Free The Phredde Collection by Jackie French

to get changed myself.’
    Phredde nodded glumly as her mum flew purposefully out the door.
    I looked at Phredde and she looked at me.
    ‘It’s not too bad,’ I said comfortingly.
    ‘It’s worse,’ moaned Phredde. ‘All this muck and we haven’t even got to Phaeryland yet. Why can’t I have a normal birthday like everyone else in the class with a barbecue in the backyard…and…and…and proper presents…and…’
    ‘What did you get?’ I asked. I was trying to change the subject, although I agreed with her. I think what you do on your birthday should be your choice, not your parent’s. It’s the one day of the yearthat is yours, but there was no point moaning about it.
    ‘Nothing yet,’ muttered Phredde. ‘I’ll get my presents in Phaeryland with the Phaery Queen. It’s tradition.’
    ‘What do you want?’
    ‘A tyrannosaurus,’ said Phredde, even more glumly. ‘Just a baby tyrannosaurus to play with after school. But I bet I don’t get one. You know what Mum said when I asked her?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘She said, “We’ll see.” You know what parents mean when they say that.’
    I nodded. Every kid knows what ‘we’ll see’ means. It means ‘no and I don’t want to argue so keep your mouth zipped or I’ll get angry.’
    ‘What did you get last year?’ I asked.
    ‘Nothing much,’ muttered Phredde. Then she shrugged, ‘Well, I did, but it’s embarrassing.’
    ‘Hey, it’s me,’ I said. ‘I tell you embarrassing things. Like Mum asking me right in the middle of the supermarket if I’d brushed my teeth and…’
    ‘It was a teddy bear,’ said Phredde in disgust. ‘A giant walking, talking teddy bear! I mean if I’d been four I might have liked it.’ She blew out a sigh so strong it ruffled her new fringe under the tiara. ‘You just don’t know Phaeryland,’ she added.
    ‘Is it really so horrible?’ I was beginning to feel like maybe, just maybe, I shouldn’t have come. Maybe Phaeryland wasn’t all it was cracked up to be in the picture books.
    ‘No. It’s not horrible at all,’ said Phredde. ‘It’s nice. It’s TOO nice. In fact, it’s nothing BUT nice. And everyone has to be nice and wear nice clothes anddo nice dances, and smile and be nice to everyone else.’
    ‘Always?’ I said aghast.
    ‘Always,’ affirmed Phredde.
    ‘But what if they aren’t?’
    ‘They always are. Everyone, all the time. But you know something?’ Phredde grinned. It was the sort of grin she had last Thursday when she…well, perhaps you don’t need to know about that. Just in case Mum or Mrs Olsen gets to read this.
    ‘What?’ I asked. I get a bit nervous when Phredde grins like that.
    ‘I’ve decided something. This time it’s all going to be different. Because I’m not going to be “nice” at all this time. I’m going to…’
    Suddenly the door opened again and Phredde’s mum fluttered in.
    ‘Are you girls ready yet? Oh, Ethereal, Prudence still doesn’t have her garland. I TOLD you to hurry…’ She did her whatever it is that’s too quick to see, and all at once there was a weight on my head that I just knew was diamonds—in the shape of flowers, naturally.
    ‘Come on now—your father’s waiting downstairs. Prudence dear, what’s wrong?’
    ‘It’s the glass slippers,’ I said. ‘They don’t bend when I walk.’
    ‘Don’t worry. You’ll get used to them.’
    ‘Can’t I just wear my joggers? No one will see them under my skirt. Or thongs?’
    ‘No,’ said Phredde’s mum.
    Phredde’s mum glided downstairs, leaving us to follow her.
    ‘What does she think I am? Cinderella!’ I muttered. (Well, you try walking in glass slippers. And they were HOT. It was okay for Phredde’s mum and even Phredde—they didn’t have to put their feet on the ground if they didn’t want to).
    ‘Smile,’ said Phredde grimly. ‘We’re off to Phaeryland.’
    So there we were the four of us, down in the dining room, the females dressed up like Sleeping Beauty’s