4th November – The first room

Andy stood there looking at the garden. This was the first garden he had ever had. Before he had only been able to play round his friends in their garden, or in the park, which was everyone’s garden.

Not today, today this was his. His garden to play, to rest, to imagine in.

All he could think of doing was to lie down. He knew there were boxes. Boxes in every room. His parents had decided to focus on one room at a time. They had made it clear that together, they would sort out each room, one at a time, and by the end of day one they would have the TV room for them all to sit and relax in together, and then his room so he could sleep properly on his first night. They wanted to make sure he felt that they were thinking of him with the move. Having his room ready, or at least a room for him to sleep in and feel comfy in, was important to helping him transition to the new house. They said.

When they reminded him of this in the morning, he did feel happy, he felt important and he was looking forward to it, but who really likes change?

Then he saw the garden.

To some, this may not have been much. A patch of grass. A space where a ball could be be kicked around, maybe some plants put in. His friends had bigger gardens and he enjoyed running around with his friends.

But this was his.

He simply laid down. Feeling the long grass between his fingers. The way that although it looked dry, managed to make his knees, then his hands, and now his back, all wet.

When he would eventually go inside he figured he would get told off, as young boys do when they come in muddy. He was now one of those boys who would be told off by their mother for making a mess in the kitchen after playing outside. He smiled.

Andy laid there listening, he closed his eye tight and listened. He had learnt about bugs in school that week, he was shown how to collect and watch them with different devices or contraptions and how to do it safely. Now he could do it from his own back garden and see what the bugs did each day in the grass, the rustling, the chirps.

He remembered he had a half eaten biscuit in his pocket, he remembered this because he could feel the ants slowly moving around him. He could hear the hustle and bustle as they moved to get to the biscuit that was now within their grasp. He giggled as they moved around his skin and made him squirm. He giggled more at the thought of being told off about being even more muddy than before. He was a young boy in the garden getting muddy and soon he would be told to ‘get out of those dirty clothes’ and ‘change into [his] pyjamas’. Probably to go have a wash first too.

Andy smiled again.

Around him he could hear the birds singing and along the fence he spotted a small black cat edging closer to a bird.

It jumped.

Missed the bird.

Missed the landing too.

It shook itself and looked at Andy who the day before had not been there.

Andy was not the bird. He was not its owner.

The cat was now in Andy’s garden. Andy got up and chased after the cat. It quickly ran away seeing who was in charge, or at least who was bigger, and scuttered up the fence back to its own garden, or at least in the direction of its own garden. The first battle had been won. Andy the victor, the mighty. Defender of birds. Protector of his realm. He might need to make a cape later.

Andy felt at home already. His bedroom would not be ready for hours. He would probably be told off and be having a wash within 30 minutes but he suddenly realised that his parents were standing behind him, watching him.

Watching their muddy son in the garden, chase a cat, be covered in what appeared to be an entire ants nest carrying away pieces of a biscuit from his trouser pocket, while covered in mud.

This was it. He was about to be told off like his friends do sometimes when playing in the garden.

His parents smiled and came to sit in the garden. They too got damp hands and knees. They too got their backs muddy from the wet grass and soil.

Their first room was ready and not a box had been opened for it. They enjoyed it together, the first of many days in their new garden.