Finty & The Magic Forest

Paul Kelly

Description

Rosemary was a good teacher and she thought she had reached the heightof her profession until she met Finty ...a talking squirrel and then herlife changed forever. After she met Finty, she could speak animallanguage as well as English and her powers of healing becameastronomical.This tale tells HOW Finty managed to master the English language andhis sister, whom Rosemary thought would surely be able ro talk as wellas her brother ... was disappointed. . . . The little sister couldn'ttalk at all. She could only sing . . .Anything could happen in the magic forest . . .

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 16 décembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781849899116
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page

FINTY AND THE MAGIC FOREST




By
Paul Kelly




Publisher Information

Finty and the Magic Forest
Published in 2011 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.

Copyright © Paul Kelly

The right of Paul Kelly to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.




Synopsis

Rosemary was a good teacher and she thought she had reached the height of her profession until she met Finty …a talking squirrel and then her life changed forever. After she met Finty, she could speak animal language as well as English and her powers of healing became astronomical.
This tale tells HOW Finty managed to master the English language and his sister, whom Rosemary thought would surely be able to talk as well as her brother …, was disappointed. . . . The little sister couldn’t talk at all. She could only sing . . .
Anything could happen in the magic forest . . .



Chapter One

‘Waiting for Finty’

The Year 1988

Rosemary Campbell shoved her books into her rucksack with careless abandon. She didn’t want to think about school or children . . . or anything else for that matter for the next seven whole days. It was Rosemary’s October mid-term holiday and nothing was going to spoil that for her as it had done in the three years previously, as it was always one thing or another that mucked everything up for her and she was just fed up to the teeth and wanted everything to run smoothly this time. She glanced at the calendar on the wall above her desk.
“Let’s hope mid-term this year . . . will give me a better break than I had in ‘85, ‘86 or ‘87,” she muttered to herself, reflecting over the years she had been teaching at the village school and she sang a little song as she buckled her rucksack and felt around the side pockets to ensure that she had a good supply of char-coal pencils and brushes for her paints . . . for the sketching and water colours she had promised herself she would bring back.
It would be wonderful in the Lake District . . . there was so much beauty there and then if she wished and had the time, she could travel on up to Scotland if it didn’t turn out to be too cold. . Oh what wonderful hues of heather there were there . . . She could hardly wait and she stared down at her boots, with the socks rolled over the top and her jeans tucked into them around her ankles. . . Just the thing for a walking holiday and that’s just what she had planned . . . well, part of the way, when she had parked her old 1964 beetle car, which Rosemary called her little car ‘snootchem’ . . . in some suitable lay-by. The walking was part of her plan to reduce her weight too, as she felt she was getting a little larger around the waist, but she didn’t want to think too much about that . . .
At last with her sack over her shoulders, she left the classroom, all five foot four inches of her and looking back, she locked the door, with a little sadness that disturbed the joy of her heart for a moment. Rosemary loved teaching . . . she loved children, but as with cream cakes . . . even if you love them, too many don’t make for the best of health and she turned the key in the lock and continued to sing her little song as she strode off through the playground and up onto the path that led to her tiny cottage on the hill. She shouldn’t have come into school that morning . . . after all, it was Saturday, but she had left some things in her desk that she thought might be handy in her travels.
“Miss Campbell . . . Miss Campbell,” a thin little voice called out to her as she strode along the lane, but there was no-one to be seen in her path and after a few seconds, she resumed her journey home. “Miss Campbell . . . Miss Campbell,” the voice came again and she stopped for the second time to look about her, but again, she could see no-one and by this time she was beginning to get a little anxious . . . until a tiny fluffy tailed squirrel ran across her path and two beady eyes glared up at her as she stood apprehensive and confused. She stared again . . . Surely this little fellow couldn’t have spoken to her. It was ridiculous, but there was no-one else in sight. She looked again and fumbled around for her reading glasses in the pocket of her jeans as the little squirrel sat back on his hind legs and rubbed his nose with his front paws.
“You are Miss Campbell, aren’t you?” the little voice piped up again and Rosemary dropped her reading glasses to the ground as she stood, rooted to the spot wide eyed and amazed.
“Y. . .Y. . .Yes, I am Rosemary Campbell,” she stammered and grinned to think that she might be talking to herself or that someone somewhere was playing a trick on her.
“I thought you were . . . but I really wasn’t sure.” The little furry animal in front of her paused as he spoke . . . “You see, I’m used to seeing you in your classroom and . . . well somehow you don’t just look the same, with all that funny stuff on your back and your trousers tucked into your socks an’ all that.”
Rosemary couldn’t take her eyes from the tiny animal that stood in her path, seemingly unafraid and defiant, which amazed her even more as squirrels she had seen before usually scampered off hurriedly and in fear whenever you saw them on the path . . . but this little one didn’t appear to be concerned as he continued to rub his nose with his front paws and play with his ears, as he stared up at her. She looked around thinking . . . strange though it may have seemed that someone was having a joke on her . . . some ventriloquist or other . . . Now who did she know at the school who could throw a voice like that . . . and so realistically too . . .?
“Benson . . . that’s who”, she thought aloud and the squirrel jumped as she raised her voice in her enquiry “Come out from wherever you’re hiding Benson. I don’t have time for this nonsense. Now come out now . . . this very minute and let me get off home. I’m late as it is,” But no-one answered and no-one appeared from behind a bush or a hedge, or anywhere for that matter and the little squirrel looked around him as if he too was waiting for someone to appear.
Rosemary looked again . . . She was beginning to feel foolish and was hoping the little animal in front of her would just move away and leave her alone. Well, it should have done. Squirrels always do. They don’t hang around and they certainly don’t speak to people . . . well maybe fairies . . . in fairy-tales or to children, perhaps . . . she concluded . . . but not teachers . . . Oh! no . . . not teachers. MOST DEFINITELY NOT TO TEACHERS . . .
“Shoo!” she called out and waved her hand in the air, sure that this would make the little fellow move, but he continued to lick his nose as he stared at her, seemingly unconcerned and apparently rather annoyed.
“Miss Campbell, I was talking to you and you should have the courtesy to listen to what I have to say,” he replied in a tiny, sharp little tone which surprised Miss Campbell as she paused even more aghast and stood still for a moment, aware that she could feel herself going pale.

“Who . . . who are you?” she asked, feeling even more stupid as she knew she wouldn’t get an answer, but she was in for quite a big surprise.
“My name is Finty . . . but that doesn’t matter,” came the reply, “I’m here to ask you a big favour, Miss Campbell, but it would help if I knew your other name . . . I mean, it just can’t be Miss Campbell, all the time, Can it? Don’t you have any friends?”
Rosemary Campbell could not believe the impertinence she was hearing and she swooned a little as she rubbed her forehead with her hankie.
“Rosemary,” she replied, still thinking that she might be dreaming, but Finty smiled and his eyes shone like bright garnets in the sunlight.
“What a big name for such a little lady,” he went on as he looked at Rosemary from head to toe. “Surely your friends call you . . . Rosie . . . or Mary perhaps, eh? You do have some friends, don’t you?”
Rosemary nodded and felt she was going to faint. How was it that this little squirrel was talking to her in perfect English? She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and stared at him again . . . if it was a ‘him’ . . . She wasn’t sure of anything anymore and there was no way she was going to ask him . . . or ‘her’ but ‘it’ was still there, squatting comfortably in front of her and with no intention of moving . . . with its thick fluffy tail snugly tucked around its back.
“I don’t want to talk anymore,” she said with great reluctance, and feeling such a fool already from even having spoken as she had done. It was illogical . . . Squirrels didn’t talk . . . They ran off as soon as they were approached. They were timid little rodents that ran up trees and looked down at you cheekily, knowing that you couldn’t catch them way up there . . . but they did not talk . . . she told herself repeatedly and then added quietly . . . “But this one does . . . That’s for sure . . . “ and then she capitulated.
“I have lots of friends,” she replied slowly and closed her eyes, exasperated and feeling more of a fool every moment. “And I am due to start my holiday right now . . . so if you don’t