Storytelling Sunday Two: The Words The Pictures

Welcome to Storytelling Sunday! It's our first-Sunday-of-the-month gathering of storytellers, tale spinners, journalers and memory keepers. I'm ready to make a start if you are..

The Fastest Fancy Dress

On Friday I told you about our family's love of dressing up. Fancy Dress holds no fears for the Fairs! And we start 'em young..

So: start of October. The talk about costumes for the family Fancy Dress Party begins; and, in the middle of it all, the Parent Teacher Association send out their flyer about the Annual Fireworks and Fancy Dress Parade. It's The Small One's first year of school, and we can tell she's tempted. Last two, we didn't go, Loud and Bangy Things being at the top of The Tall One's Big List of Things to Avoid. So, we talked about it and considered it and in the end we decided not to go: we would stay at home, under the kitchen table in our hard hats.

And that was that. The day of the Fireworks display arrived and I spent the afternoon cutting out costumes for the family party (Pirates of the Caribbean, I think it was that year. One miniature Jack Sparrow, one even more miniature Elizabeth Swann) before serving up a big shepherds pie in time for tea. As we ate, I watched a very small Small One slump in her chair. She stirred her potato round her plate. She sighed loudly for added effect; and eventually we just had to ask her what was the matter..

"I want to go to the Fancy Dress," she said. "I want to go."

"But you don't have a ticket. Or a costume," we replied.

"I really want to go," said a very small Small One, in an even smaller voice, and she pushed her plate away and looked at her toes.

"I suppose I could take her," said her Dad. "But it starts in twenty minutes and it's a sell-out, no tickets left, i'd have to talk our way in..and then there's the little matter of her costume..."

It was true. The Pirate costume was still in pieces on the Dining Room table. 

We looked at each other. Thomas! we both said.

I told you we never throw anything out. "Thomas" was a four year old cardboard box fashioned into a steam engine to suit The Tall One's fancy, and it was sitting ready in the attic. We fetched it. It fitted. She got in the car, clutching an old cap for her head and with Thomas beside her, and they drove off into the night...

..and about half an hour later they were back. With First Prize! They had arrived with seconds to spare. The Fancy dress Parade was already parading and the judging was about to begin. The Small One had clambered onto the stage and joined in at the end of the row. Her dad had popped the cardboard box Thomas over her head and stuffed the train driver cap on her head. It had been enough. The judges had liked it. She accepted First Prize and, as the first fireworks flared in that dark October sky, The Small One was carried home to bed.

And that's almost the end of the story. Almost, but not quite. With a bit more preparation, she won the next year..and the year after that..and the year after that the PTA decided I'd better do the judging instead. But that sounds like the beginning of a different tale entirely..

..and that's my story for today. Like to join in with one of your own? We'd love to have you! Everyone welcome. Simply write your story, with an introduction to Storytelling Sunday and come on over. add your link and we'll come and enjoy...and don't forget - tell your story your best way: if that means photos, not words, then that will do very nicely indeed. We'll take our stories any way you care to offer them! If you make a layout to go with your story, i'll pin it to the Storytelling Sunday Pinterest Board: it's beginning to fill up very nicely with reminders of Sundays past. Now, let's  tell stories...