Walking Home

• Kitty Robinson, Grade 5C
• Poetry
• 2008

I like my house. Why do I like it you ask? Because it is really close to my school, it is really big and it is sort of pretty. I have to walk about 300m to get to or from school. I normally walk to school with my mum or dad. But I have walked to and from school a couple of times.
So the story I am to tell you today is about me. Yes. Me walking home from school. Actually, it was the first time I had ever walked home alone. Ever. I was scared out of my wits. So it all started with the bell ringing for everyone to go home. I was terrified. Why was I terrified? Because it was pouring down with rain and thunder was booming and lightning was flashing. Something you should know about me is that I am terrified of lightning. I am terrified of Lightning because it brings thunder. And I am scared of that too. So I picked up enough courage to walk to the office. So I turned up at the office, dripping wet and nearly in tears.
“Um, hi,” I croaked, “ I was meant to walk home tonight and it has turned out raining. So I was wondering if you could call my parents to ask if they could come and pick me up?”
The lady that was working at the office that particular day smiled sweetly and replied,
“Well, just imagine if every child that walked home today, came into the office to ask me to call their parents. That’s a lot of kids isn’t it.”
I walked out of the office and burst into tears. Luckily you couldn’t see me crying because the rain camouflaged it. I went back to my classroom absolutely soaked. I sat at the door because my teacher wasn’t there. I sat there with my bag waiting. What I was waiting for I don’t know. I guess I thought my mum would come. I waited 10 minutes before my mum arrived looking for me.
“I didn’t think you would walk home in this weather,” she said.
I wasn't very happy with Mum. I mean I was stuck at school, scared out of my wits and Mum turns up expecting me to be happy! I scowled at her.
“Why did you take so long?” I asked Mum.
“I waited at home for a while to see if you walked home,” Mum replied.
So I got home safely exactly 22 minutes after the bell went, dripping wet, angry, frustrated but very happy to get out of the rain.