The Not-So Great Escape

[Poppy Bloxam]

It was March, and in New Zealand, it was Autumn. As the evening drew in, many other children were saying goodbye to one-another, their playtime over for the day. But for the girl sitting on her bed, writing in her diary, the fun was just beginning..

A small, white analog clock, ticked louder and louder on the side table of Poppy Bloxam's bedroom. She was already changed into her pyjamas. She had even put on her special socks. Tonight was a thrilling night- the night that Janey would be sleeping over. Mrs. Bloxam had set up a bed on the floor for Janey to sleep on. Poppy, meanwhile, had spent the day writing a list of fun things to do, a list which she hoped her and Janey would complete before the night was through. The clock ticked louder as Poppy's pen scratched the pages of her book. She and Janey had grown so close in the past few months, and she could only hope that they would both be able to continue the friendship.

Just as Poppy signed off her diary entry, there came the sound she had been waiting to hear; somebody was knocking on the front door. Poppy leapt from her bed, beaming a smile. It could only be one person. She flung open her bedroom door, skidded past her little brother, dived over the sofa, and slammed her hand down upon the door handle. Mr. Bloxam- who had already left the comfort of his chair, and was stood, poised to open the front door, raised his eyebrows at how eager Poppy was to answer the door. Still, he couldn't blame her, not when it was the first sleepover she had had.

"Hello!" Poppy grinned at Janey, opening the door wider to allow her friend inside. "Shall I show you to my bedroom?" She beckoned for Janey to follow, too excited to contain herself. "Do you want a hand with that?" Mr. Bloxam asked, looking to Janey's stuff, finally managing to get a word in edgeways.

 

[Janey Pascot]

Janey had been very suprized to hear, not from Poppy herself, but from her mother. When she'd first seen a letter with her name on it, Janey was begining to wonder whether her mother had found out that the two girls in fact did not attend the same school, and before she opened it, Janey was trying to swallow the words of apology she was going to need.

As she read through the letter however, she saw a side that she wasn't expecting, and instead she found herself racing upstairs to pack, even if she was a week early. She had had a sleepover before, but it had been a very long time ago, and had ended up in her friend falling asleep before she did, leaving her to get hersef to sleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night with a wet bed. She had only been five. Sure that this would be more of a success, Janey packed her bag, and pushed in into the corner of her room so she'd be ready.

---

The day had finally come. Janey had spent the afternoon making sure she had everything, and grabbing the last few items she could find that would make the sleepover more fun. This was only the second time the two girls had met, and so she didn't know Poppy very well, but she was keen that they get on well together, especially as they had limited time together before Janey would be off to Hogwarts. There was only one downside to going to that school now, and that was that she wouldn't get to see her friend. She had even started calling Poppy her friend now too.

As her father apparated his daughter a little way from the address that was given on the letter, he said his fairwells before popping off again. Janey was seen to be old enough to handle other peoples parents, although she assumed that was thanks to her two older brothers who were forever complaining they didn't have enough freedom.

Janey wandered down the driveway of Poppy's house, with her suitcase in one hand, and knocked on the door, waiting patiently. She had brought her purple pyjamas to wear, along with her black robe and toy panda. She hoped Poppy would have a few ideas of what they could do tonight, and although she'd read many stories where people had sleepover's, she couldn't say she knew what they should do. Afterall she didn't know Poppy's parents' bounderies.

As the door opened, she smiled at her friend, and was welcomed into the house "Hi" she replied, before turning to who she assumed was Poppy's father. She would have been polite, although she didn't know how she'd get her suitcase up the stairs without magic. "If you wouldn't mind. Thank you" she smiled, handing the handle over. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Janey" she introduced herself before turning back to Poppy, and wondering what she should say next.

---

 

[Poppy Bloxam]

Mr. Bloxam smiled at Janey, receiving her possessions and carrying them to Poppy's bedroom. Poppy stayed behind, waiting for Janey. "I made a list," she grinned proudly, looking forward to showing it to her friend, "I wrote pretty much everything I could think of for us to do.. This is going to be amazing." Giving Janey a quick nod, Poppy indicated for her to follow, and lead her through to her bedroom. Mr. Bloxam had already left the room, and could be heard in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. Poppy bounded onto her own bed, quickly shoving her diary inside her pillowcase and grabbing the list of activities from her side table. She handed it to Janey, awaiting her approval.

[ul][li]Have a pillow fight</LI>
[li]Sing along to music
[li]Dance
[li]Play a board game
[li]Make up nicknames
[li]Make up some code words
[li]Write a song
<LI>[li]Dress up[/li][/ul]

All those things on the list were suggestions in the book Poppy had been presented with from her godmother for her tenth birthday. It explained how to do everything that a little girl should be able to do, sleepovers included. When she had first received the book, Poppy had searched eagerly for something in particular, something that said that strange things, such as feeling so angry that a lightbulb would blow up, were all completely normal. But it didn't. Just then, a partially stern voice called out from the other side of the bedroom door. "Poppy," it warned, "please don't jump around, or we shan't have to let you buy any more sweets." It was the voice of Mrs. Bloxam. Even Poppy found herself agreeing with this, realising just how hyper she had been. But it wasn't all due to the sweets, not when she had a wonderfully cunning plan as a finale..

Once Poppy was certain her mother and father were away from the door, she scootled over to Janey, speaking under her breath "I have a great plan for once we're done with the list.. Don't fall asleep too soon." She gave Janey a truly happy smile, and skipped back over to her own bed, taking up the pillow that did not contain her diary. Poppy opened her mouth, "Pillow fight!" she squealed, swinging the light and soft pillow in Janey's direction, aiming for her side.

 

[Janey Pascot]

Janey took the list that Poppy had made, and scanned it realizing how clever this girl was to come up with so many ideas. After follow Poppy and her father upstairs, and found the small bed that had been blown up and that now lay on the floor beside Poppy's bed, and that her belongings had been put beside it. When she heard her parents tell her she should be quite, Janey's heart sank a little. They wern't going to have much time to do anything if they had to go to bed immediatly.

Janey had been wondering how to make this event go off with a slight "bang", but the risk that it would have involved would have been huge. Not only would she have been showing her magical side, but she may well have been denied a place at Hogwarts, and so had left her wand at home, thinking it was better to have a sleepover in the muggle form.

As Poppy began to throw a pillow at her, Janey grabbed one herself as she squealed, her hair being made static as another blow was taken to the head. She fought back, wrestling Poppy backwards onto the bed so that she could get a proper aim, before thwacking her back and giggling. Of course she didn't want to hurt her friend but she was definatly going to get her back. Janey jumped backwards again onto the floor, and in antisipation for Poppy's next move, Janey was sharply distracted by a small crash at the opposite side of the room.

 

[Poppy Bloxam]

Poppy embraced the pillow fight, putting her full force behind the pillow she wielded, swinging it and bashing it, soon getting wrestled onto the bed and smothered by Janey's pillow. Poppy was giggling. She had never had a friend quite like Janey. Or, if she was brutally honest, at all. Poppy hoped her parents would not be too strict about this sleepover- it was the first one she'd had, and she hoped it would be good fun. Mr. Bloxam was most relaxed about these sort of things, knowing how much of an outcast Poppy had been made throughout the past few years, and Mrs. Bloxam was only acting stern to make sure the girls would not get overtired from all the running about. If only they had been able to read their daughter's mind.. If only they had been able to know her plans for that evening..

A sudden crashing sound startled Poppy, and she sat bolt-upright, looking about for the source of the noise. She found it; laying at the foot of the dresser, a mildly dented survivor, was a black 'iron' ornament. It was a strange and fancy design, and something that Poppy had had for years, though, thankfully, it was of no sentimental value. The poor thing had been bashed around so much that it was a wonderful it still remained. "Oh," Poppy said, diving off the bed and replacing the ornament on the dresser top, "I guess we were just being a bit too boisterous with the pillows.." But as Poppy moved back to her bed and attempted to restore some order, a thought lingered in her mind. A thought about the fact that her and Janey had not been near the ornament- the ornament which was positioned near the wall. The fact that the scene felt a little.. Odd.

"Let's.. Let's get a party going." Poppy prompted, not wishing to cause concern for Janey. She reached out for the little radio she kept in her drawer, switching it on and finding a station. An old song from 2015, came on. Poppy grinned and started dancing, having heard the tune before. She controlled her limbs as she performed a few star jumps and twirls in the limited space. She began singing along, encouraging Janey to join her, to dance with her, and, most of all, to ignore any peculiarities about Poppy.

 

[Janey Pascot]

Janey gazed down at the floor apologetically, wondering whether Poppy would be upset about the dented ornament, and also hoping that she wouldn't notice that it couldn't possibly have fallen off the shelf from where they had been having their pillow fight. 'I'm sorry about your ornament', she said, nodding in it's direction and still feeling a little guilty, but Poppy seemed to have changed the subject already, and had turned the radio on. At first, Janey didn't register the music, as her mind was still racing, but as she snapped out of her daydream, she grinned at Poppy and started to wave her arms around, slightly madly, and hop along to the track.

She didn't recognize it, but she was enjoying it all the same, though she was slightly disheartened that she couldn't sing along with Poppy. Instead, she held out her arms for Poppy to grab onto, before spinning around, giggling and squealing as she let go and was flung forcefully onto her blow-up bed. Collapsing into a fit of giggles, she stood straight back up and began to dance a little less crazily.

As the track ended, and a boring, slow song started to play from the radio's speakers, she fell backwards onto her bed, breathing heavily, her mind buzzing with excitement. She had never had such a great time with a friend, but most importantly, she hoped that Poppy was enjoying it too. Worrying that she was making too much noise, she took the list and looked for something quieter they could do. 'Hey, what boardgames do you have?' Janey asked, looking around her room. She hadn't played many boardgames before, although she knew how to play Monopoly, amongst other easy games. Janey did enjoy boardgames, but she didn't want to look silly by not knowing how to play. 'Or maybe we could do the nickname thing', she grinned at Janey and rummaged through her belongings for her trusty notebook and pen, which travelled everywhere with her.

 

[Poppy Bloxam]

Poppy was having the time of her life as her and her new best friend danced around like mad things, spinning and twirling, stumbling and giggling. When a slow song came on, Poppy switched the radio off and perched at the side of her bed. "Well," Poppy said, pausing for thought and glancing around the room as though something would present itself to her. "I have a chess set from last Christmas that I've never used." Poppy was already clambering over her bed and sliding in underneath its solid frame. Her arms flailed about for a moment as she attempted to find the box through the dark gloom.

She emerged mere seconds later, holding a slightly dusty wooden box that she proceeded to unfold into a chessboard. Several pawns tumbled to the floor, and she hurried to pick them up. "I mean," she paused to look at Janey, "we don't have to play it.." Only seconds later, another thought occurred to the ten-year-old. "I didn't even ask if you know how to play. Sorry." she looked apologetically at Janey, hoping she hadn't in any way offended her with such an assumption.

Poppy had played chess many times before, though mostly only around Christmas. Her favourite experience of the game, was several Christmas' previous when she had been at her grandmother's house, and had tested out the elegant frosted and clear glass chess set. Michael had not been allowed anywhere near it. The way the delicate chess pieces fitted between her small fingers, had made her feel like a giant. Her grandmother had promised to buy her a chess set, someday, though she had said she wished to wait until she had found the perfect one. In the meantime, Poppy's godmother had bought her a wooden one, and, lovely though it was, it did not feel half as magical as the glass one had.

 

[Janey Pascot]

The first thing that popped into Janey's mind when she saw Poppy's wooden chess board, was wizard chess. She had, in fact, momentarily thought that was what it was, but banished the thought from her mind when she realized that obviously, it was unlikely Poppy was magical. Despite this, she was the loveliest friend Janey had ever made. She grinned, happy that she knew how to play, and eager to please. 'Oh, chess!' Janey was surprised by Poppy's concern. 'No, I love chess', Janey paused to pretend to crack her knuckles, 'I hope you're ready to be BEATEN!' With that, she grabbed her pillow and thwacked Poppy gently over the head, giggling. A couple of chess pieces scattered onto her floor again, and she bent down quickly to gather them up, apologizing. Placing her pillow back, acting serious, Janey smiled and began setting up the Black chess pieces on her side. For some reason, she always played as the black pieces, and she hoped Poppy wouldn't mind.

Janey loved the feel of the delicately carved wooden pawns as she carefully placed each one on it's desired space, trying to remember which way round the bishop and the knight were. They were slightly dusty, which seemed surprising as they had been inside a box themselves, but she gave the tops a little blow before placing them down, smiling as they stood tall and elegant. 'Who gave you this?' She asked Poppy as she leant back to admire the pieces, now all in place. She was extremely lucky to be given such a thing. Janey would have died for a muggle chess board, and it had only just occured that she could buy one. Making a mental note, she brushed her dusty hands against her skirt before proceeding to flick her hair out of her eye. It really did need cutting.

Glancing at Poppy, Janey had only just noticed how truly pretty she was. She was small and sweet, with very pretty eyes that seemed to reflect a light which came from nowhere. Trying not to stare, Janey momentarily glanced around Poppy's room, studying everything, from her soft toys to her wallpaper. Her own bedroom was quite different, and she enjoyed the change. Snapping out of her daydream, she looked back at the chess game to check how Poppy was getting on with setting up her own 'team'. 'Done?' She asked vaguely. She doesn't stand a chance, Janey smirked inwardly as she thought to herself.

 

[Poppy Bloxam]

Poppy was pleased that Janey knew how to play, and was so enthusiastic. It made everything so much simpler. She began to set up the white chess pieces, delicately setting them upon their assigned squared. She had no doubt that Janey would likely thrash her at the game, if she was half as good as the confident tone in her voice echoed her to be. Once every piece was in place, she replied to Janey. "My godmother bought it for me.. Now, white moves first." she muttered the latter more to herself than to anybody, and she reached out a hand to one of her pawns, making her move. She may not have stood much of a chance against Janey, but she intended to give the match her best shot.

Half an hour later, the game was over, and the results were in: Janey had won, but only just. Poppy had given her all to the game, but Janey had forced her into a nightmare version of 'checkmate'. She didn't mind losing to the girl, not when she knew how out of practice she was. Maybe with a little more practice and guidance, Poppy could become a chess star. But for now, she was happy to have things the way they were. "Right," Poppy said with a smile, her brain a little drained from playing chess, "what next?" she scanned the list. Not much longer, now, she thought to herself, seeing the few things left. She packed up the chess set with great speed, storing it back beneath the bed, and grabbing some paper and a pen. "Make-up names and code words," she parroted the list, "this should be good fun."

Poppy began to discuss various words with Janey that they could use as code, she also started to think up nicknames for Janey. Well, she was her best friend, someone she could rely on, and somebody she could trust. These were all contributing factors to the names she finally came up with, which she handed to Janey on a piece of paper. "What do you think?" Poppy smiled hopefully.

Code Words

Dove - Mum
Raven - Dad
Parrot - Brother
Nest - House
Flying - Leaving
Landing - Entering

Names

Blackbird
Pigeon
Sparrow
Hawk
Goose
Duck
Peahen
Magpie
Flamingo