Junipers House of Cards

By Anna Nemeth

Juniper had such a lovely time with her new present grandma and grandpa had given her for her birthday. Mother said now juniper you're getting older and need to start looking after yourself more. Juniper wasn't sure what mother was saying but nodded her head anyway .Your lovely present from grandma and grandpa may be of help though you will need to keep them safe and with you at all times.

Juniper smiled there in her hands were several cards with pictures on them and some words  to help juniper get ready for the day especially when mother or father needed help too. That evening juniper carefully laid out her cards. The  first card was yellow and showed the sun rising with a child stretching and waking up the words juniper didn't know yet were  written in black.  There were several yellow cards ,one with a child making the bed. Another yellow one with someone  going to the toilet . The second card was blue and showed a child dressing for school. There were several blue cards. A child got  a  tshirt and shorts on , another with a dress and another with a swimsuit. The last one had pajamas and a moon in the picture. Juniper knew this one meant for her to get ready for bed.

 The third lot of cards was green and  showed juniper how to eat breakfast, brush her teeth then her hair neatly combed. Juniper liked having her hair in a ponytail though who was going to help her if mummy and daddy was busy. Juniper tried very hard to do her hair in a ponytail but had so much trouble. Juniper giggled at the messy hair and thought her teacher would say no no no juniper that's not how you do your hair. Juniper practiced for ages trying ever so hard to do it when father came in to wish juniper goodnight. He also giggled at juniper. What have we here? a monster or a zombie child, juniper giggled back and said it's not funny  daddy  how am I going to take care of myself. I can't do my ponytails that I like.father helped juniper practice a little when mother came in and gasped. Why juniper, how long have you been able to do a ponytail for.  Just now  said Juniper and thanked her daddy for showing her an easy way. No more messy hair for me, said Juniper, smiling to herself. I can take care of myself now .

Mother smiled and said I think you're doing just fine though you have lots more to learn on the way  too young lady and its time for stories and bed. But I haven't sorted all my cards yet. Juniper said  maybe do some in the morning during the school holidays  you have plenty of time to learn them. Juniper asked if her mummy would read to her this time as daddy had done ponytails with her. Sure thing said mummy what shall we read together. Juniper loved it when mother made up stories for her about children in another land far far away. How they played in the snow till it was dark,how their milk Man came in the mornings to leave milk and it would be frozen. Best of all mummy would snuggle up and smell of lavender. It would make juniper feel happy and she would fall asleep before hearing the end of the stories. Daddy mostly smelt like he had been eating pizza and that made Juniper's  belly rumble sometimes. Boggles the cat came in and wanted to snuggle up though mother sent him out of the room and told him it was his bedtime. Just a quick pat said juniper just to say goodnight to boggles. Ok though I hope you've brushed your teeth yes said juniper my cards helped. Good for you juniper I will put an extra tick on the calendar. That would be awesome for when the holidays came in juniper would get an extra game or ride at the county fair grounds. Father always rewarded juniper for good behavior with little treats of some sort. Father never said much when he disapproved  of juniper doing things he wasn't fond of like the time juniper jumped on his back pretending to squish him and trod on his nose by mistake and his nose started to bleed  he just looked at juniper in a funny way like thunder mummy would call it . Father just hugged juniper and told her to be a bit more careful 

, just like he had taught juniper to not pull boggles or squeeze him too tightly. Daddy even helped Juniper with her bike skills and now juniper could ride without trainer wheels. Mummy however liked to play soccer daddy didn't and juniper was the best in her school for kicking goals  mother and juniper practiced every day for an hour after school except on Thursdays. Thursdays was always meeting up with aunty Lola for music and dance class juniper loved singing though her voice was still learning said aunty Lola and junipers dance moves were kinda crazy aunty Lola loved doing videos and laughing wait till your mummy and daddy see  your dance skills juniper smiled Thursdays were very fun and lots of laughing with aunty Lola. Junipers favorite day was gran and gran pops day  nanna and juniper made pizza and cupcakes together for pops and then pops would take juniper to see jacko pops old donkey and marla the cow who he looked after up at the farm pops friend was mr robins . Jacko would love seeing juniper so much he would hee haw all the way to juniper with all his teeth showing and a big smile. Juniper would always give him a big hug. Marla would walk up slowly and nudge juniper with her head for pats and cuddles too . Best of all pops would let juniper drive  his old go kart he made it for himself and then daddy drove it now juniper got to go all around the tracks at Mr Robins on it. Pops and Mr robins had been friend since they had been kiddies they had been in the war together daddy said juniper was so glad that there was no wars nowadays though she had heard Mr robins talking about all teenagers needed survival lessons when juniper asked if kids could have some as juniper wanted to learn to swim pops smiled and said don't be too quick to grow up  though he would ask daddy to take juniper camping soon with mummy. Juniper smiled camping would be fun. Juniper placed all her cards on the table there were no cards about camping. Juniper was now worried how am i going to know what to do. Juniper asked grandma  how to get ready for camping. Grandma smiled and told Juniper to  not worry  pops and her daddy would have a check list that they told everyone how to get ready its a family effort said grandma. Grandma loved to go fishing camping and looking at the stars at night and told Juniper about when she was a young  girl canoeing in the river when a   big wind came and  grandma got stuck on the rocks. Was you scared grandma asked Juniper. No, my brother helped  me though I couldn't swim well. He stayed next to me all the way back to the river's edge.great uncle Lou was a huge person much bigger than grandma he smelled of cigarettes and would always be singing to himself. Juniper thought he had a lovely voice. Juniper sat at her dressing table chair and started singing. It made Juniper feel happy inside as she remembered grandma dancing one day as  great uncle Lou  sang a favorite family song.  Juniper smiled at herself in the mirror. She felt very happy and put her hair in a ponytail. Next thing Juniper heard a loud barking noise outside juniper's window. It was Matilda the dalmatian dog from next door. Matilda looked frantic and Juniper's family  all went outside to see why Matilda was so frantic. There on the driveway was Mrs Green from next door to Matilda's  house she had been shopping though all her shopping bags were spilled out onto the driveway. Mrs Green was ok though her knees were scratched from the pavement matilda was trying to help Mrs Green when suddenly a siren noise could be heard and  then came an ambulance oh dear said Mrs Green I feel like a fool I didn't see the paving was sticking up and tripped over it  Mrs Green had banged her head and a big lump stuck right out above her smiling Green eyes  Mrs Green was from Ireland daddy had said thats why Mrs Green spoke with a different accent and made her Irish stew on Wednesdays for Mr Gardner up the road who was also Irish and had no family. Mrs Green was always helping someone in the village with Irish dance classes she said juniper should learn as it keeps you young and fit as a fiddle was her motto. Juniper wasn't so sure her legs hurt after dancing at Mrs Green house, though the music was beautiful thought juniper it made her feel jolly and  happy inside. Maybe we are Irish juniper told mother, mother laughed at juniper and said maybe your father has a bit of the Irish in him though mother wasn't sure where she had came from. It was so long ago, mother gazing out the windows that day. There was a big family secret about mother nobody talked about, said grandma  when juniper asked if they had come from Ireland. Grandma was the one to who had suggested juniper going to aunty Lola for dance classes, aunty Lola also had a huge shed with lots of painting and arty stuff. Juniper often went there with her cousin Frank who did lots of clay pots with aunty Lola while juniper did drawings of Mr Boggles her cat. One day I will teach you  how to do clay figurines juniper aunty Lola promised. Though grandpa said aunty Lola  may be going to travel soon as he thought she needed to find her sea legs  again.  Juniper wasn't sure what he meant though aunty Lola had trophies all in her cabinet. Aunty lola had been in many  yacht  races. Juniper enjoyed all her family and every one gave her a warm feeling inside juniper felt happy indeed.   

By Anna Nemeth