“Mum, have you got any red material I can borrow?” Ellie hovered next to her mum’s mini-office under the stairs.
“I might have, why?” Mum glanced round from her computer. She’d told Ellie she needed to get a bit of work finished off before she made the dinner.
Ellie rubbed one foot up and down her leg, and smiled. “It’s sort of a secret,” she admitted.
“Oh, really…? Well, I suppose you can go and have a look through that bag of scraps in the back of my wardrobe – actually, no, hang on, I’ll get it for you.” Mum jumped up hurriedly, and Ellie grinned. There were definitely things in Mum’s wardrobe that she didn’t want anyone to see!
“Will this do?” Mum asked her a few minutes later, waving a piece of bright red felt round the door.
“Oooh, yes!” Ellie stroked it delightedly. “That’s perfect. Can I really have it?”
“It was left over from some costume Max had to have for school. Yes, you have it, Ellie. Just don’t get red fluff all over your bedroom!”
“OK! Thanks, Mum.” Ellie went back to her room, where Rascal was now curled up snoozing on her bed. Ellie had a close look at him, especially his ears. She knew exactly what she wanted to end up with, but she wasn’t quite sure how to make it.
She fetched the scissors from the little sewing box that Gran and Grandpa had given her last Christmas, and spread the red fabric out on the floor. Luckily, it had a sort of plasticky backing, so she wouldn’t need to hem it or do anything too complicated. She took a deep breath and started carefully cutting.
Half an hour later, she had something that really looked like a dog-sized Santa hat. With ear-holes. Ellie looked at it proudly. She’d found some cotton wool in her sewing box that Mum had given her to use as snow on the Christmas cards she’d made last year. There was just enough to go around the brim of the hat, and make a little pompom for the top.
Rascal had woken up, and was now sitting next to her on the floor, occasionally sniffing at the white fluffy stuff. It made him sneeze.
“Want to try it on, Rascal?” Ellie suggested, holding it out.
Rascal eyed the hat doubtfully. He wasn’t absolutely sure what it was, although he liked the way it dangled about. Was it a new toy?
“Sit still a minute,” Ellie told him, putting the hat on his head and gently arranging his ears in the holes. “Ohhh, Rascal, you look so funny! Let me take a photo of you!” She turned to grab the camera.
Rascal shook his head uncertainly. It felt very odd. The hat slipped down over one eye, and the bobble bounced in front of his nose. He seized it in his teeth and nibbled at it, looking very confused.
Ellie giggled as she took shot after shot of Rascal in his hat. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get him to wear it again, once he worked out how to get it off, so she needed to be quick.
But by the time he’d tugged the hat off completely, she had lots of cute pictures. Admittedly, Rascal didn’t actually have the hat on straight in a single one, but Ellie didn’t think it mattered. He looked more like himself with a wonky hat and a chewed bobble, somehow…
“I’m sure we need more rehearsals,” Lucy said worriedly. “We all went the wrong way in the final dance yesterday. It’s going to be a disaster!”
Ellie put an arm round her friend. “No, it isn’t! It was only a little mistake.”
She glanced around. It was lunchtime, but the playground was strangely quiet. Everyone was huddled about, looking over their words, or practising dance steps. They were doing the play for the infants that afternoon, and then all their parents were coming that evening.
“Everyone’s nervous,” Christy agreed. “I keep forgetting my lines. But Miss Wright said the rehearsal was great, Lucy.”
Ellie burrowed in her coat pocket. “Here, look. I brought these to show you two.” She had printed out the photos of Rascal she’d taken the night before. They were so cute she couldn’t resist showing her friends!
“He’s so funny!” Lucy giggled, looking at the one where Rascal had managed to get the hat over both eyes. “Thanks, Ellie, that’s really cheered me up!”
Ellie’s mum and dad had even persuaded Max and Lila to come and see the play. When the curtains drew open that night, Ellie could see them all sitting in the second row, with Grandad. Mum was waving, but Ellie only gave her a quick smile back. Miss Wright had made them promise not to get distracted by anyone in the audience.
The play seemed to race along, and it was no time at all before the audience were applauding at the end. Ellie had seen Mum and Dad beaming as she said her line, and even Max was clapping. When the dancers came on to bow, with Lucy in the middle, people cheered. Lucy looked delighted, and Ellie hugged her as they ran off stage.
“I told you it would all be OK,” cried Ellie. “You were a star!”
