Seriously Weird: Gerald's Bird

Camile was annoyed that her lamb had been dropped, but she also felt sorry for the boy.

"Are you alright?"

"No!" said Gerald.

"Can I see?"

Gerald turned away.

"Is it bleeding?" asked Candle. She loved it when people had cuts.

"No!"

"You naughty lamb!" said Camile, pretending to be cross. The lamb sniffed her fingers, looking for the teat of a bottle. It gave up and tried nibbling the grass. Camile heaved Sweety up into her arms again and rocked her from side to side.

"I'm OK now," said Gerald, rubbing the side of his face. His skin looked smoother where his hand had been, and the lamb's tooth marks were white, not red.

In the afternoon, Mrs Bletcher managed to give everyone in the class a lump of wax to model with. It was gray wax, and it had something in it which made it soft.

"They were going to throw it out!" she said, "So I told them to drop it off at the school. Use as much as you like!"

We all got busy. Except for Gerald. He sat at his desk and watched us having a great time.

"Want to make something?" I asked.

"Can't," he said, "My hands are too soft."

"What if you do some modeling with a knife?"

"It would still hurt."

"How about if I make something for you?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Have you got a favorite animal?"

Gerald thought for a moment.

"Can you make a bird?"

"Easy!"