Genevieve

5 - Bath or Exeter

It was 2:55pm. I knew that because Charlotte had a watch. Lee Bell still had some sausage roll left and Miss Bird reminded him that he'd said he'd share it. Lee Bell gave some to me and some to Charlotte, but Charlotte said she wasn't hungry so he took it back. He gave some to everyone in our class who wanted one and Miss Bird said that was very nice of him.

Then someone asked where we were going to. Miss Bird explained that some of us will get off in about an hour with Miss Hassel and the rest of us will get off an hour later with herself.

"We're going to the seaside," said Samuel Heath.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, my mummy told me so."

"Some of us may be by the seaside, but some of us may not be," said Miss Bird.

"But my mummy said I was going on a trip to the seaside."

"Did she?"

"Yes. Is she wrong?"

"Well, I don't think your mother knows where you are going, so she made a good guess."

"Ok," said Samuel, but he looked upset.

"I would like everyone to listen up for a moment," Miss Bird said to the whole carriage. "This is going to be what happens: in just under an hour we will arrive in a place called Bath. Half of you will get off this train with Miss Hassel and you will find your host families there. The rest of you will stay on this train for a couple hours until we reach a place called Exeter. That will be your destination. Ok?"

"Ok," we said.

"I want to go to Bath," said Lee Bell.

"What about Exter?" said Willis.

"Exeter," corrected Miss Bird.

"I like baths," said Lee Bell.

"Did you know, Lee, that there are some baths in Bath that have been there since the Roman times?"

"Wow," said Lee Bell. "Can I go there?"

"I'll have to look at some papers to see where you're going, Lee," said Miss Bird. "I'll let you all know in a few minutes." She got up and walked to the end of the carriage where Miss Hassel was sitting.

I looked out of my window. The train was going really fast and all I could see were fields. Then I saw a cow.

"Charlotte look," I said, "A cow!"

Charlotte looked out of the window with me. "That's where our milk comes from," she said.

"And our beef."

"Maybe we'll get to milk one! They do that in the countryside."

"Maybe we'll live with one, and horses too!"

"And chickens!"

"And sheep!"

"What about a dog? I'd like to live with a dog."

"What would you call it?"

"I'd call it Scruffy."

Miss Bell came back shortly after the cow-spotting with some papers.

"If all of you could pay attention, please, I'll tell you where you're going. Those of you heading to Bath are: Charlotte Johnson, Peter Morris, Nora Noble, Shelley Pratt, Timothy Winchester, Maud Worth and Charlie Wright. Those of you going to Exeter are Michael Adams, Lee Bell, Willis Connor, Genevieve Forbes, Samuel Heath and Hannah Hoster."

"I want to go to Bath!" shouted Lee Bell.

"Exeter is a very nice place, Lee, and the seaside is very close-by!" said Miss Bird.

"Indeed," said Miss Hassel. "My sister-in-law used to live there."

"I bet she moved because it was so horrible," Lee Bell said.

"No, she moved because she got a job somewhere else," said Miss Hassel. "I suggest you try to think positively, Lee, because that is where you are going. There will be no nonsense."

Miss Hassel isn't as nice as Miss Bird.