Chapter 12: A Day Full of Springtime Surprises

 When all was dark and Hibiscus was sleeping, the wind began to howl. It pushed its way through the trees, stirred up loose objects in backyards and the noises got louder and louder. Dovic woke up and wondered what all the racket was. He was a bit frightened when he heard a BANG! outside. It sounded like an explosion and he wondered what to do. He stifled a sob and pulled the blanket over him. A light went on and Tumbarumba came over to check on him. He admitted his fear and Tumbarumba sat with him, telling him stories about adventures he’d had at beaches and in the mountains, on farms and in the city. He mentioned snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef and body surfing in the waves at Inverloch. The power went off briefly and Dovic gulped. “There, there” replied Tumba quietly, “We’re safe inside. We’ll be OK.” And when Dovic had settled and fallen asleep, Tumba left without a sound.

On Saturday morning, a play mat was put out on the floor and the Hibiscus clan excitedly played different games. The wind was still strong but with daylight and sunshine, it didn’t seem as fearsome as last night. Dovic, Gazza, Richo and Ellie played ‘Memory’ first up while Tumba and The Old Wise One played ‘Connect Four’. Bruiser and Ronnie looked at the Snakes and Ladders board but had no idea what to do and began to argue about the rules. It was a good way to spend a Saturday morning until the smell of a freshly baked cake demanded their attention. “Yummy!” exclaimed Tumbarumba, “I love food!” and everyone agreed heartily as they raced into the kitchen for lunch.

Later in the afternoon, when the wind had died down, Dovic and Gazza were put into the basket on the bike and went for a ride with Hibiscus. They went up and down hills, along the path, hit dirt, and went around corners. As they went around the bends, the bike went so low on its side, Gazza was worried his trunk would graze on the ground. When they were going as fast as they could against the wind, they felt their faces pressed back and Gazza’s ears flew out to the side. He felt a bit like Dumbo at one point. For Dovic and Gazza, the ride was exhilarating. They loved feeling the warmth of the sunshine and enjoyed just being outside, out of the backyard.

When they got home, Hibiscus left them in the front yard while she put her bike away. They climbed the old apricot tree which was just beginning to sprout new leaves now that Spring was almost here. Dovic felt secure in this tree as it wasn’t as high as the other one, and the branches were thick and sturdy. While they sat in the tree, waiting for Hibiscus, they began to reminisce about their time at Teddy Bear Treasures. Being an elephant, Gazza remembered everything and he recalled their fun times together. He had even seen Dovic and Lulu hiding under the desk the time Dovic went looking for an adventure and Lulu had followed him. They both laughed.

“I sometimes miss Lulu”, remarked Dovic, “She seemed to smile a lot and dance her way through even the darkest of days. Do you remember the time she and Elf tried to rescue me away from coming here?”

“Oh boy, Oh boy,” gasped Gazza, “Do I?! We were all hiding when Angela found you and took you away.”

“And I came here.” Dovic answered.

“And so did I.” agreed Gazza and they went quiet for a moment.

When Hibiscus took them inside, they couldn’t wait to tell the others about their bike ride. The others were happy for them but a little bit envious. “How fast did you go?” asked Ronnie. “Faster than a rollercoaster at the show!” exclaimed Dovic. “Oh boy, oh boy. Faster than I’ve ever been before,” added Gazza. They all laughed and then The Old Wise One motioned to them to turn around and look. Hibiscus had come into the room and with her was….

“Lulu!!!” yelled Dovic, “Lulu!” and he rushed over as quick as he could and gave her a hug.

“Oh boy, oh boy” gasped Gazza, “Lulu! You’re here!” and he too, gave her a big hug. They introduced her to all the others and Lulu shyly acknowledged them all. “It’s so good to be here!” she said and burst into tears.

“Wh… what’s wrong?” asked Dovic, “Why are you sad?”

“I’m not sad, I’m happy but it’s been such a long time getting here and I thought I’d never get here. Are you glad to see me? I’m glad to see you” and on that note, she stood up and did a pirouette. Ellie’s eyes opened wide and she asked if Lulu could teach her how to do that. “Sure can,” Lulu replied, “But not now. Maybe later,” and with that she dragged Dovic and Gazza away from the others and demanded they tell her all about the adventures they had been having without her.

The Old Wise One saw Ellie’s crestfallen face and gently said, “It’s OK, Ellie. Just give her time.” Ronnie, who was feeling much better, said to Ellie, “Look Ellie, I’ll teach you how to do a somersault!” and he dived off the couch, did a somersault and landed not very gracefully, next to Richo’s football. “Oops,” he said and Ellie giggled. “Maybe learning how to do a somersault might be better than learning how to pirouette,” she thought.

Chapter 11: Hide and Seek in the Sunshine

 After so many rainy days, the sun courageously burst through the clouds and added warmth and a sense of hope. The Hibiscus clan were delighted and began making preparations to make the most of the sunshine. Ronnie looked wistfully as they got out the frisbee, footy and picnic rug. He would have given anything to play a game of footy with Richo but when Tumbarumba raised an eyebrow and gave him that look, Ronnie knew there was no point arguing. As they all jostled out through the door, The Old Wise One looked back and saw Ronnie’s crestfallen face. He called out to the departing clan, “I’ll be there in a moment” and went back to see Ronnie. “Hey Ronnie, it’ll be OK. Just rest and build up your strength and you’ll be back doing somersaults in no time. You had a nasty fall yesterday and it’s best to heal properly.” Ronnie looked at The Old Wise One and nodded while TOWO added, “I know it’s tough. I’ll see you later” and as he left, Ronnie wiped a tear away and then turned over and slept.

Outside they were having a ball. Richo and Bruiser were kicking the footy while Gazza discovered his trunk made a great catapult for the frisbee. After one throw, Tumba ducked just in time as the frisbee went whizzing over his head. “Oh boy. Oh boy” gasped Gazza, “Oops” and Ellie laughed. When the football collided with the frisbee in the air, they all waited with bated breath to see where it would land and laughed when the frisbee fell flat right on the centre of the mat.

The ground was wet underfoot and sloppy. It squelched and slurped and the grass was pressed flat by their footprints. When they’d had enough of playing, they came and sat comfortably on the mat and had a chat. Harley climbed up into the gumboot that had been left out and declared himself king of the castle. “I wish we could go out and visit the park” grumbled Richo. “It’s another three weeks, at least!” replied Ellie. Tumba did not want to get dragged down thinking about how tough it was and jumped up quickly. “Come on!” he invited, “Let’s play hide and seek! Who wants to be it?” Bruiser volunteered, closed his eyes and immediately began counting out loud. “One, two, skip a few… um.. nineteen, I don’t know how to count cause I don’t go to school. Forty-five is a number I think and so is twenty-three.” He kept his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths wondering how much longer he should wait.

Meanwhile the others went looking for good hiding spots. Harley decided he didn’t want to play, so stayed in the boot and poor ol’ Gazza tried to climb into a box and got stuck. He knew he could roll off to one side but that would mean he’d fall into the box and he didn’t know if he could get out so he laid on the top edge of the box, his trunk on one side, his ear on another and closed his eyes. He figured if he couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see him. Tumbarumba looked at the lemon tree and saw the leaves and branches had grown over a lot more since a couple weeks ago, so went and climbed it, hiding behind lemons and leaves. Richo saw the red bucket and got in, forgetting to pull in his scarf so that it hung over the edge and Ellie went and hid behind the spokes of the old wagon wheel. Dovic climbed up the hose and rested in the centre and waited, while The Old Wise One excused himself and headed indoors to see how Ronnie was.

When Bruiser could wait no longer, he called out, “Coming, ready or not!” and when he opened his eyes, the first person he saw was Harley. Together they went looking for the others and laughed when Richo asked them how they knew where he was. “Did you look when you were counting?” he asked accusingly. They found Gazza, then Ellie and they all joined in the search for the other two. Bruiser had to climb the lemon tree to tag Tumba and admired his hiding place. They thought of picking a few lemons to make a lemon meringue pie but after they threw one lemon down and it hit Gazza on the head, they decided it probably wasn’t the best idea. They all separated to find Dovic and looked in the shed, under the BBQ, in the garden and behind the rake and the shovel. They looked under bushes, behind the bikes and in the wheelbarrow, but couldn’t find him anywhere. “Perhaps he’s gone inside already!” said Richo and they all agreed that must be where he was, and scrambled inside.

The Old Wise One was reading a Rare Little Treehouse book to Ronnie called, “Vegetable Patty”. When he saw them coming in, he raised a paw to his lips and said, “Shhh!” and continued reading. The story was so interesting, they all sat captivated and together, recited the vegetable-fighter’s oath at the end. When TOWO told the joke about broccoli and snot, Tumba turned to see if Dovic thought it was funny and let out a loud, “Oops! We forgot about Dovic!!!” Without any explanation for The Old Wise One and Ronnie, they ran out the door calling, “Dovic!”

Dovic was still up in the rolled-up hose. As the shadows had legthened, he had made himself more comfortable and fallen asleep. He heard them calling and woke up, still feeling a bit groggy. Richo peered down at him and smiled while Tumba and Bruiser climbed up and hopped into the hose cubby-hole too. Gazza looked as they climbed up and seeing the hose hanging down, was reminded of the time he had climbed a curtain rope and had swung like a pendulum. He decided to wait for their descent to the ground which didn’t take long, once Dovic was awake. When they went inside, they explained to Ronnie and The Old Wise One where they had found Dovic sleeping.  Everyone had a good belly laugh about that.

Later that night, when all was quiet Dovic thought back on the day and the fun they’d all had in the sunshine. He smiled and whispered to himself, “I can’t wait for the next day of sunshine!” He heard Ronnie reply, “To infinity…” and Dovic added, “And beyond.”

Chapter 10: Accidents Happen

It was after online learning time and Hibiscus and her husband headed out for their hour of exercise. They would walk for a few kilometres and see children riding their bikes, adults jogging, people out walking their dogs and trees bending in the wind. They heard the siren of police cars chasing the baddies, heard birds singing in the trees and heard the running footsteps of someone keeping fit. As they walked, it began to get darker and the weather got colder, as the sun set. They walked onwards, oblivious to what was happening back at the house with all the Hibiscus clan.

Ellie, Gazza and Dovic were sitting in the loungeroom chatting about things they could do when the restrictions were lifted and The Old Wise One, Tumbarumba and Bruiser were playing with the Lego. Suddenly they heard an ear-splitting growl which made the fur on their backs stand up.

“Wh..wh.. what was that?” Ellie asked, a little bit scared.

“Oh boy. Oh boy.” gasped Gazza while Bruiser, Dovic and Tumbarumba scampered as quick as they could outside, to where they had heard the scream. They stopped suddenly and their eyes opened wide. Bruiser’s paw covered his mouth as he suppressed a growl and behind them, The Old Wise One quietly whispered, “Oh no!”

Dovic ran to Ronnie who was lying very still on the ground with a wooden bridge on top of him. Richo looked scared and cried, “I didn’t mean to. He was playing with the car tracks and I wanted to play footy and I accidentally kicked it and I didn’t mean to. Ronnie was just picking up the pieces to add to the track and the footy hit him and he fell off the table and the piece fell on him and….” Richo’s voice trailed off and tears welled up in his eyes. No one paid any attention to him as everyone was focused on Ronnie.

Ellie and Gazza went over to the piece of bridge lying on top of Ronnie and on the count of three, they both gently lifted it off him, using their trunks. Bruiser called to Ronnie as he’d seen first-aiders do, “Ronnie, can you hear me? Ronnie!” Ronnie groaned and they all let out the breath they’d been holding. Dovic and Tumba carefully picked him up together to carry him inside. Richo began again, “I didn’t mean to…” and still no one paid him any attention. As they carried Ronnie inside, Richo lagged behind, feeling very lonely and scared.

He waited until they had all gone inside, then he picked up his football and began walking away. He didn’t see The Old Wise One watching him and he went and hid. He curled up in a corner, covering himself with the football and cried. He cried long and hard and then he felt a gentle paw on his shoulder. He sobbed, “I didn’t mean to!” and The Old Wise One said, “I know. I know. It was an accident. There, there.” and while Richo continued to cry, The Old Wise One stayed by his side, every now and again whispering words to him that no one else would ever hear.

Inside, the rest of the Hibiscus clan sprung into action. They laid Ronnie on the couch, took his temperature and bandaged up his head. Ronnie moaned and groaned a lot and they kept watch over him. When The Old Wise One and Richo came inside, they all moved away and Richo went over to Ronnie and apologised. More was said between Richo and Ronnie but because Ronnie knew it was a freak accident, he forgave him. Accidents happen and Ronnie knew that better than anyone else. He lived as dangerously as he could, wanting to have adventures and willing to do whatever he could to have fun.

Finally, Tumba called Richo away and they gave Ronnie some time to rest. While they were gone though, Ronnie heard someone say, “To infinity.. and beyond!” and Ronnie opened his eyes wide because it sounded just like, “Buzz Lightyear!!” he exclaimed. He was so excited!! Buzz came over closer and reminded him he needed to rest, “I heard you had an accident so I thought I’d pop over here from the toy box and say hi,” “Wow.” Said Ronnie, “Am I dreaming?” Buzz chuckled and reassured him this was not a dream. He stayed for a few minutes and seeing Ronnie fight off sleep, he said it was time to go, “To infinity…” “And beyond!” added Ronnie who immediately fell into a deep sleep.

When Hibiscus walked in the door, she knew something was amiss. The Hibiscus clan all stood there waiting for her and Richo had his head down as he held the footy. He began to mumble and Hibiscus leaned in closer to hear him. She took his paw in her hand and patted him on the shoulder while he admitted his part in the accident that had befallen Ronnie. Together, Richo and Hibiscus went to check on Ronnie who was sitting up and was quite cheerful despite the bandage around his head. “You will never guess who came to visit me!” he exclaimed impatiently, “Buzz Lightyear!” “No way!” replied Richo. “Yes, he did!” argued Ronnie, “He said he had just popped over from the toy box because he had heard what had happened to me… When he left, he said to infinity and I said, and beyond” and then I went back to sleep." 

“No way!” replied Richo, “You are so lucky!”

By then all the rest of the Hibiscus clan had joined the two friends and they all told Ronnie they were happy to see him looking so much better. When Tumba explained to Ronnie how Ellie and Gazza had helped get the bridge off him, Ronnie thanked them both. Ellie blushed and Gazza gasped, “Oh boy. Oh boy.” Finally Hibiscus came in and shooed them all away as night had fallen and it was time to get a good night’s sleep. “Sweet dreams” she sang and they all chimed in “Good night!”

Chapter 9: A Saturday Surprise!

 

The Hibiscus Clan sat in front of the window, looking out at the rain and watching pebbles of hail bounce off the path. Even though it was morning, the sky was dark and foreboding and at times, the thunder roared deeply, shaking the whole house. Dovic had never seen lightning and hail before, had never heard the thunder roll and he wasn’t sure that he liked any of it. He looked at Tumba and The Old Wise One and they seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as they looked outside. Ronnie sat on the other side of TOWO and was a bit fidgety and Dovic wondered if Ronnie felt the same.

Suddenly he felt a breeze behind him and turned around to see that Ronnie had jumped up and was spinning around, doing cartwheels. “I don’t know where he gets his energy from!” exclaimed Tumba and The Old Wise One looked at him and quietly said, “You don’t remember when you used to do things like that?” Tumba smiled sheepishly and thought back to his times at the Bear Café in Tumbarumba when he and his friend Joe used to flip off shelves, spin across the room and race each other, until Pa Jumbo would growl warningly at them. It surprised him that they never broke anything.

Hibiscus tipped the Lego on to the floor and they all began building. Richo picked out all the black and yellow pieces and sat there trying to look busy, but he didn’t make anything and held tight to his football. Dovic knew Richo would rather be outside playing footy and found it frustrating that he had to stay inside because it was too wet outside to play. Bruiser, The Old Wise One and Dovic tried to build houses while Tumba sat beside Ronnie trying to think of something to make. He gave up when Ronnie did a headstand in the Lego tub. He shuffled the Lego pieces around, picked up a few and put them back in the tub. Ronnie let out a loud sigh, “I’m bored!” and Bruiser agreed, “It’s always raining!” “And it’s cold and sloshy out in the backyard,” added Dovic.

Tumba led them back over to the couch and handed The Old Wise One a book called, “Andy and Terry’s Amazing Inventions”. TOWO turned the book over and Tumba said, “Maybe it will give me some ideas of what to make with Lego” and Richo and Bruiser chuckled. Bruiser sat close to help TOWO turn the pages and to keep the book steady. The Old Wise One, was very old and he often found it difficult to hold on to things. As they listened to different inventions, they also used their imaginations to think of things they could invent. Ronnie blurted out, “What if we make an automatic spinning box, that you get inside and shut the door and you tumble round and round?” “You mean, like a dryer?” sniggered Bruiser. “What if we made a machine that you put the football in, press the button and it catapults through the goal posts?” suggested Richo. “Sorta like a cannon?” asked Tumba and they all stopped talking and went quiet, realising their ideas weren’t very original at all.

When there was a knock at the door, no one paid any attention. The postie regularly came these days during the restrictions, as it was sometimes the only way you could buy things. You would browse the shop online, order and pay and then wait for it to be delivered or go to a place that had signs that said, “Click and Collect”. Some days you only got to see the people in your household. Even the postman would knock on the door and leave before it was answered. “I miss seeing people come over and visit,” said Tumba, “We used to have people over and get to eat yummy food. They would laugh and play music and it was so good!” “I miss Buzz Lightyear” shouted Ronnie, “To infinity and beyond!” and Richo laughed and said, “You don’t know Buzz Lightyear”. “Yes, I do!” retorted Ronnie. “No, you don’t” argued Richo and he handballed the footy at Ronnie, just as Ronnie did a handstand. He lost his balance and lay flat on his back. “Oops. Did you break any bones?” asked Bruiser. Ronnie laughed and jumped up, “Don’t be ridiculous! I’m just a ball of fluff and stuff!”

Just then, Hibiscus came into the room and placed a new member of the clan next to Dovic who exclaimed joyously, “Gazza!!!!” and gave him a big hug. “Oh boy, oh boy!” gasped Gazza and Dovic introduced his friend to the rest of the Hibiscus clan. They were all excited to meet him, especially Ellie who was happy to have a friend who looked like her. Dovic asked for news of his other friends but Gazza said he left not long after Dovic had gone. His trip had taken so much longer because the flight had been delayed and then there were quarantine issues and changes in regulations and so on. He was just glad to have finally arrived!

Not long after, Hibiscus brought in some decorations and declared they were having a party to welcome Gazza. The music was turned on, everyone danced and laughed and ate party food. They all had so much fun together as they celebrated Gazza being there. “To old friends and new friends!” declared Tumba and Ronnie added, “To infinity and beyond!” and everyone laughed. Later, when all was quiet, Dovic went and sat beside Gazza. “I’m so glad you’re here!” he said quietly. “Oh boy, oh boy. Me, too” Gazza replied, “Me, too.”

Chapter 8: We're Going On A Walk

It had been a long day and Hibiscus hadn’t spent much time in zoom talking with her class as some of the day was set aside for planning and meetings. Dovic was a little bored at first as he missed the smiles and liveliness of his class. When they came in after recess, he watched their faces, their thumbs up, their greetings and cheerfulness, and it made him feel happy. Outside was cold and wet so he was glad he was inside where it was warm. Even Milly the black lab stayed curled up on her mat. At one time, she squeezed under the table and nudged Hibiscus with her nose, letting her know she needed to go outside.

At the end of the day, Dovic saw Hibiscus write a note to her students reminding them to record how many kilometres they walked, ran or cycled as they were adding them up to see how long it took them to get to Sydney Opera House. They were about one third of the way, but the other Year 5 class was much closer to their destination and it was unlikely they would catch up.

As usual, Hibiscus got ready to go for her one hour of exercise and she put on her coat and gloves. Dovic shivered as he thought of her going out there in the cold and the rain and he was glad he didn’t have to go. Since he had arrived here, he’d only been in the house and in the backyard. As much as he would have liked to have explored the neighbourhood, the Stage 4 restrictions meant they couldn’t go further than 5 kilometres from their home and could only go outside for one hour of exercise each day.

As he got caught up wondering what was outside their house, he felt Hibiscus reach for him. She already had Tumbarumba in her other hand. “What???” he asked Tumba, who smiled and said, “Looks like we’re going for a walk today. Hooray!”

“But it’s cold out there and it’s raining!” complained Dovic.

“We’re bears and we have fur to keep us warm. I thought you wanted to go on adventures” replied Tumbarumba, “Here’s our chance. I’m so excited!”

Dovic could see how happy Tumba was, so he put on a brave face and tried to look forward to it. He and Tumbarumba were put in the Dog Man Walking’s backpack and Milly was coming with them, too. He saw Milly prancing about, her nose to the ground as she sniffed everything out of curiosity. He noticed that the rain had eased and he was glad about that. There were lots of puddles alongside the path and Milly splashed through them, her tongue out, licking up the water as she went.

When they reached a certain tree, Hibiscus took them out of the backpack and let them have a little climb. As she took a photo of them, Tumbarumba looked proudly from his branch and let out a joyous growl but Dovic looked down and hoped he wouldn’t fall. He held on to the trunk of the tree, very tightly.

When it began to rain, Hibiscus put her hood over her head and Dovic and Tumba were kept dry in the backpack. They walked a long way through the streets, past shops, up and down hills and through the park. He wished they could play on the playground but that was closed during this time. They saw a rainbow arching over the houses, and they saw other people out walking their dogs too. Milly would get excited when she saw other dogs, but they didn’t have time to stop and play.

Dovic noticed it getting dark and colder. He wished they would walk faster but they were going up a hill. Tumba noticed the frown on Dovic’s face and asked him what was wrong. Dovic gulped and said, “I just sometimes get scared when it’s dark. I don’t know why. I wish we were home already.” Tumba reassured him and spoke gently, reminding him that their people would take good care of them and not let them come to any harm. Trying to distract him, he told Dovic about what the rest of the Hibiscus clan had done while Dovic was at school. The Old Wise One had read them, “Little Treehouse: The Story of the Ninja Snails” and they had all enjoyed it very much.

When they finally made it home, Dovic and Tumbarumba told the others about their adventure out walking. Ronnie was a bit miffed that he hadn’t been invited and Dovic said that next time, he would ask Hibiscus to take Ronnie instead of himself. Ronnie was pleased with that idea!

Later when he had given it some more thought, Dovic realised he was grateful that he had gone on a walk and explored the neighbourhood. It had been a good walk after all. 

Chapter 7: Sweet Treats Tuesday

Dovic started the day looking forward to “Sweet Treats Tuesday”. He remembered how Bruiser and Ronnie had invited him to eat the lollies last week and although he had said ‘no’ then, he really wanted to try some today. He loved red lollies the best, especially red snakes! He looked at the time and hurried to Hibiscus’ working space not wanting to miss out on learning with her class. As they came into the zoom meeting, they greeted Hibiscus cheerfully and as it was a library session, they told Miss Lee the librarian, what books they’d been reading. One girl was reading, “The Sick Bay” and every now and again, she had read bits of it out to Hibiscus and another child was reading, “Just Annoying” which her sister had talked her into reading. They were all reading different stories and Miss Lee was happy to hear that.

After library, it was time for Maths. Dovic loved Maths more than any other subject! He knew other subjects were good too, but he thought Maths was Very Important in Life. Today they were learning about how to measure time in 12 and 24 hours and how to read an analogue clock and change it to the digital time. Last week they had learned about measuring the perimeter and area of their dream house and now they were learning about time. He listened intently but every now and again, he got distracted by the ticking clock and wondered when he could go and play with his friends.

When school was finally over, he joined Tumbarumba and The Old Wise One who loved hearing about what he had learned. The Old Wise One would listen quietly and Dovic often wondered if The Old Wise One was thinking about many years ago when schools were so different and there wasn’t even computers. TOWO’s boy had gone to a big school where they did lots of sport. The whole town would come and compete against another town and they all celebrated when they won. Tumba started asking Dovic a question when suddenly Ronnie came speeding in on the red dump truck. “Whee!” he sang out, “Look at me! I’m a truckie!” He spun the truck around Milly the lab, but she paid him little attention. Richo came over with his footy and tried to put it in the yellow dump but it didn’t fit. “Can I have a turn, Ronnie?” but Ronnie spun around again, wishing he was on a dirt track so the dirt would go flying up around him. He missed being allowed to go outside and play in the park, but that was part of the restrictions in Victoria, for now.

Dovic and Hibiscus decided to bake a cake. Hibiscus had been inspired by one of the boys in her class who would show her in zoom, the delicious cakes and muffins he had baked. Dovic measured to make sure the pan was the right size, while Hibiscus measured the ingredients. After the eggs, milk and flour had been mixed together, Harley, Richo and Bruiser joined him so they could lick the beaters, the wooden spoon and the mixing bowl. “That is the best part of cooking!” declared Hibiscus. The cake took 50 minutes to bake, so Dovic watched the clock closely. When the bell went off, it was taken out and cooled. “Delicious! Wait until the class see it tomorrow,” Dovic thought.

Today was Sweet Treats Tuesday and although he didn't get any red lollies, Dovic got to, not only make the sweet treats, but also to taste them. What a great day!

Chapter 6: Playing With Lego

 When Dovic woke up, he trotted over to the table and sat down next to the laptop, waiting for Hibiscus. He enjoyed watching the children learn and seeing them all on zoom. The other day one of the boys had shown Hibiscus his Lego collection that was in the garage and told her, he was sorting it all into colours and sizes. His collection was impressive. Another boy had sorted his Lego collection into buildings, figures, vehicles and miscellaneous and he’d kept a space for where he did his school work. Dovic wondered how the boy concentrated on his work because if it was him, he’d want to be playing with Lego all day even though he’d never ever played with Lego before.

Dovic watched the hands on the clock going round and wondered where everyone was. It was getting late and if Hibiscus didn’t get up soon, all her class would miss out on their lessons. He looked around the desk and saw the calculator, the ruler, the highlighters, the pencils and lots of paper. He was just about to sort them all out when he saw The Old Wise One coming towards him.

He was a bit scared of The Old Wise One who was very quiet and when he spoke, you had to listen carefully because his voice was so soft. Dovic waited for him and wondered if he should say something first. The Old Wise One sat still, looked at the clock, looked at Dovic and said, “Why are you here?” Dovic blinked and replied, “I’m waiting for Hibiscus…. If she doesn’t get here soon, she’s going to be late for her class.” There was silence for a few moments until TOWO whispered, “It’s Saturday. No school today.” “Ooh!” he said with a sigh. He was disappointed and didn’t know what to say or do, because he’d never been here on a Saturday before.

The Old Wise One tilted his head and gently said, “Come on. We have a surprise for you.” Dovic looked at TOWO and saw his smile and he responded eagerly. “What’s the surprise? Will I like it? What is it?” but The Old Wise One said nothing and just padded back to the room while Dovic followed.

“Wow!” Dovic exclaimed when he saw the surprise. “Wow!” There, on the circular mat on the floor, a few of the Hibiscus clan had gathered around and were playing with Lego. There was so much Lego! “Where did all of this come from?” he asked, and just at that moment, he heard a crash as Ronnie lost his balance and fell into one of the tubs of Lego. “Donna, a friend who has six sons, said Hibiscus could borrow the Lego for a while,” replied Bruiser and handed him a white, rectangular piece so he could get started. Dovic turned the piece over in his hand and pondered what to do with it. He imagined motorbikes, islands, amusement parks, bridges, fairy tales and machines; all the things he’d seen on Lego Masters. As this was his first time with Lego, he put the white piece back, picked up a few smaller pieces and began working on his idea.

Meanwhile, Harley had hopped into the white tub looking for the right piece. He shuffled amongst the pieces and found an orange wheel, a green tree-top, pink pieces, yellow bits, and pieces that he didn’t even recognise. He found a blue piece, stood up and looked at the others. “Does anyone want this one?” he called out and when they didn’t answer, he put it back in the box and shuffled it all around.

Tumbarumba and Ellie got the tray full of people and wanted to make some people for the village that Bruiser and Ronnie were working on, while Dovic and The Old Wise One worked on making motorbikes and other vehicles. At one stage Dovic looked up and saw Richo watching him. “Do you want to come and play footy with me?” he pleaded but Dovic was busy making, “Um… sorry” he mumbled and kept working on the Lego.

For the next hour or so, they were all busy playing with the Lego and making things such as motorbikes, a house, and Dovic built a mini, Master-Building Emmet from the movie. He was very proud of his accomplishment. Finally, it was time to pack up for a bit. The Old Wise One reminded everyone to pick up all the pieces and put them in the correct boxes. Tumba added, “Don’t leave any out. We don’t want Milly to come and chew it up or even worse, we don’t want Hibiscus to step on one. That can be very painful!” Everyone pitched in and in no time at all, it was all put away and time for another game.