Violet Mackerel's Possible Friend Page 2

  After morning tea they go back to the dollhouse, and Violet has the idea of taking the small amethyst out of her pocket and putting it on the table as a centerpiece. That gives Rose the idea of taking the tiny silver bell out of her treasure pouch and hanging it on the door as a doorbell. Rose squeaks and Violet does a small squeak too, just to see what it feels like.

  Later on, when Mama knocks on the real door and says it is time for Violet to come home, instead of packing up the dollhouse, Rose says they should slide it carefully back beside the dresser as it is, so they can keep working on it another day. The only things they change are the amethyst, which goes back into Violet’s pocket, and the silver bell, which goes back into Rose’s treasure pouch.

  Violet smiles, even though it is time to leave and she would much rather stay. The Theory of Swapping Small Things might be quite a good theory, she thinks. But as she puts her boots back on over her odd socks, she is still not sure.

  In the afternoon, after doing some more unpacking and organizing, Violet and Mama sit down for a cool drink, and Violet would like to put ice in hers. She looks in the new freezer in case there is a special icebox like Rose’s, but there is only a normal tray of ice. Violet asks Mama if there are any little silver ice tongs in the boxes they haven’t unpacked yet. Mama says not as far as she knows.

  While they have their tray-ice drinks in ordinary glasses, Violet tells Mama about Rose’s lovely tall glasses, the special no-shoes carpet, the shiny kitchen counter, and the flowery cupcakes Rose is having at her party. Mama says, “How lovely,” but she says it in a slightly tired way. Violet tells her about Rose’s crystal-knob dresser, the pine forest smell, and the nice hum of the dishwasher. Mama seems to look even more exhausted than when she first sat down.

  Just as Violet is asking if Mama would like to hear about the special liquid soap she saw in Rose’s bathroom, Vincent comes in and says, “I bet Rose doesn’t have a gecko in her potted plant,” and they all go out onto the back porch to see the tiny lizard he has found. It has a nice friendly face and small suckers on its feet. She wonders if Rose would be interested in seeing a lizard so tiny that it could easily fit in your pocket.

  As she thinks about it, she puts her hand in her pocket and her fingers twiddle the small piece of amethyst Rose gave her. If Rose liked the gecko, she might also like some of the other interesting things Violet has found at the new house, like the ants’ nest and the ring of little umbrella mushrooms. She might even like to see Violet’s new room and her bunk bed. So Violet asks Mama and Vincent if she can invite Rose over, and they say yes.

  Violet writes a small note asking if Rose would like to come over. Rose will be her first guest at the new house and that is quite special, so she draws some stars around the message before putting the note in the hole in the fence. But as she goes back through the garden to her house, Violet thinks again of how messy it is compared with Rose’s beautiful, neat garden.

  Violet’s room is not pink and white, and her things do not match like Rose’s. They are all different, and maybe Rose won’t think that is quite as nice. There will be only normal ice and ordinary soap for Rose to use. And another worrying thought is the dollhouse. Violet wonders what Rose will think about being very good friends with a person who has a dollhouse that is only the shoe-box sort.

  Violet twiddles the amethyst and thinks of the gecko, and there are some hopeful thoughts in among her worrying ones.

  Very soon the note disappears, and Violet finds another one saying:

  The next day, when there is finally a knock at the door, Violet runs down to answer it. Violet says that Rose doesn’t have to take off her shoes, because the carpet is not the special sort, and Rose looks pleased. Even though Violet feels a bit shy about showing Rose around a house that smells more like toast and honey than a fresh pine forest, it is fun giving her a tour because Rose is so curious about everything and does her excited squeak lots of times.

  Rose is interested in all the things Violet points out, like the ring of mushrooms, the ants’ nest in the garden, and the Indian curtains Mama is hanging up that Vincent brought back from Mumbai. But she is also very interested in things that Violet herself hardly notices, like the yogurt Vincent is making in a jar in the kitchen. It’s just what Violet has for breakfast every morning, so she had not thought of showing it to Rose. But Rose has never seen anyone make yogurt before and asks Vincent lots of questions.

  Rose is very interested in Mama’s knitting basket too. It is full of woolly toadstools she is making to go in the shop Violet likes. A few of them still need spots, and some don’t even have their stuffing in yet.

  “I can’t believe your mama actually makes these,” says Rose, picking up a toadstool as carefully as if it were a baby bird.

  “She can knit owls and gnomes and fish, too,” says Violet, “and also rabbits.”

  Best of all, Rose likes Violet’s room. Violet shows her the blue china bird Vincent gave her, and the bridesmaid’s dress with wings that Mama made for her out of a nightgown. They take Violet’s Box of Small Things into the personal space in Violet’s bunk bed, which Rose says is exactly like being in a real tent. Violet has never shared that space with anybody else before, but it is nice to sit there with Rose, especially when she spots a button shaped like a tiny rose and does another of her excited squeaks.

  Later on, after Violet has shown Rose how to make a Box of Small Things and Rose has told Violet about the kinds of things you can keep in a treasure pouch, Rose’s mama knocks at the door and Vincent invites her in for a cup of tea. Rose’s mama says it has been a long day and that would be very nice, so Mama makes a pot and Vincent puts out the rest of the leftover muffins.

  Rose watches Mama spooning tea leaves into the teapot.

  “Do we have tea leaves at our house, Mama, or just ordinary tea bags?” asks Rose.

  “Just ordinary tea bags, I think,” says Rose’s mama.

  “Did you know Violet and Vincent made these muffins?” Rose asks. “And they make yogurt, and Violet has it every day for breakfast!”

  “How lovely,” says Rose’s mama in a slightly tired way.

  “And Violet’s mama makes all kinds of things, too,” says Rose. “She can knit toadstools with spots, and owls and gnomes and fish. And she made Violet a bridesmaid’s dress with wings!”

  Rose’s mama seems to look even more exhausted than when she first sat down.

  Vincent suggests that Violet gets the gecko from the potted plant since it is becoming a bit more tame now and Rose hasn’t seen it yet. Everyone looks at its friendly face and the little suckers on its feet. Rose would like to have a turn holding it, and she squeaks when Vincent puts it gently in her hands. The two moms have more tea and talk for a long time.

  That evening, a little while after Rose has gone home, Violet finds a note waiting for her in the hole in the fence. It looks more special than the other notes because it is on pink paper with sparkly edges, and instead of being folded, it is curled into a scroll. It says:

  Violet smiles and twiddles the piece of amethyst in her pocket.

  Violet is quite excited about the invitation. She has never been to a flower party before, and she thinks about possible violet costumes she could make. She has a few good ideas. But then she has a very different kind of thought. What if Rose and her guests all have the sorts of costumes you get from an actual costume shop? What if they all look like real flowers and Violet is the only one at the party wearing green tights and a purple, pegged, hand-me-down skirt? Suddenly Violet’s mind fills up with worries again.

  After she has worried for a while about her costume, Violet starts worrying about what sort of birthday present she will give to Rose. Usually Mama or Nicola help her make birthday presents for people’s parties, like a peg doll or a beaded bookmark or a library bag with the person’s name sewn on it. Even though Violet thinks those are all very good presents, she can’t imagine any of them being in Rose’s beautiful room. Perhaps other guests at the party wi
ll bring big presents that will all be pink and white. And Violet might have only a small present to bring, which might not be pink or white. That is a very worrying thought.

  “You’re very quiet this evening, Violet,” says Vincent at dinnertime. Everyone has been talking about plans for the new garden, and Violet has not been talking about anything at all. “Is something the matter?”

  “No,” says Violet. Her voice sounds a bit cross, even though she doesn’t really feel it. When your mind is full of worrying thoughts, it can be difficult to talk about ordinary things like whether or not there should be a barbecue and a special outdoor table and chairs, and sometimes that can make your voice sound cross.

  Later on, at bedtime, while Mama is tucking her in, she asks, “Are you sure nothing is wrong, Violet? You don’t seem like yourself tonight.”

  “I seem exactly like myself to me,” says Violet. She sounds cross again, even though she still isn’t really. “I just have some worrying thoughts, that’s all.”

  “Sometimes worries don’t seem as bad if you tell someone about them,” says Mama.

  “Unless they say, ‘That is a silly thing to worry about,’ ” points out Violet.

  “What if I promise not to say that?” suggests Mama.

  So Violet tells Mama about the problems of the costume and the present.

  Mama thinks for a little while.

  “A good way of making yourself feel worried is by thinking about what you don’t have and can’t do,” she says, “but a good trick for feeling better again is by thinking about what you do have and can do.”

  Violet wishes very, very much that she had a perfect violet costume and a present for Rose that was as big and beautiful as the dollhouse. But as she goes to sleep, she tries Mama’s trick.

  And in the morning Violet has an idea. She looks around the house for empty matchboxes. Vincent has some in his old camping kit, and he doesn’t mind tipping the matches from the nearly empty boxes into the nearly full boxes, so he gives Violet three empty matchboxes. Nicola keeps her jewelry-making supplies in matchboxes so she has a small collection and gives Violet another two. And Violet herself has one in her Box of Small Things. Six is enough, she thinks.

  She glues the matchboxes in two stacks of three and glues a piece of stiff white card across the top, like the surface of a dresser. Then she cuts off a strip of some beautiful white pearly paper from a wedding invitation. Violet has been saving it for something special. She wraps it around the sides of the boxes and glues it in place. It is a very good mini dresser, but it does look a bit like the plain white one that Rose already has. That is because Violet has not finished yet.

  In Nicola’s book about gemstones, Violet’s second favorite stone after the amethyst is an icy pink gem, called the rose quartz. Nicola has some rose quartz beads in one of her matchboxes, and Violet hopes Nicola might give her six very small ones.

  It is a good time to ask Nicola for things because her room in the new house is bigger than her old one, and she is very happy about it. People often say yes to things when they are already feeling happy. So although the beads are quite precious, Nicola doesn’t mind giving six to Violet. She also lends Violet her special glue that dries quickly. With the pink crystal knobs on the drawers, the dresser looks almost like Rose’s real one. Not exactly, but almost.

  When the dresser is finished, Violet shows it to Vincent. He looks closely and opens the drawers very carefully by their rose quartz knobs.

  “Do you think it’s a good enough present for Rose?” Violet asks him.

  “I think it’s a good enough present for anybody,” says Vincent.

  “Not all people like homemade presents,” says Violet, worrying again.

  “But some people like that sort of present the best,” says Vincent. “I do.”

  Violet hopes and hopes that Rose does too.

  Next, Violet asks Nicola about the flower costume, hoping she is happy enough about her new room to help with two worries. Nicola thinks the purple skirt is just right, and she has a green top she can lend Violet that is only slightly too big and will hide the peg completely. Violet eventually finds her other purple sock in one of Mama’s boxes. When she tries it all on, she does look a bit like an upside-down violet.

  Nicola also has another idea. Violet once helped her to cut out felt leaves as part of a school project, and Nicola thinks they could make some similar leaves for Violet’s costume. They cut heart-shaped violet leaves out of green felt and stick them onto hairpins. When the glue has dried and Nicola puts the pins in Violet’s hair, she looks almost exactly like an upside-down flower. Finally Nicola puts one of her own clear quartz necklaces around Violet’s neck. The small, watery beads look like morning dewdrops on violet petals.

  “Do you think this will be all right to wear to Rose’s party?” Violet asks Nicola. “The others will probably have perfect costumes from a shop.”

  “I think it will be fine,” says Nicola.

  Violet hopes that Nicola is right.

  There is just enough felt left to cut out three small, jagged rose-leaf shapes to put on hairpins so Rose can have leaves in her hair too, if she likes. They fit perfectly in the drawers of the matchbox chest.

  For Rose’s birthday card, Violet draws a violet and a rose. She looks at the card and twiddles the amethyst in her pocket. Then she draws a ribbon tied in a bow around the two flowers. She hopes and hopes that Rose will like it.

  Mostly, though, Violet is hoping she will not be the only person at the party whose costume is not from a shop. Also she hopes at least one other person at the party will have only a small present for Rose.

  On the morning of the party, Violet’s hopes seem to fade away, like a small splash of water on a very hot day. She puts the matchbox dresser right at the back of her cupboard with the shoe-box dollhouse. She puts the violet costume away with her very ordinary clothes. And at breakfast, when Mama suggests a big bowl of muesli and yogurt to give her extra energy for the party, Violet says quietly, “I’m not going to the party.”

  “Then what will you do with that clever matchbox dresser you made?” asks Vincent.

  “Nothing,” says Violet. And it is a sad thought because she worked very hard on it.

  “You might not get the chance to wear that beautiful violet costume again for a long time,” says Nicola. “Not very many people have flower parties.”

  “I don’t mind,” says Violet.

  But actually, it is another sad thought. Violet has never heard of anyone besides Rose having a flower party.

  “Did you make Rose a card?” asks Dylan. He is very good at drawing, and he likes looking at other people’s drawings.

  Violet is too sad to eat even a very small bowl of muesli and yogurt, so she goes upstairs to get the card she made to show Dylan.

  “A violet and a rose,” says Dylan. “And you actually made the ribbon curl around like real ribbon does!”

  Mama comes around to look at the curling ribbon.

  “What a beautiful card,” she says. “I think Rose would love it.”

  “Really?” asks Violet.

  “Really,” says Mama.

  “Well, maybe I’ll go for a little while, just to see what it’s like,” says Violet.

  She puts on her costume and wraps up the matchbox dresser, with the leaf hair clips tucked inside. Mama gives her some pink rosy ribbon to tie the parcel with, which curls to match the card. And then it is time to go.

  Violet takes a deep breath. Standing on the doorstep, she can hear lots of voices inside Rose’s house. Rose’s mama answers the door, dressed up as a hibiscus flower with a red dress and a sort of yellow crown for the stalky part in the middle. It is a very, very beautiful costume and definitely the kind that comes from a fancy costume shop. Violet does a little swallow.

  Violet follows her inside and straightaway sees another grown-up with a very beautiful costume. It is a daisy dress with a bright yellow bodice, a stiff white petal tutu, and white petal wings on t
he back. There are little green silk slippers, which must be all right on the special carpet, Violet thinks, because the daisy is wearing them inside. Her face is painted with tiny sparkling daisies. Violet does a big swallow and looks down at her purple woolly socks. She wonders if it is too late to run back home.

  “Hello, Violet!” squeaks Rose. “This is the flower-fairy face painter for my party!”

  The daisy, whose actual name is Simone, has a little suitcase full of paints, brushes, and glitter. She is trying to paint a sparkly rose on Rose’s cheek with a tiny paintbrush, and she is laughing and asking Rose to keep her face still. But Rose can’t, because she keeps wanting to smile at Violet. That makes Violet feel better, but only a bit.

  A daffodil, a tulip, a fuchsia, and a lily are crowding around, waiting for their turn, and while they all wait and watch, a dandelion and a forget-me-not arrive and crowd around too. The daffodil has a headdress with big yellow petals blooming out all round her face, and the fuchsia looks like a ballerina with a pink and purple petal dress and red tights so her legs look like the dangly parts. Rose herself has a swirly pink silk skirt that looks as soft as real rose petals.

  But there are some other costumes too. A slightly gloomy-looking boy in a green tracksuit is supposed to be a cornflower, but he doesn’t want to wear his blue hat, so he is just a stalk. One girl has an antennae headband and a skirt with black spots. She says she doesn’t have a flower costume, so she has come as a ladybug, and someone giggles.

  “Ladybugs live in flowers,” says Violet, who knows quite a bit about ladybugs. “I think it’s a good costume for a flower party.”