The Girls from See Saw Lane Read Online Free PDF

hanging upside down on the railings. I couldn’t actually see her face because it was covered by her skirt; all I could see were two skinny legs and a pair of navy blue knickers.
    â€˜What are you staring at?’ she said. I looked around to see who she was talking to and realised that I was the only one there.
    â€˜Are you talking to me?’ 
    â€˜Well, I can only see one pair of shoes. Unless you’ve got a couple of kids on your back.’
    â€˜No, it’s just me,’ I said.
    She suddenly swung down from the bars, and when she was the right way up, I found myself looking into the bluest pair of eyes I had ever seen. I’d lived on See Saw Lane all my life and I’d never seen her before. The girl rubbed the bridge of her nose with her finger and said: ‘I’m Mary Pickles, what’s your name?’
    â€˜Dorothy Perks,’ I said. ‘My mum named me after Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, but everyone calls me Dottie.’
    The girl stared at me and then said, ‘Do you wanna be best friends?’
    I’d never had a best friend in my whole life. I’d always been what you’d call a hanger-on. I sort of hung around on the edge, hoping someone would ask me to join in their game, and most of the time they didn’t. I prayed every night for a best friend. Well, that and a rocking horse. I had kind of accepted that I would never get a rocking horse, but here was this pretty little girl saying we could be best friends.
    â€˜Yes, please,’ I said.
    â€˜What school do you go to?’ 
    â€˜Whitehawk,’ I said.
    â€˜That’s where I’m going,’ she said. ‘I expect we’ll be in the same class.’
    Â â€˜How old are you?’ I asked.
    â€˜Eight and a half " she said, taking two gobstoppers out of her pocket and handing me one. ‘I’ve only sucked that one a couple of times, it’s still got a lot of sucking left in it.’
    â€˜Thanks,’ I said, putting it in my mouth. I had a good suck and then said, ‘I haven’t seen you round here before.’
    â€˜That’s cos we’ve only just moved here.’
    â€˜Oh.’
    â€˜What’s it like?’
    â€˜What, round here?’
    â€˜No, school.’
    I didn’t know what to say to her. I mean, it was just school, and you had to go there every day whether you wanted to or not.
    â€˜Well?’ 
    â€˜It’s okay, I suppose.’
    â€˜That bad eh?’
    â€˜I get teased.’
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜Cos I’m fat.’
    â€˜Well they won’t tease you any more, Dottie Perks,’ she said, grinning.
    â€˜Won’t they?’
    â€˜Not if I’ve got anything to do with it.’
    We smiled at each other, and in that moment it was as if we both knew that something wonderful and special had just happened.
    â€˜I’d better get my dad’s fags,’ I said.
    â€˜Okay,’ she said. ‘See you in a minute.’
    I ran over to the shop to get Dad’s ciggies and choose my sweets. I had a whole threepence to spend and you could get a lot of sweets for threepence, so I was humming and hawing about what to buy. Black Jacks made your tongue all gooey and black, but gobstoppers lasted for ages. The people in the queue behind me started tutting, but Mr Orme said ‘The child is a paying customer the same as you ladies, and she has every right to choose her purchases carefully.’
    Â I gave him a big grin and settled on a mixture of Black Jacks and gobstoppers.
    â€˜Could you put them in two bags please,’ I said.
    â€˜Certainly, madam,’ said Mr Orme, winking at me.
    I stuffed Dad’s fags in my pocket and walked back to the top of the alley, where Mary was still hanging off the railings.
    â€˜I bought you some sweets,’ I said shyly. Mary swung back up and perched herself on the top bar.
    â€˜Thanks,’ she said. She dived into the bag, pulled out a