Read Online Hannah in the Spotlight by Natasha Mac a'Bháird - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Natasha Mac a'Bháird
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She’s worn out.’
‘I’ll take the others downstairs,’ I told him, scrambling out of bed. ‘It’s a good thing Maisie didn’t wake her with her singing!’
‘I was using my morning singing voice,’ Maisie said. ‘It’s quieter than my afternoon voice.’
‘Thanks, Hannah,’ Dad said. ‘And well done on your lovely, quiet singing, Maisie. Bobby is already downstairs eating breakfast, and Zach’s getting dressed. Just see if you can keep them occupied for an hour or two. I’d better get going.’
I got dressed quickly and took Maisie downstairs for breakfast, deciding it was easier to just leave her in her pyjamas for now. After breakfast I took out some arts and crafts stuff and helped Maisie and Bobby make houses out of shoe boxes. They made a huge mess but at least they were quiet. Zach was totally absorbed in his library book so he was no trouble.
It was ten o’clock by the time Mum came downstairs, looking bleary-eyed. ‘She’s teething,’ Mum said, putting a rosy-cheeked Emma into her highchair. ‘She’ll be a lot better once this new tooth comes through.’
‘I’ll give her her breakfast,’ I told Mum. ‘You go and have a shower, you’ll feel better then.’
‘Thank you, Hannah, that would be great,’ Mum said. ‘But after that you should go out with your friends. You’ve been doing way more than your fair share around here this week, and you need some time off.’
I wasn’t going to argue with that. Mum trudged back upstairs. I heated up some porridge for Emma, making sure it wasn’t too hot. Giving Emma her breakfast is a complicated affair. It involves a little bit of spoonfeedingher the porridge when she’ll let me (she’d rather just eat it with her hands) and quite a bit of stopping her from picking up the bowl and flinging it on the ground when she’s had enough. Mum gives her those bowls with a rubber base that’s meant to stick on to the highchair tray, but they are not much use against the determined force of Emma.
I’d just decided it was time to move on to toast when the doorbell rang.
‘I’ll get it!’ shouted a voice from under the table. I hadn’t even realised Maisie was in there.
‘What are you doing?’ I asked her.
‘Feeding my teddies,’ Maisie said. I looked under the table cloth and saw that she’d lined them up on a couple of chairs and had a bowl of cereal from which she was pretending to feed them. From the looks of things the teddies were being a lot more cooperative than Emma.
Maisie scrambled out and made for the door, but Zach was charging down the stairs.
‘I said I was getting it!’ Maisie roared at him.
‘You’re not allowed answer the door, you’re too little,’ Zach said.
‘I am so allowed, if I check who it is first!’ Maisie argued.
Emma had just about worked the bowl free. I snatched it away from her just in time. I really didn’t need porridge everywhere. Emma let out a cry of protest.
The doorbell rang again.
‘Well, SOMEONE answer it please!’ I called.
I heard scuffles, but I was too busy trying to soothe Emma to go and investigate. Zach and Maisie came tumbling into the room, each of them complaining loudly about the other.
‘Zach never lets me open the door!’
‘Maisie’s too little! She should let me do it!’
‘OK, OK,’ I said. ‘Did one of you actually answer the door?’
‘Eventually!’ It was Meg, looking a little bit overwhelmed. ‘Wow. I think I’ll come through the hedge the next time,’ she joked.
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘They always fight over answering the door.’
Zach went stomping off upstairs again. Maisie ran after him, still complaining.
I handed Emma a piece of toast. She stopped crying and quickly started gumming it.
‘I just came over to see if you’re free this morning,’ Meg said. ‘I’m going over to Sadie’s house, and I thought you might like to come with me. She’s got a great dressing-up box, and I thought we could have a look for some costumes for
‘I’ll take the others downstairs,’ I told him, scrambling out of bed. ‘It’s a good thing Maisie didn’t wake her with her singing!’
‘I was using my morning singing voice,’ Maisie said. ‘It’s quieter than my afternoon voice.’
‘Thanks, Hannah,’ Dad said. ‘And well done on your lovely, quiet singing, Maisie. Bobby is already downstairs eating breakfast, and Zach’s getting dressed. Just see if you can keep them occupied for an hour or two. I’d better get going.’
I got dressed quickly and took Maisie downstairs for breakfast, deciding it was easier to just leave her in her pyjamas for now. After breakfast I took out some arts and crafts stuff and helped Maisie and Bobby make houses out of shoe boxes. They made a huge mess but at least they were quiet. Zach was totally absorbed in his library book so he was no trouble.
It was ten o’clock by the time Mum came downstairs, looking bleary-eyed. ‘She’s teething,’ Mum said, putting a rosy-cheeked Emma into her highchair. ‘She’ll be a lot better once this new tooth comes through.’
‘I’ll give her her breakfast,’ I told Mum. ‘You go and have a shower, you’ll feel better then.’
‘Thank you, Hannah, that would be great,’ Mum said. ‘But after that you should go out with your friends. You’ve been doing way more than your fair share around here this week, and you need some time off.’
I wasn’t going to argue with that. Mum trudged back upstairs. I heated up some porridge for Emma, making sure it wasn’t too hot. Giving Emma her breakfast is a complicated affair. It involves a little bit of spoonfeedingher the porridge when she’ll let me (she’d rather just eat it with her hands) and quite a bit of stopping her from picking up the bowl and flinging it on the ground when she’s had enough. Mum gives her those bowls with a rubber base that’s meant to stick on to the highchair tray, but they are not much use against the determined force of Emma.
I’d just decided it was time to move on to toast when the doorbell rang.
‘I’ll get it!’ shouted a voice from under the table. I hadn’t even realised Maisie was in there.
‘What are you doing?’ I asked her.
‘Feeding my teddies,’ Maisie said. I looked under the table cloth and saw that she’d lined them up on a couple of chairs and had a bowl of cereal from which she was pretending to feed them. From the looks of things the teddies were being a lot more cooperative than Emma.
Maisie scrambled out and made for the door, but Zach was charging down the stairs.
‘I said I was getting it!’ Maisie roared at him.
‘You’re not allowed answer the door, you’re too little,’ Zach said.
‘I am so allowed, if I check who it is first!’ Maisie argued.
Emma had just about worked the bowl free. I snatched it away from her just in time. I really didn’t need porridge everywhere. Emma let out a cry of protest.
The doorbell rang again.
‘Well, SOMEONE answer it please!’ I called.
I heard scuffles, but I was too busy trying to soothe Emma to go and investigate. Zach and Maisie came tumbling into the room, each of them complaining loudly about the other.
‘Zach never lets me open the door!’
‘Maisie’s too little! She should let me do it!’
‘OK, OK,’ I said. ‘Did one of you actually answer the door?’
‘Eventually!’ It was Meg, looking a little bit overwhelmed. ‘Wow. I think I’ll come through the hedge the next time,’ she joked.
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘They always fight over answering the door.’
Zach went stomping off upstairs again. Maisie ran after him, still complaining.
I handed Emma a piece of toast. She stopped crying and quickly started gumming it.
‘I just came over to see if you’re free this morning,’ Meg said. ‘I’m going over to Sadie’s house, and I thought you might like to come with me. She’s got a great dressing-up box, and I thought we could have a look for some costumes for
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