Story Challenge 4

[Gemini]

Any ideas for the opening sentence? If not I will start one.

[Daisy]

Gem - funnily enough I was thinking it was time we had another story challenge. If you've got an idea for an opening sentence, go ahead.

[Mimi]

She didn't think it would really matter, after all it was only one tiny lie, everyone tells lies from time to time, don't they ? She wouldn't have done it if only she hadn't promised him she would cover for him and now look where's it's ended .

[Daisy]

Ooooh, Mimi - I like that - lots of possibilities, intrigue and sub-plots. Starting to think about it already.

[Gemini]

Excellent mimi!!!

I will get thinking

[Shemadee]

She hadn't been with the firm very long and if he hadn't approached her she wouldn't have been aware that he was doing anything wrong. But it was wrong! Terribly wrong!

[Gemini]

Wonderful, for Story Challenge 4 we have 2 titles

1:
She didn't think it would really matter, after all it was only one tiny lie, everyone tells lies from time to time, don't they ? She wouldn't have done it if only she hadn't promised him she would cover for him and now look where's it's ended .

2:
She hadn't been with the firm very long and if he hadn't approached her she wouldn't have been aware that he was doing anything wrong. But it was wrong! Terribly wrong!





Choose either, or both, so begin your story. As usual nothing is too short or too long - as long as it's not War and Peace style
Let your imaginations flow.

[Gemini]

She didn't think it would really matter, after all it was only one tiny lie, everyone tells lies from time to time, don't they ? She wouldn't have done it if only she hadn't promised him she would cover for him and now look where's it's ended .

It all started in September. William was the new boy in year 5, his family having moved into the area over the summer. William was a shy boy, but a friendly one, who longed to make new friends. He Skyped his best friend Ben several times a week. It helped a bit as he missed Ben and his other friends. At school every day he was lonely, but too shy to reach out to the others.
'I just want people to like me Mum', he told Julia one morning over breakfast. 'They won't like me though, I'm too boring.' You're not at all boring Will! You are just not a pushy showy-off type of boy, but you're not boring. You are very funny. You have us in stiches all the time!' 'That's just you Mum. You and Dad love me, of course you find me funny. No one else is going to find me interesting at all'

Julia reassured her son, but at the back of her mind was the niggle that maybe it was true. It was hard enough for any child to break into an established friendship group, let alone a shy one.
Yes, William had friends, good ones, at his old school. These friends were ones he had grown up with. Ben, Josh, Rachel, Harry and Isaac. He had known them all since babyhood. Their mums were Julia's friends, the children had gone through toddler group, nursery and primary school together. Grown up together. They knew Will well, and he them.
Julia and Sam had thought long and hard before moving their son at this stage. Sam's new job offer was too good to miss out on however, and too far to commute to. He didn't want to be a weekend husband and father, so the family had to pack up and move 200 miles away.

Julia couldn't help feeling that they had done the wrong thing as September drew to a close and Will seemed to be as much a loner at school as he was on his first day. She had to do something to help him. Big boys aren't as easy to arrange playdates for as little ones, so just inviting someone from Wills class over wouldn't work. If William thought he was boring she had to do something to show that he wasn't. But what?
It was Will who came up with the idea. 'If I had somebody really interesting in my family, who I could talk about at school, the other kids would be interested and I would have something to talk to them about!' 'Someone like Tim Peake you mean?!' his mum joked. 'No, not him' said Will seriously. 'but you are onto something there Mum!'
Julia looked quizzically at him.
'If my uncle was an astronaut, or a wildlife explorer on telly, or something like that, it would be great!'. 'Well , my brother is a teacher and dad's is an accountant, no much telly work for them!' Julia replied.
'We have to pretend 'Mum', replied Will , in a rather patronising tone. 'Lie you mean' 'Hmm, well maybe, a little bit' said Will.
That evening, Julia was sorting out Wills PE things for the next day, and loading the dishwasher, before settling down with a coffee in front of the TV. Her son came running into the kitchen. Pyjama clad, with bright eyes, pink cheeks and an excited look on his face, clutching one of his dinosaur books. ' I've got it mum! The perfect answer. My uncle is the owner of the new dinosaur museum!!'
He looked so excited, so happy. What harm could it do? No one knew who the owner was, surely. It was only a little lie, if it helped Will make friends....

Will soon made friends within his class, the museum connection was an opener for conversations and gradually Will become accepted by the children. They all wanted to hear about the museum and his uncles job. One thing William wasn't lacking in was imagination. He could talk about dinosaurs for hours anyway, and with the added bonus of several leaflets and information sheets from 'his uncle' - in actual fact from Julia, things went smoothly.
Julia knew Sam would never approve of any of this, so kept quiet. Sam was pleased and surprised that his son was at last making a group of new friends, but didn't question why.
Will, Jake, Simon and Tom became firm friends. Julia heaved a sigh of relief, her boy was happy again.

Until one day she had a phone call from John Kent, the head of Wills school. They were planning the class outings for the spring term. As the owner was a family member would it be possible for Year the 5 classes to have not only the tour of the dinosaur museum, but maybe a follow up visit from Wills uncle to the school? Mr Kent said he was more than happy to arrange it himself, but just wanted to check with Julia first.

It was one of the hardest things she had ever done. No one wants to admit to lying even it if was in a good cause!
Mr Kent was very understanding, under the circumstances. Obviously little puzzled, and he probably thought she was barmy mother, but he took it well.
He said none of the children had been told of the proposed trips, so no disappointments there. He said he couldn't condone the continued lies to the rest of the class however. He was sure that although Williams friends would be disappointed about the lack of an influential uncle, it would all blow over in time. Julia wasn't so sure. Will was only popular with these boys because of his ' uncle'. She was pretty sure he would have no school friends now. She had made everything worse by going along with this.

At school the next day, Will sat alone. Miss Palmer the class teacher had explained the situation to Jake, Simon and Tom. She described it as a misunderstanding, but the boys knew perfectly well what it really was. All lies!
At lunchtime Will took his pack up and sat at a table in the far corner of the room. Maybe his parents would let him live at Grandmas? Then he could go back to his old school and his old friends.
He could see Simon and Jake across the room laughing with a group of children and all looking at Will. He just wanted to go home, he felt like crying. Then he heard the scrape of a chair. He looked up and Tom sat down and plonked his bag down on the table. 'Want to swap my apple for your banana? Mum knows I hate apples but keeps giving them to me!'. Will silently pushed the banana across the table to Tom, and Tom rolled the apple to him, and smiled. 'Why are you sitting with me?' Will asked. 'Cos you're my friend' Tom replied. 'I never had a proper friend until you came to the school. I was quite lonely. Jake and Simon only let me hang out with them because of you'. 'But - what about, about the...lies?' said Will in a small voice. 'Oh, I knew about that all the time' he replied. 'How?' asked Will his eyes like saucers. 'I told my mum your uncle was
the owner of the new dinosaur museum, and mum said he couldn't be'. ''Why not'?' asked Will. 'Because the owner is a woman' Tom replied.
'I didn't care, friends are friends. I like you, and I think I could see why you told those lies.'

William remained a loner, never having a huge circle of friends. He made a small circle of new ones when he went on to secondary school, but he and Tom remained the closest of friends, always.
As for his mother. she knew that she would never tell a 'small' lie again!

[Daisy]

Gem - I really enjoyed that. I totally felt for Will and even had a lump in my throat when he was sitting on his own. A lovely story.

[Gemini]

Thanks Daisy. I wrote it in one sitting and wasn't quite sure where I was going with it at first!

[Daisy]

Wow! That's impressive. Your creativity was in full flood.

I've discarded two possible ideas so far because i didn't remember the opening sentence accurately.

[Clover]

Wow Gem a lovely story and written so quickly. I really felt for William.
I haven't had a chance to put my thinking cap on yet but will soon and hope an idea comes.

[Daisy]

Clover - I'm sure you will come up with a great story. I've got a couple more idea for both suggested openers, but with a very busy week this week I don't think I'll get much chance to work of them. Roll on the week-end.

[Clover]

Here's my contribution

She hadn’t been with the firm very long and if he hadn’t approached her she wouldn’t have been aware that he was doing anything wrong. But it was wrong. Terribly wrong!

Every day when Dave went to collect the designer sandwich lunch that Mr. Green, the boss, bought from the local sandwich shop he was adding an extra £5 to the cost which he was quietly pocketing.

On this particular day he had asked Gemma to go to the sandwich shop for him as he had to see a postponed client at lunchtime.
Of course he had to tell Gemma about the “extra” charge or Mr. Green might become suspicious.

Unfortunately Dave didn’t know that the new employee’s full name was Gemma Green-the boss’s daughter!

[Daisy]

Clover - succinct and very clever. Well done, I love it.

by the way, I hope you don't mind, but i've made the text bold and 14 pt so it's easier for people to pick out the story from the comments around it.