A New Life

On a bright, sunny morning on the streets of London, England it was complete chaos. Cars were honking, motorcycles were speeding, tires were screeching and people were yelling. Along with a few other children was Billy Brown who was playing in the local park. Billy was a skinny and tall twelve year old boy. He wore a red shirt, black trouser, black runner shoes and a blue sweater. He had light brown hair which shone in the sun. Billy's parents were the owners of a large soap company and were very, very rich. They owned a large house with 3 floors, 15 rooms and made of red brick in Cardiff, it was very beautiful. They even had a pool in their yard but, I am not sure why anyone would get a pool when it rains three hundred out of three-sixty-five days a year and the clouds are never far! His parents were really protective over him. They didn't let Billy make his own decisions even though he was twelve! Poor Billy couldn't go anywhere without his parents knowing, not even to the newsagent! But today was special for him because he was going to make his own decisions without his parents knowing. While his parents were at work, Billy crept out of his house and into the local park; he had great fun. While he played with the children, one boy asked if he could come tomorrow as well. This was the moment of truth for Billy, could he make his own decisions? He thought hard and went up to the boy and said he would be coming tomorrow. Billy felt a kind of pride that he was able to make his own decisions, but he was also a bit unhappy that he did this without his parents knowing. Weeks went by as Billy began making his own decisions like who to talk to, where to go, what to eat and even what shoes he should wear! His parents began to get really suspicious because Billy took many showers everyday, he ate a lot, got tired very  quickly, his shoes were muddy, his toys were untouched and he woke up late.

One day Billy came across a long, large and old tree, it hadn’t been there the day before. Some of the children decided to go and explore it, Billy as well. They all found an opening, it was covered with large and beautiful sunflowers. It was big enough for Billy to get through. Uh oh, here comes trouble! He was lured inside because of the smell; it smelt like hotdogs! It was dark, damp and dingy inside. There was a stony pathway leading to a small crave, the craven had rocky walls and a soft, mossy ground. The craven had pillows, a dj player, a few board games, a few books and a small oil lamp. The children were very excited; they went to get the other children but the opening was closed! They ran around frantically, banging on the stone walls; everyone inside was really frightened. A few young children began to cry for their parents.

Meanwhile at the Brown household, Billy's parents had just arrived back from work. They called out to Billy but no one came. They kept calling for about 5 minutes. While they searched the house, Billy's father saw a blue flannel coat lying in the local park from a large window, it was Billy's coat! In a trice both parents were in the park, they were worried and astonished. Hurriedly they asked the children if they had seen Billy. All of them said he had gone in the trunk of the tree. Disbelievingly both parents went over to the trunk and sure enough there was an opening. It had been shut from the inside, not the outside so, they went in.

Billy was relieved when he saw the two familiar faces of his parents. Billy cried in their clutches. But oh no, the door had shut! Everyone freaked out again, running around frantically, yelling in fright. Billy's father took out his handy pen knife and tried to cut open the wood in front of the opening, but the knife simply broke when he tried. He trembled as he picked up his broken knife; their last hope was gone. But, as he had to take care of several children he put a brave front. Everyone was in despair, thinking about terrible things. Billy was very remorseful and asked his parents for forgiveness about what he had done. He began to cry in his mother’s lap. His parents were shocked and sad. They were sad because they had realized what a huge mistake they had made. They were shocked about how all of this had been going on for months without them knowing. Before either could say a word something slid out of Billy's mother's pocket. It was a sample of the new soap they had made! Billy seized it and took off the wrapping. He had been struck by a sudden idea! He dumped it in a nearby wooden barrel of water. After he had soaked it he went over to the opening. He used it to soften the thick and strong planks in front of the opening. Then, with the help of everyone inside they yanked the planks of. Quickly they all ran out. They hugged each other and Billy and his parents went straight home.

The neighborhood got open in the tree completely sealed by a carpenter so that no one got stuck again. From then on Billy’s parents were nice and sweet to him. They were still very protective but they did let him make most of his own decisions. They let him have fun and play with the children in the park. In fact Billy had been enrolled into a boy’s summer camp closeby and he was enjoying every minute of it! It was important that he mixed with children his age. Billy was happy and had so much fun. His parents  spent more time with Billy and helped him in any difficulty. They built on their relationship with him. They were all very happy. They wouldn't let the opportunity go to spend time with Billy. That’s what all parents should do, have fun and also protect their child. 

Thank you!