THE PUDDLE DIPPERS

"Hi Dad, can you look after Arianne today for me? Work phoned. They want me to attend a conference as the boss has called in sick."

"Yes, no problem Vikki."

"Great Dad. I'll be there in about thirty minutes? See you shortly."

Vikki put the phone down, stood at the mirror, tidied her hair and checked her makeup.

"Are you ready, Arianne? Take your hiking boots with you. I'm sure Gran and Granddad will want to go for a walk in the woods."

"Okay Mum. Won't be long."

Ten minutes later eleven-year-old Arianne came skipping downstairs, her rucksack slung over one arm and the sleeve of her jacket dangling off the other arm.

"Here, let me help you." Vikki reached over to grab the back of the jacket and help to integrate arm and sleeve fully.

"I can do it, Mum. Stop fussing."

"Come on then. Let's get in the car or I'll be late."

"Why do you have to go in today Mum?"

"To be quite honest, Arianne, I haven't got a clue. The secretary could easily have gone in my place."

Arianne sat beside her mother, fastened her seat belt and took a book from her rucksack.

"What are you reading?"

"History homework, Mum. I've got to remember some dates and names of battles."

"Have a chat with Gran and Granddad, they love reading about history. I'm sure they'll help you."

"I will, Mum. It's not many dates, so I'm sure I'll remember them for Monday."

Twenty minutes later they reached the house on Seymour Street.

Vikki opened the car window and leaned out to kiss Arianne.

"Now be good and I'll phone you when I know what time I'll be back. If I'm going to be late, then you can stay over."

"Yippee." Arianne giggled, kissed her mum and ran up the steps to number seventy-seven. Gran and Granddad were waiting by the open front door. All three waved as Viki sped off down the road.

"Hi Gran and Granddad." Arianne gave her grandparents a kiss.

"Gran, can I stay over? Can you phone mum and tell her I'm staying over? I hope we can go for some long walks too."

Greg looked at Hannah, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, you can stay over. I'll send your mum a text. She won't want to be disturbed while she's at the meeting."

"I'll take my bag up and put it on my bed."

"The spare bed Greg chuckled to himself." Hannah grinned. "Well, she certainly makes herself at home."

Two minutes later Arianne came galloping down the stairs. "Can we go for a walk in the woods? I love the woods, they are so magical."

Once more Greg and Hannah looked across at each other. It's been raining a lot the last few days. Greg mouthed to Hannah. Hannah shrugged her shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to go to the woods today? It's been raining and it will be muddy with lots of puddles."

"No Gran, that will be lovely. I love puddles. I've brought my waterproof hiking boots with me because I was hoping we could go for a long walk. Maybe take a picnic, too. What do you think, Granddad?"

Hannah sighed and beckoned Greg into the kitchen. "She wants a picnic too." Hannah chuckled.

"What's wrong with that?" Asked Granddad, confused lines spreading across his forehead.

"It's not the picnic I'm worried about, it's the puddles and the fact that she's twelve years old next weekend."

"Well, she can come and stay next weekend as well and maybe for some extra days."

"No, Greg, you don't understand. That's not what I'm getting at. The point is she's shortly to be twelve."

"Oh, twelve. I get it. But not till next weekend anyway, so we're probably all safe."

"I'm not so sure. She says she loves puddles. What if she decides to jump in one?"

"Oh, stop fussing. She'll be fine. I don't think she's ready. Besides, what she doesn't know about won't concern her."

"Well, I hope you're right, Greg."

Hannah placed six slices of bread onto the breadboard and buttered them. I think we'll have ham and cheese. She said absentmindedly. Once done she placed the sandwiches into individual polythene bags. Then put the little bags into Greg's rucksack along with a flask of hot coffee and a carton of orange juice for Arianne.

"Now Arianne, have you had some breakfast this morning?"

"Yes, Gran."

"Are you still hungry or shall we get off to the woods?"

"Can I have an apple to eat on the way?"

"Yes, of course you can." Hannah held out the bowl of dark red apples and Arianne took the large one sitting on the top of the others and bit into it.

"Um, juicy." She said as she wiped a drip off from her chin.

"Come on, Granddad. Are we going in the car to Beck Woods? I love the little stream there and the lake. I wonder if there will be any geese on it today."

"Yes, Arianne, if you insist, we can go to Beck Woods. However, I suspect that wood will be the dampest as it is on lower ground. The one up at the top of the village might be a better idea as that wood is on high ground and the land often drier."

"No Grandad, I choose Beck Woods. I don't mind a few puddles and some mud."

Once more Greg gave Hannah a worrying look. "Ah well, we can only hope for the best, Hannah."

The tiny car park at Beck Woods was completely empty apart from piles of rubbish.

"Look at this mess." Said Greg. "Why can't people take their litter home with them. Disgusting. Come on, everybody out. Bring the picnic with you. I don't really want to sit here and eat while looking at this lot. We can sit by the lake if there aren't too many flies."

"I'm Ready," said Arianne. "Can I take your bag Gran?"

"No dear, I think you've got enough to carry as it is."

"I've only got my book, and I grabbed another apple and mum gave me some biscuits. My rucksack is not that heavy."

Greg locked the car, checked the doors and placed the keys in his jacket pocket, keeping them secure by doing up the zip.

Arianne skipped ahead, admiring the various trees. Oak, Pine, Beech.

"Do you think we'll see any deer today Granddad?"

"Well, if you want to see some deer, you need to be quiet and walk slowly."

"Well, you know me Granddad, I don't know how to walk slowly. I just love the woods and the countryside so much."

Greg turned to Hannah, and they both smiled, pleased to be out with their only grandchild.

Greg looked at his watch. It was eleven thirty.

"Let's head up toward the lake. By the time we get there we'll be hungry, and we can have our picnic. Take that path to your left Arianne." Hannah shouted.

Arianne took the left path and ran her fingers along the top of the tall grass. She felt so excited it was as much as she could do to hold back and not run and run forever. A smile crossed her face, and it lit up in wonder at all the birds chirping. The puffy white clouds hovering in the rich, blue sky.

"Oh, look Granddad, there's a big puddle ahead. Can get around it somehow?"

Hannah turned her head quickly to look at Greg. Concern spread across her face.

"I knew this would happen."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. She's almost twelve."

"So what?"

"Well, you know what happened to me on my twelfth birthday. It's all right for you. You were born like it. I had to learn the hard way."

"The quick way." Greg corrected Hannah.

"Oh, all right then. The quick way. Still, it was a hard lesson to learn back then. I don't want that for Arianne. I want her introduction to be smooth. Come on, Greg, we've got to get to the puddle before she decides to fall in–or something even worse."

"Oh dam, look, my bootlace has come undone. You go ahead. I'll catch you up in a minute."

"Arianne," Called Hannah. "Wait. Granddad will be along in a minute. He's tying his bootlace. Wait and we'll find a different path around the puddle."

Hannah neared the puddle and could see how large and deep it was. It completely covered the path. The dark water reflected the trees above it. A mirror image of the sky, the clouds and the vegetation.

"Doesn't it look lovely, Gran? I always think puddles look as if you can go deep into them. One dive and you are in."

"No!" Exclaimed Hannah as she grabbed Arianne by the hand and began to shake.

"What's up, Gran? I didn't mean it literally."

Hannah made out to chuckle as she stifled her fear.

"Let's wait for Granddad. He knows this wood better than me, and he can guide us to a path to avoid all this water. We don't want to get our boots wet now, do we?"

"I don't mind Gran."

"Do hurry up, Greg."

"I'm trying. My lace has broken. I'm just fixing it. Won't be a minute."

Hannah sighed.

"Look Gran. Look into the puddle. Isn't it amazing? You can see the sky and the clouds and the….."

Arianne stepped up close to the puddle. The toe of her left boot touched the water. It rippled. Enormous waves of water began to roll back and forth. Hannah took hold of Arianne's elbow just as Greg leaned as far forward as he could and grabbed the back of Arianne's coat.

The group of three went deep, deep, deep, down into the puddle.

Arianne felt at one with the water. Neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry. She just was. She felt as if she were a silver, shimmering being from another planet. A sensation she had never experienced before.

Where was she? She asked herself. She knew she was no longer in the woods. She also knew that she had stepped on the edge of the puddle and watched the ripples turn into waves. Her sock had felt wet, even though her boots were supposed to be waterproof. She felt as if she were gliding and swimming at the same time. Just moving and being at one with the water. Then she realised she could breathe. She was under water and breathing.

She saw that a shimmering light and thousands of tiny air bubbles surrounded her. Her hands by her side, making her streamlined. She dare not look around, she just hoped Gran and Granddad were with her. She had felt them grab her but could no longer feel their hands on her clothing or her body.

The entry into the pond had been sudden. However, it seemed natural at the same time. The gliding appeared normal too. She was weightless. Then gently she landed and stood upright. She could now feel Gran's hand still on her elbow and Granddad's hand was not holding her coat anymore, instead it was holding onto a beautiful blue dress. Her hair had changed from dark to light and she thought she might be more like Alice in wonderland than Arianne Carpenter.

Arianne looked down. Her feet were bare. She was standing on soft golden sand. In front of her was a pool of the clearest, freshest water she could ever imagine. Fish swimming in it. They were congregating around the edge. Opening and closing their mouths as if they wanted to talk to her. She tiptoed over to them and placed her hand in the water. She could hardly feel the water. She could have sworn the fish were squeaking in high-pitched voices and saying hello in unison. She smiled and said hello back as she rippled the water with her fingers. The fish appeared to giggle and play with the ripples.

"Look Gran and Granddad. Look."

Hannah and Greg both smiled and gave a knowing nod to each other.

"Well, I'm relieved that went well." Greg held onto Hannah's arm.

Arianne swung around. "Where are we?"

"Well Arianne, I was hoping this wasn't going to happen to you quite yet."

"What do you mean Gran? I don't understand. One minute we were at the puddle and now we are here. What's happening?" A tiny tear left Arianne's eye.

"Don't fret Arianne." Greg put his arm around his granddaughter.

"The same thing happened to your Gran on her twelfth birthday."

"But I'm not twelve until next weekend."

"I know but obviously you are ready."

"Ready for what?"

"We are known as Puddle Dippers. Granddad has been able to dip into puddles and other worlds since the moment he was born. He'd go with his parents to the woods and they'd somehow lose him in a puddle and have to call the police. Actually, they had not lost him, he had just gone puddle dipping and his parents knew nothing of this at first. Then, after hours of the police searching the woods, they'd find him fast asleep by the side of a puddle. The police really thought there was some strange kidnapper in the woods who kept grabbing children and then bringing them back again and dumping them. Granddad thought it was so natural that he did not think he needed to explain what had happened. He thought he had fallen asleep at first and then he began to draw pictures of these other worlds and he began to write about them too. Eventually he was able to puddle dip at will and not just by accidentally getting too close to a puddle, the same as you did."

"But what about you, Gran?"

"Well, I learned exactly the same way that you did. I was out with your Great-grandparents and I tried to jump over a puddle and fell in, or rather fell through it and into this other world. When I came around luckily, your Granddad had been walking in the woods with his parents and saw what had happened and they helped me and explained everything to me. That's when I first met your Granddad."

"You've known Granddad since you were twelve? Wow."

Arianne looked around. "But we appear to be in a cave. Look at the entrance, Gran. The sky is so blue. Can we go outside and look around?"

"Of course. All you need to do is to think yourself there and you will be there. Come on, I'll show you how. Let's hold hands."

Hannah took hold of Arianne's left hand, and Greg held onto the right. "Ready–let's go outside the cave and look around."

Once more Arianne felt herself floating, gliding, streamlined. Her fine blue dress trailing around her ankles.

"This is fantastic, Gran."

Arianne's feet touched a hard, cold rock. She looked down.

"What's the matter Arianne?"

"I much prefer the warm sand and water inside the cave to this cold rock."

"Then change it."

"Change it?"

"Yes, you can change it with your thoughts. Just as we thought ourselves to the outside of the cave you can think anything you like and change anything you like."

"Can I change the rock to gold?"

"Of course. Just close your eyes and believe that you are standing on a rock of gold."

Arianne closed her eyes and screwed up her face. When she opened them, the rock had turned golden.

"Wow Gran. That is amazing."

"You can change anything you like by just thinking your thoughts."

"That's fantastic, Gran. Can I change the sky to pink?"

"Of course."

With that the sky became pink, and four deer appeared along with a squirrel. Arianne chuckled to herself.

"I could have so much fun here, Gran."

"I know darling, but we must get back and have our picnic before the sun goes down in the otherland."

"Is that what you call it—the woods—the otherland?"

"Yes, Granddad and I call this our magicland and the woods and where we live, we call—the otherland."

"But how do we get back?"

Greg came over and held Arianne's hand. "I'll show you. As you are new to this, I suggest we all hold hands again. Luckily, we could grab you just as you touched the puddle on your way in. Maybe if we hadn't, then you might not have made it quite so quickly. Now let's think of the lake where we want to have our picnic. Just keep thinking of the lake all the time and we'll be back there in a jiffy."

Arianne screwed up her face and thought as hard as she could. She pictured the lake with the geese on it and the grass around the edge and sky being reflected in it. Once more she felt as if she were liquid and not solid. She felt supple and fluent and light. As if she were at one with the whole world around her.

"Oh, here we are." Said Hannah, laughing.

"Thank goodness for that." Said Greg as he placed his bag on the grass and stretched his back. "I'm glad that went well. Can we have a break please before we try that again?"

Arianne laughed. "That was amazing, Gran and Grandad. Wait till I tell mum."

"I'm not sure if this will please or horrify your mother Arianne. We will have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I think we need to get on with our picnic and then get back home for tea and maybe text mum again to make sure it's all right for you to stay over. What's the time Greg?"

"It's just twelve thirty. A perfect time for a picnic."

(2967 words)