile, but when she wanted to, she could silence a group of several hundred children and adults with a single glance. Right now, she looked concerned.

‘Please be careful, children,' called Mrs Fisher. ‘Everyone needs to stay out of this area. We have some workmen on their way to clean up the mess.'

‘Will they be replanting the garden soon, Mrs Fisher?' asked Mum.

Mrs Fisher shook her head. ‘No. We won't be able to replant for quite some time. Unfortunately it's very expensive to build a new garden.'

Rosie looked upset. ‘But we have to fix it. This is the best place to play. It's where we play hopscotch and chasings. And fairies and witches.'

‘Perhaps some of the parents could help out by bringing in some plants?' suggested Mum.

‘We have lots of herbs and veggies growing at home,' said Lulu.

‘And flowers,' added Rosie.

‘We would be happy to buy some plants for the garden,' said Tien. ‘We live in an apartment so Molly and Sam don't have an outside space of their own to play in. They love the school garden.'

Mrs Fisher smiled. ‘That would be wonderful. But we really need to put in new beds and fresh soil, as well. There would be a lot of work to do even before we start to plant. The old garden was pretty, but if we wait to raise some funds, it could be so much lovelier.'

Right then, two workmen arrived with their wheelbarrow and tools.
People parted to let them through.

‘Thanks for coming,' said Mrs Fisher.

‘That's all right,' said one of the men. ‘We'll soon get rid of all this rubbish, and we'll block off the area so that the children can't come in.'

‘How long will the garden be blocked off for?' asked Lulu.

‘Just a few months,' said Mrs Fisher.

‘A few months?' said Rosie. ‘That's such a long time.'

Mrs Fisher smiled at her. ‘I'm sorry, Rosie. You and your friends will have to find somewhere else to play for a while.'

The bell went. Lulu and Rosie gave Mum a hug and a kiss. Then they ran off to join their class lines for morning assembly.

The kids whispered and chatted as they sat in their class groups, outside in the playground. Many of the parents stood up the back to hear the announcements.

Mrs Fisher walked to the front and everyone fell silent.

‘Good morning, parents, teachers and students,' said Mrs Fisher.

‘Good morning, Mrs Fisher,' chanted the students.

‘Most of you will have seen the disaster that has befallen our garden,' said Mrs Fisher.

Most of the children nodded and murmured among themselves. Lulu wriggled on her bottom.

‘Unfortunately, we don't have the money to fix this yet,' said Mrs Fisher. ‘But I welcome suggestions from our school community on what should be done with the space, so that we can plan ahead.'

The parents whispered among themselves. Mrs Fisher paused until everyone was quiet.

‘If students, parents or teachers have any ideas, please drop a note with your suggestions into the box in the office.'

Lulu and Molly exchanged glances.

‘On a brighter note,' said Mrs Fisher,
‘I have a very exciting surprise for you today.'

Everyone was silent.
What could it be?
wondered Lulu.

‘We are taking part in a science experiment that the whole school can share,' announced Mrs Fisher. ‘Today the school will be receiving a dozen eggs.'

‘Eggs?' whispered Lulu to Molly. ‘Why would we want a dozen eggs at school?'

‘I have no idea,' replied Molly. ‘Egg sandwiches for the canteen?'

Lulu giggled. Mrs Fisher stared at Lulu and Molly. Lulu stopped wriggling and sat up straight.

‘The eggs will be kept in a special incubator in the hall outside the office,' continued Mrs Fisher. ‘We are hoping that they will hatch into baby chicks.'

‘Oooh,' said Lulu. It was a whisper echoed by children all around the playground.

‘Students are welcome to visit the eggs during the day, at recess and at lunch,' said Mrs Fisher. ‘You will all help take care of the chicks as they grow. It will be a fascinating experience for everyone.'

Mrs Fisher smiled. ‘And when the chicks have grown a little, some of you
might be able to take them home as pets!'

Lulu swung around to try to catch Mum's eye.
It will be wonderful to see the chicks hatch!
she thought.
But wouldn't it be even more amazing to have pet chicks to raise?

Mum was standing with the other parents at the back of the playground. Lulu raised her eyebrows and grinned. Mum screwed up her face in mock horror.

Lulu turned back around to face the front. She started to imagine a marvellous, multistorey chicken house that she could build in the backyard for her new chicks.

At recess, Lulu and Molly went to watch the workmen in the playground. Rosie and her friend Mia were already there. They stood at the barricade with Max, Daniel, Lauren and lots of the other children. The two men were piling the last of the rubbish into a wheelbarrow. One of them guided it over to their truck, which was parked just outside the school gate. They loaded everything into the back.

‘There's nothing left,' said Lulu.

The area where the garden patch had been was now completely levelled. Bright yellow tape and a metal barricade blocked off the area. There was no sign of the broken pots or smashed plants. It was now just a muddy, drab corner of the playground. Lulu felt sad to see an empty space where the once-beautiful garden had been.

‘I hate it!' cried Rosie. She looked miserable.

‘Me too,' said Mia.

‘They've even taken away our stepping stones!' wailed Rosie.

There had been brick stepping stones in the garden. Rosie and her friends spent many lunchtimes hopping from step to step. It was much more fun than traditional hopscotch on a flat surface.

‘Don't worry, Rosie,' said Lulu. ‘Remember what Mrs Fisher said this morning? She wants us to think of some brilliant ideas for the new garden.'

‘I have a better idea,' said Max. ‘It costs a lot to put in a garden. Why don't we just put up basketball hoops instead? Then we could use them straightaway.'

Max jumped up and mimed shooting a ball through a hoop.

Rosie frowned. ‘But we have basketball hoops near the library.'

‘How about more handball courts?' said Lauren.

‘But there're already lots of handball courts for the big kids,' said Mia. ‘We'd rather have a garden to play in. Plus it's nice to look after the veggies and flowers and watch them grow.'

As much as Lulu loved the garden,
she could see that it was Rosie and Mia's special place. Lulu didn't like to see Rosie upset. She flicked one of her plaits over her shoulder.
There must be a way to build a new garden – without waiting months and months
, she thought.
We need money. And we need lots of help to build it!

‘Maybe we could organise some fundraisers,' said Lulu. ‘There were lots of parents at the assembly this morning. Lots of people care about the garden. I'm sure they would help. Then we could make a really special garden that everyone can enjoy.'

‘We could have a cake stall to raise money,' said Molly, ‘like we did when we needed to buy new library books.'

Several kids nodded.

Rosie smiled. ‘With cupcakes and brownies,' she said.

‘And chocolate fudge,' said Max, rubbing his tummy.

‘Maybe we could ask people to donate plants for the garden, too,' said Molly. ‘If everyone brought some, we'd have heaps.'

‘And we could help build the garden ourselves; that would save money,' said
Rosie. ‘I know Mum and Dad would help, as well.'

Lulu felt hope bubble up inside her. Her mind was in a whirl with ideas.

‘We could start a club!' said Lulu. ‘A save-the-garden club! We could think of some clever plans to raise money and fix the garden. We'll have an even better garden in no time!'

‘That's a great idea,' said Mia.

‘But what could we call it?' asked Daniel.

Lulu thought about Millie's enchanting garden shop, with its mermaid and dragon statues.

Lulu looked up and grinned at her friends. ‘Why don't we call it The Magical Garden Club? If we all work together, we can make our school garden magically appear!'