Little Tom

There he sat - Guernsey's well-known souvenir tomato - furry and plump,little Tom.The day before yesterday he had been placed on a shelf of a toy shop in St.Peter Port.Now he was nestling anxiously against a bigger neighbour.In a very low voice Tom whispered to her:"I hope I'll soon be in a little girl's loving hand.I can't stand sitting on this dusty board any longer."The granny fellow tomato whispered back to him:"We all have the same wish,to be cuddled and hugged by a tiny lad or lassie.We don't want to end up neglected in a soft animal zoo."To underline these words she was nodding her leafy cap forcefully.

Sooner than expected little Tom was bought.A middle-aged lady was running an interested eye along two rows of impatiently waiting tomatoes.In a trice she snatched Tom from the shelf.She had him put in a small box so that he could hardly breathe,let alone stretch out his yellow feet.Tom would have liked to tear his murky cardboard box to pieces,but the shop-assistant's string proved to be stronger than all his efforts.

Time must have stood still for weeks on end with Tom uttering a feeble "ouch!ouch!" now and then.Like a scared child he kept blubbering for the most part of his lightless days.One day all of a sudden he felt his box being lifted and taken away to another room.A strange song he had never heard before reached his ears:"Happy birthday to you,happy birthday to you,happy birthday,dearSarah,happy birthday to you."
After some Minutes the box was grabbed and opened in no time at all.The lovely face of a little girl was beaming into Tom's eyes.They brightened up at once.The other children were huddling around Sarah,each keen on holding and stroking Tom.On leave-taking Aunt Celia said:"Sarah,dearie,don't forget to take care of your Tom.I'm quite sure he wouldn't like to be the odd man out among your toys.You wanted him so badly after all."

In the following weeks Sarah often took a stroll with her elder sister Sheila to Pembroke Bay.The enjoyed dreaming away the summer days on the sandy beach.Tom was always by their side.He used two sisters in listening attentively to the murmurings of the lapping sea..Each "squawk!squawk!" by a seagull would be answered instantly by Tom's leafy hat bobbing with delight.

A few months later - school had begun again -nasty gales made Sarah and Sheila stay indoors.Little Tom had not been looked after much recently.The girls' time was taken up with doing their homework and watching tv.One night Sarah had forgotten to say "Good night!" to her Tom.When she was asleep,he was sobbing bitterly.Finally Sarah woke up with a start.She was rubbing her eyes in disbelief when she saw Tom in tears.Hugging him tightly,she promised that she would never let him down again.