Sophie+W

I have a very cranky neighbour. She will throw stone at the birds in the trees, chase away the neighbourhood cats and scream at my dog when it barks. But the friendly thing is, that whenever I wear my ruby red shoes, she tries to invite me over. My dad always says no, with a worried look on his face and a sharp edge to his tone, as though he’s frightened that something bad will happen.
 * __The Cranky Neighbour __**

One day I decided to see what happened if I did go over for a visit. I climbed over the fence and walked through her tangly under kept garden until I reached her back door. Checking that I was wearing my red shoes (and I was too!), I rapped sharply on the door and watched the Cranky Neighbour as she stared in delight through the peephole. When she got over the fact that I was standing at her door very, very impatiently, she let me in and offered me a cup of a strange orange liquid (which looked, smelt and tasted like orange juice).

“So, what’s life like at your place?” she asked impatiently as if she was in a hurry to get to something else. “As if you’d care!” I replied “You’re //always// yelling at my parents and dog! So, //why would you care// if they are well or not?” I finished breathlessly. “Oh,” Was all that she said, and we sat in silence for a couple of minutes until the Cranky Neighbour broke the awkward silence by asking, “Um, where did you get those shoes?” “Uh, K-Mart, why?” I lied “ Oh, I was just trying to find some for my granddaughter,” she smiled, whilst I sat there listening to her, I thought about how much the Cranky Neighbour reminded me of the wicked witch from the movie ‘Wizard of Oz’. “Um, I suppose you could have mine.” I aid as she look at me expectantly. “Really, you would do that for a poor old lady like me?” She said with an evil glint in her eye. So I slipped off my shoes and dropped them into her waiting hands. “Thankyou my dear,” she said “Goodbye!” and practically pushed me out the back doo r. As I scampered back home through her straggly, tangly garden.

“Danielle! Where have you been?” My father screamed in my ear as I walked through the door. “And where are your shoes?” he asked with a bit more panic. “Oh, I just went over to the Cranky Neighbour’s house. She asked for my shoes so I gave them to her.” I replied. “Oh.” Was all my father said. “Why on the Earth did I give her my shoes?” I said and burst in to tears. “There, there,” my father soothed,”She’s just a very convincing lady.” Well, that was my day and I now know that if any of my neighbours invite me over that I must refuse because I might end up losing my favourite shoes, or worse.