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The Adventures of Skinny Little Timmy

Trafford Publishing

Chapter One

What a lovely morning!

Skinny Little Timmy could tell that it was a sunny day, even though his bedroom curtains were still closed and his blanket was still pulled right up, so that, if you walked into his room to wake him up, all you would see is a tuft of scruffy hair peeping out of his blanket.

Last night Nana said, "Tomorrow is going to be a lovely, sunny day!" and Nana was never wrong!

This was one of the reasons that Timmy just knew it was a sunny day. The other reason was that although his curtains were still closed and his blanket was still pulled up over his head, the sunshine still found a way to sneak through the curtain, through the blanket and into Timmy's shut-tight eyes.

Suddenly Timmy threw the blanket off, jumped out of bed and yelled, "Nana, can I go fishing?"

Nana, who was downstairs making a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich for Timmy's breakfast, just smiled her big smile because she knew that Timmy would jump out of bed and ask that exact question.

He did it every day, well, every sunny day at least!

Timmy washed his face and brushed his teeth, he tried to make his hair lie flat but no matter what he did, it just stayed sticking-up, so, he just left it.

He pulled on a pair of blue shorts and a red t-shirt and raced downstairs as fast as he could.

In the kitchen he grabbed his little bamboo stick fishing rod with the lovely piece of blue thread tied to the end and the little hook just waiting for a fat, juicy worm.

Nana kissed his sticking-up hair and put his peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich in his pocket. Out he ran to the bottom of the garden where he dug up a few fat worms then ran to the pond where his little green, wooden boat was tied up waiting for him.

Timmy jumped into his boat and untied the rope; he picked up his ores and began to paddle out into the pond when he noticed a little hole in the bottom of his boat. The pond water was bubbling up happily through the hole and his feet were already getting wet.

Now, although Timmy enjoyed the feeling of his feet sloshing in the water, he knew that he would have to make a plan to fill the hole. If he didn't, then his boat would surely end up on the bottom of the pond instead of floating on top of it.

He also knew that his big toe was just the right size to fill the hole!

So Timmy sat on the floor of his boat and pushed his big toe into the hole, the water stopped bubbling up, "That's a pity." thought Timmy, "it was fun watching it bubble up like that." Again he picked up his ores and began to paddle. He paddled and paddled until he was quite tired. He couldn't see where he was going because remember, he was sitting on the bottom of his boat, His blue shorts were wet but he didn't mind. What he did mind though was the soggy peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich that was in his back shorts pocket. "I do love peanut butter and strawberry jam." He sighed.

Timmy could hear Nana calling, "Timmy darling, it's time to come home now!" it sounded like she was sitting in the boat, not like she was calling from the side of the pond that should now be so far away. When he looked up, imagine his surprise when he saw Nana standing beside the boat smiling at him! "Wow!" he said.

You see, when Timmy sat on the floor of the boat to put his big toe in the bubbling hole, he paddled and paddled but the ores could not reach the water.

He stood up to find that his little green boat was still in the same place it was in when he first started his trip!

Again Timmy smiled, "Nana, we can't have fish for lunch so can you make me a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich instead?"

Nana just smiled her big smile back at him.

Timmy runs away

Skinny Little Timmy was not happy! A few things had happened lately that made him start to think, "I just can't stay at home anymore, I will have to run away!"

The first terrible thing that happened was that when Timmy came skipping downstairs yesterday morning for breakfast, Nana said, "Timmy darling, there is no more peanut butter, so instead of a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich for your breakfast, I have made you a lovely bowl of hot porridge."

Timmy gasped, "What?" he could not believe what he was hearing! "No more peanut butter?" he sobbed, he would surely starve without peanut butter! There was absolutely ... definitely ... surely no way he could eat a bowl of porridge for breakfast! How was he going to survive until Nana bought some more peanut butter from the shop? He would just have to wait then, and hope he would not starve!

The next terrible thing that happened was that when he woke up this morning and came plodding downstairs to eat his bowl of hot porridge for breakfast, Nana smiled, as always and kissed his sticking-up hair. Then she did the most terrible thing that Skinny little Timmy could ever imagine. She licked the palm of her hand and tried to flatten his sticking-up hair!

"YUK!" gasped Timmy, "Oh YUK, oh YUK, oh YUK!"

Nana just smiled, "Sit down Timmy darling, your porridge is nearly ready."

Timmy just slumped into his chair and hung his head, how was he supposed to eat a bowl of porridge now? There was only one thing that could ever make him feel better BUT, there was no peanut butter!

Timmy decided that with all the terrible things happening, there was simply no way he could stay at home any longer and he would just have to run away. So, that is exactly what he decided to do.

After a few spoonfuls of hot porridge, secretly he told himself that it was actually quite yummy, he went upstairs to pack his treasures for his biggest adventure yet - to run away from home!

First he took his pull-along truck from under his bed. Into it, he put his spinning top and string, his yo-yo, his little bag of marbles and his toothbrush, he didn't worry about his hairbrush!

He scratched in his cupboard until he found his favourite blue jumper and his red socks, he knew it would get cold outside and he had to keep warm if he couldn't sleep in his cosy bed at night anymore.

Timmy was ready to begin his new life and he tip-toed down the stairs, his pull-along truck with all his treasures, under his arm, he crept through the kitchen and out the back door.

"I should rest before I begin my journey" thought Timmy. So he sat down beside the door for just a little while. The sun was so warm on his face that before too long, he fell asleep.

A little while later, Timmy smelled the most wonderful smell that his little nose had ever smelled ... fresh home-made bread and ... Could it be? Was that peanut butter he smelled?

His eyes shot open and there, sitting on the step beside him in the sunshine, was Nana! She smiled her big smile and said, "Here Timmy darling, I made you your favourite. A peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich."

"Oh Nana!" cried Timmy, "I never want to leave home again!"

So, Skinny Little Timmy sat in the sunshine sharing a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich with Nana and he felt happy as his tummy rumbled merrily.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Adventures of Skinny Little Timmy by Cheryl Chadwick Copyright © 2012 by Cheryl Chadwick. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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