“Bye,” I said quietly to my dad. Today was my first day at Little Penguins Montessori School. I was very nervous. At my last school everybody was so mean. They wouldn’t play with me and they would call me names. I hoped the people here would be nicer.

A woman in a blue shirt who towered over me came and introduced herself as Aunty Dorothy. She took me over to a table and showed me how to trace shapes and use the lightbox.

After she asked me, “Do you want to go reading or practical life?” 

“Reading, please,” I replied. 

I loved to read! I had almost finished a book called Akimbo at home. After I had done some sounding out and word sorting (that’s how I know what ph says), it was snack time. I waited in a long line to wash my hands. I sat at an empty table all by myself while other kids walked by chatting with their friends. Then a girl with blonde hair and green-brown eyes walked over and sat down.

“Hi! I’m Jeanne.” she said cheerfully.

“I’m Ellie,” I replied a little less cheerfully.

Then we chatted about snakes and dragons until a teacher said. “You can go outside now.”

Jeanne and I sat and played a game like dolls except with rocks.

“We should call this rocks and stones.” I suggested.

“Yeah!” said Jeanne.

We pretended that giant rocks were attacking small rocks. 

Then a teacher said, “Pack up time, everybody!” 

Everybody packed up with a friend and I packed up with my friend too.

• Eleanor Hitchcock is a Year 4 student at the Vaiala Beach School. This entry to the 2022 Tusitala Short Story Competition won her first placing in the English category.