Nate The Grate

• Elodie Barclay, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2017

Nate the Grate

Nate was a grater. He was a very happy grater until 21 June, 2006 when the Jones family got a new grater, with a tub attached!

The tub guy was called Bob (that doesn’t even rhyme with grater).Bob seemed to be very happy which annoyed Nate. Now Nate had to live in the back of the bottom drawer with Fred the frypan, who was very annoying. He always wanted to come up with words that rhyme with orange (like “borange”). Nate had had enough! He was going to do something about this Bob and fast.

Nate had a plan, but he was going to need his friends’ help. Fiona fork on sneaking around duty, Benny butcher knife on DESTROY duty, Fred frypan on um ... staying quiet duty and Nate on taking Bob’s place duty. The plan was simple.

On the very first stroke of midnight the team set off journeying for the second drawer on the left, where the Jones family kept Bob’s tub. You see, Bob’s tub was kept in a different place than him which made it easy, otherwise Bob would be stroking his tub all night and they would have no chance of getting it. On the last stroke of midnight they sprung into action ...

BAM CRASH WHACK AHH!!! And it was all over. The whole plan was done. Victory to Nate!

In the morning when the Jones’ could not find Bob’s tub or him (maybe Nate had something to do with this?), Nate remembered it was Garage Sale day ... but they wouldn’t sell him, or would they? Next thing Nate knew he was sitting on a big table with Fred. Then he noticed something: A PRICE TAG!!! Oh no! Nate was for sale! Nate waited a while.

Fred went, Fiona went, Benny stayed. And by the end of it all the only ones left on the table were Nate, Benny and Mrs Jones’ brooch. Benny got sold on eBay and Mrs Jones gave her brooch to the old lady next door. But Nate stayed, as he did for many years, but he, Nate the grater, never did become the Jones family grater.

The Jones’ moved, the kids grew up and Nate got given to the old lady next door. He stayed with the old lady for six months until the old lady gave him to her daughter’s family.

The Smith family were very nice and caring. Nate was very happy there until 5 October, 2019 when the Smith family got a new grater - with a tub attached! I wonder what Nate has in stall for Matt (that doesn’t even rhyme with grater)!

The End