The following short narrative was written by Abbie Lee, a Year 5 student in Room 19. Responding to our latest Family Writing Challenge, Abbie decided to take one of her favourite nursery rhymes and turn it into a whole new story. We’re sure you’ll love this entertaining tale of the day a little lamb broke the rules. Well done, Abbie!

Mary was a little girl and Mary was a vegan. Ever since her pretty blue eyes came into this world, they searched only for animals. And it wasn’t just that Mary loved animals… the animals loved her back.

For Mary’s 3^rd birthday, she was given a lamb from her Grandma Glenda. The little lamb had enchanting, bluebell eyes and a woolly fleece as white as snow. From that very day on, the little lamb always followed Mary around like a baby duckling, waddling in its mother’s shadow.

When Mary was 5 years old, she started school and her little lamb followed her. As soon as they entered the paved school grounds of Watson Elementary, children hustled and bustled around them trying to touch the little lamb’s soft, woolly fleece. Mary squeezed through the crowd to her classroom, not wanting to be late for her first day of school and of course, the little lamb followed.

As the school bell rang, the teacher walked through the classroom door and exclaimed, “My goodness, whatever is a lamb doing here?” Mary felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment and her palms began to feel clammy with sweat. She bravely answered, “This is my little lamb and I have had him since I was three. He goes everywhere I go and is always near me. Please, can he stay at school?”

It took the teacher, Ms Trunch, a while to answer but finally she did, “I, myself am an animal lover and will allow your lamb to stay if he follows one rule: At the end of the week your little lamb has to prove himself a worthy student by bleating the alphabet. If you lamb does not succeed… it becomes my lamb. Agreed?” Mary felt tears well in her eyes at the thought of losing her little lamb or sending him home. The little lamb tilted his head up so Mary could see his innocent eyes and he nudged her hand with his moist nose. At that moment, Mary made her decision. “I agree!”

At lunch, Ms Trunch, with a frantic look on her face and an evil gleam in her eye, scribbled out invitations to the whole staff to a roasted lamb barbeque at her place at 2pm on the following Saturday. As soon as the lunch bell rang, Ms Trunch raced back to her classroom to make sure that the little lamb was not making any academic progress and was being fed well.

Finally, Friday afternoon arrived and Mary was asked to come up to the front of the classroom. “Now, Mary can you please ask your little lamb to bleat the alphabet” said Ms Trunch. Mary nodded at the little lamb. Lamb immediately started going “blah, blah, blah” over and over again.

A wide grin spread across Ms Trunch’s smug face. “I’m terribly sorry Mary, but that is not the alphabet so now your little lamb belongs to me. “But Ms” cried Mary, “That is what you have been saying all week.” Ms Trunch’s face turned red. “Sam, be a good girl and come up here say the correct alphabet. “Sam silently obeyed the instructions. Once Sam was at the front of the class she started to say “blah, blah, blah.” One by one each student from the class stood up the front saying blah, blah, blah, blah.

Furious, Ms Trunch threw a childish tantrum. Her crimson face shouting, “how dare you!” and “that’s not fair”, while her body thrashed about like a squid entangled in its own tentacles.  Unfortunately for Ms Trunch, Principal Nicky just happened to be passing by and to her surprise saw the commotion.

Needless to say, the following week Ms Trunch started at a new school on the poorer side of town.  She was in turn replaced by Ms Honey, a hero in animal rights, and importantly, a vegan.

For many years to come students at Watson Elementary laughed and reminisced about the day a little lamb broke the rule.