The Queen's gift

Alice Patterson, 10

Parkview Primary School, Derby

Chapter 1

It was the middle of the morning at Buckingham Palace and the sun was shining through the windows. In the living room, Vervain (one of Her Majesty’s corgis) was lounging in a velvet dog bed. He was thinking about what it would be like to be a squirrel, when unexpectedly Peter the Pidgeon landed in a flustered heap on the windowsill.

“Did you hear?” cried Peter.

“Hear what?” asked Vervain.

“The Queen is having a special party to celebrate her jubilee. Everybody’s talking about it,” said Peter.

A jubilee party? That sounded important, thought Vervain.

“Well got to go,” said Peter, “Somebody needs to spread the word around, “and with that he flew off.

A party sounded like it needed a present. Vervain decided that he would mention it to the other dogs after dinner. He got up stretched and wandered off for a sniff in the garden.

Chapter 2

“So all I’m saying is that Alsatians should keep to themselves because nobody likes a nosey dog,” concluded Louie.

It was after dinner and the corgis were gathered round the fireplace. This was a time to share news and theories to others. Approving murmurs filled the air.

“Indeed,” agreed Eva, “Now Vervain, you have something to tell us all.”

“Yes,” said Vervain, standing up, “I don’t know if you’ve already heard, but the Queen is having a special party, so I thought.....”

“Why?” cried all the corgis at once.

“If you would just let me finish,” growled Vervain.

“Anyway, as I was saying, I think we should all bond together to get her a present.”

Silence reigned in the air for a few moments. Then suddenly the room was full of questions.

“When? - How?”

“Will you be quiet for a moment?” barked Vervain.

There was instant quiet.

“Now,” said Vervain in a more composed manner, “Can anyone think of any ideas?”

“Ooh, maybe some deluxe doggy treats!” squealed Johnson.

Vervain frowned and shook his head. “Oh, I know!” shouted Eva.

“What?” cried all the corgis.

“A dog bone charm with her name on it!”

“What a good idea!” said all the corgis.

Chapter 3

It was all decided. Eva oversaw the finding of the dog bone charm. Johnson would do the card and Louie would wrap it all up. Vervain would push it to the Queen’s intricately decorated room and then they would wait behind the door. So, after the final touches, Vervain pushed the small, spotty package to the Queen’s ornate, white door. As the night faded away, the corgis watched with eagerness behind the bedroom door. Finally, the Queen got up and started getting dressed, but she soon noticed the small package and opened it up.

Here’s what she found:

It was a gold dog bone shaped charm with the word Queen engraved on it.

She wondered who could have sent it when she spotted a black nose peeping from behind the door. Vervain came bounding out, and so did the others. “Oh corgis! You really have made my day!” said the Queen happily.