About Nippers and Little Nippers

Nippers:
Tracy's Story

"Gimme that comb," she said.

"You should say Give me, said Robert.

"Don't you talk to me like that," said Tracy. "Give it me!"

"Where you going?" said Robert.

"Never you mind," said Tracy.

"Fancy going out with her! said Robert. "He must be daft."

"She's late, that's all," said Mum. "Everyone gets cross when they're late. Now leave her alone."

Everyone stood around. Jimmy, Lesley, Paul, Julie, Susan, Robert, and Gary. They all stood watching Tracy.

First she put some cream on her face. Then she wiped it off again.

"Fancy putting it on, then wiping it off!" said Robert. "Must be daft."

"Makes your skin nice," said Julie. "Give us a bit."

"Don't you dare!" said Tracy. "Costs me half my wage packet, this stuff does."

"Must be daft!" said Robert.

Then Tracy put blue stuff on top of her eyes. "Isn't it lovely?" said Julie.

Then Tracy put on pink lipstick. "Lovely!" said Julie.

Then Tracy put on some powder. "Lovely!" said Julie.

Then Tracy put scent on the tips of her ears. "Give us some," said Julie.

"Don't you dare!" said Tracy.

Robert was sick of watching Tracy. He lay on the floor with Jimmy's car. One of the tyres had come off.

He looked for it all over the floor. When he was looking, he found a caterpillar. A small black furry caterpillar. He went very quiet. He thought he might find another one.

And he did. Another small black furry caterpillar.

He was afraid everyone would want them. He went out very quietly with his two caterpillars.

He went to Mr Hunt's barrow in the market. Mr Hunt sold lettuces - everything green. Robert knew caterpillars liked green things. Leaves and lettuces.

He poked about under Mr Hunt's barrow. "What's up?" said Mr Hunt. "Lost something?"

"Got to get something for my pets," said Robert.

"Pets?" said Mr Hunt. "Rabbits?"

"Caterpillars," said Robert. He found a bit of lettuce that wasn't too dirty.

Then he looked for a box. There were plenty of boxes in the market. But they were too big. He wanted a box to put in his pocket.

He saw a match-box. Someone was just going to step on it. "Mind out!" shouted Robert. And the man nearly fell over.

Robert put a bit of lettuce in the match-box. Then he put the two caterpillars inside. They looked very happy.

"They'll have babies," said Robert to himself. "And they'll turn into millions of butterflies, and fly out of the match-box into the room, like fireworks. And I'll open the window, and they'll fly on to flowers. Somewhere."

He walked home, whistling. "I've got pets," he said to himself. "Nobody else has pets. Only me."

When he got home, Tracy was banging everything about.

"Now, now, love," Mum was saying. "You don't want to upset yourself."

Everyone was on the floor, looking for something.

Except Tracy. She was just banging things about on the dresser, and shouting, "I've got to have my eye lashes! I've got to have my eye-lashes!"

"Keep your hair on," said Mum.

In the middle, Dad came down. He was off to his night shift. "What's up now?" he said.

"She's lost her eye lashes," said Julie sadly.

"On her eyes, aren't they?" said Dad. "Same as everyone's."

"Her false eye lashes," said Susan in a stuck-up voice.

"All that muck," said Dad. "Your mother and me managed without all that muck."

Everyone went on looking. "Got to get my own dinner, have I?" said Dad. Everyone went on looking.

Robert was lying under the table with his pets. He opened the box a bit more. They looked very happy.

Everyone else was on the floor too. "What you got?" said Jimmy.

Robert closed the box quickly. "Pets," he said.

"What pets?" said everyone.

"Never you mind," said Robert.

"What pets?" said everyone.

"Caterpillars," said Robert. "Black furry caterpillars. They'll have babies. And they'll fly out into the room, like fireworks. And I'll open the window and they'll fly on to flowers. Somewhere."

"Show me!" said Tracy.

Everyone went very quiet.

"Them's my eye lashes!"

"You mean those are my eye lashes," said Robert sadly.

"Don't you give me any cheek!" said Tracy. "All mucked up with lettuce! You must be daft! Cost me half my wage packet."

"They never," said Susan. "They're from Woolworth's."

The bell rang.

"There!" said Mum. "That's Alec."

Tracy stuck on her lashes, just as Alec came in. "Been waiting for ages, I have," she said angrily. "You men. Been ready for hours, I have!"

"Cor, you look smashing," said Alec. "Come on then."

Robert lay under the table with the empty box.

"I'm a rabbit," said Jimmy. And he ate some lettuce, and wriggled his nose. So Robert did too. And they both fell about laughing.

"Daft," said Dad. "The lot of them. Thank heaven I'm off to work!"

Back to Links to Notes and Stories