I’m still not sure why they got so upset. I was having lots of fun, but there had been some shouting about something called ‘the last straw’ and now we’re packing all of our bags and putting them back in the car. Aren’t grown-ups strange? Last week Mummy and Daddy kept telling me it was really exciting to be going to a place called Ireland, but now we’re here they just want to go straight back home again. I don’t know why they want to leave. I’m having a great time.
First we had a flying adventure on a big plane and we flew right over a city called Dublin, although it was hard to see it very well because there was lots of dark clouds and rain. Then we went to a hotel and it was fun to all sleep in the same room. The next morning my little brother and I woke up really early because we were too excited to sleep, but Mummy and Daddy were still tired and didn’t seem very excited at all. They said the people in the next room had been too noisy and kept them awake all night.
Later we all got into a car and drove for a really long time. I had lots of naps, because I like naps. Every time I woke up we were still driving. Sometimes I woke up and we were on fast roads and sometimes on slow roads. Later I woke up and we were up a mountain, on a road with lots of corners. Driving where there are lots of corners can make you poorly and Daddy had to stop the car three times so Mummy could go and be sick in the bushes.
When it was getting dark we came to a really old house with hay on the roof. We were going to live here for a few days. My brother and I ran all around the house and then we went exploring, which was brilliant. Mummy and Daddy didn’t want to explore much though. They just looked sad and said the house was dark, cold and smelly and they didn’t like it very much. Mummy was not feeling very well, so we all went to bed.
In the morning Mummy was still ill, so my brother and I went to play in the garden. It was a bit messy outside, but we didn’t mind because we found lots of interesting things to play with that had been left in the garden. Then Daddy ran outside looking all worried and told us to stop playing “right now!” He said we weren’t allowed to play with people’s rubbish because it is very dirty. Then Mummy came out and she was upset when she saw all the rubbish and black bags lying on the grass. She said there was something called a ‘used tampon’ on the path, which was horrible and now we all had to go back inside.
Later Mummy and Daddy were saying the house was filthy. They found dirt and dust everywhere and the walls in the bathroom had other people’s hairs on them. Then they noticed all the beds we’d slept in last night were really dirty too. First Mummy was upset when she found my bed was full of other people’s crumbs had there was mould on my pillow. I didn’t mind too much though. Then they found their bed was still dirty from the last people who stayed here. Mummy and Daddy both looked very sad and said the house was disgusting and they didn’t want to stay any more.
Mummy said the house was too cold and had a horrible smell. Daddy kept talking about ‘damp’ and he kept pointing at places where the rain can get inside. Later Daddy started yelling for Mummy to come and look at something in the living room. He was very upset because he found a big dark mushroom growing in the corner of the room. That was when Mummy and Daddy started shouting about ‘the last straw’, but I couldn’t see any straw, just a big mushroom.
So now we’re packing our bags and leaving. My Mummy and Daddy are lovely, but when we go on our next holiday I hope they smile a bit more. Don’t they know that holidays should be fun?
M Comber
