The Box in the Attic

Gran brought a dusty box down from the attic and set it on the living-room rug. “I was looking for the spare blanket,” she said. “Found this instead.” Lucy read the faded label. Stage things. Sam pushed his sleeves up. “That sounds more interesting than a blanket.”

Inside lay a silver cape, a squashed paper crown and a photograph. A girl in a crown stood beside a cardboard moon. Lucy held the photograph closer. “Is that you, Gran?” Gran sat down slowly. “Goodness. Look at my fringe.”

Sam put the crown on his head. It slid over one ear. “Were you a queen?” he asked. “For about six minutes,” Gran said. Lucy looked at the moon. “What happened after six minutes?” “The moon fell over.” Sam took off the crown. “Was that meant to happen?”

Gran shook her head. “My brother was behind it. He sneezed.” She found a folded sheet at the bottom of the box. “These were my words. I’d practised them for weeks.” Lucy read the first line aloud. “Your Majesty, the moon has vanished!” “No wonder you only lasted six minutes,” Sam said.

“Did everyone laugh?” Lucy asked. “Oh, yes. I wanted to disappear into my cape.” “What did you do?” Gran thought for a moment. “I told the audience the moon had gone to bed early.” Sam laughed so loudly that the crown slipped from his lap. “Then my brother crawled out and bowed,” Gran added.

Lucy spread the cape over the sofa. Sam held the old cardboard moon, which Gran had found under the photograph. “Could we try your play?” he asked. “There were three of us,” said Gran. Lucy lifted the crown towards her. Gran looked at it, then at the two children. “I suppose I still know my part.”

They moved the coffee table aside. Lucy held up the moon while Sam announced the queen. Gran stepped forward in the silver cape. Halfway through her first speech, Lucy lowered the moon very slowly behind the sofa. Gran paused. “Really,” she said. “That moon is always going to bed.”

Afterwards, Sam took a photograph of Gran with the crown tilted over one ear. Lucy stood beside her with the moon. “We should put this picture in the box too,” Lucy said. Gran folded the cape. “With today’s date.” Sam fetched a pencil. “And our names,” he said. “Otherwise someone might think I was the queen.”