An Introduction from India

“Hello!  I’m India and I’m a Learning Assistant here at TURN Education.  I know a lot of you followed the stories about me and Packham and we were really pleased about that.  Since we lost Packham, quite unexpectedly, when he became very poorly, I’ve…”

“Who’re you talkin’ to, Ninja?”

“I’m talking to the ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls who’ve been kind enough to buy this book of stories about me”

“And me!”

“Well, yes, and you but you need to go away because you’re not here yet”

“What d’yer mean ‘I’m not here yet’?”

“I mean you’re not supposed to be in this part of the book!”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s about the whole year at TURN and, at the start of the year, you weren’t here.  It was just me, at Christmas, managing on my own.  So, right now, you’re not here”

“Where am I then, Ninja?”

“Well, I suppose you’d still be in your mummy’s tummy?”

“Tho, right now, I’m in my mummy’th tummy?”

“Yes, that’s right, which is why we shouldn’t be having this conversation.  Now, as I was saying, since we lost Packham…”

“It’th bigger than I thought”

“What is?”

“My mummy’th tummy”

“How do you know?”

“Well, jutht look around.  Altho, it lookth a lot like our kitchen at home”

“That’s because it is our kitchen at home!”

“You thaid it wath my mummy’th tummy!”

“No, I said that at this point in the book, where we haven’t even started the year yet, you wouldn’t be here”

“Ok, where am I?”

“Oh no, not again!  Look, this is a book of stories about a year at TURN Education through the eyes of us dogs, right?”

“Right!”

“At the start of the year, there’s only me here, because Packham left us in October and you’re not here yet.  So the stories start with me on Christmas Eve…”

“Oh great, do I get to thee Thanta?”

“No, of course you don’t get to see Santa!  That’s the whole point of the story, there’s just me there to deal with things”

“Aww…I can help if you like”

“No, you can’t because you’re not here…and before you ask, I don’t know where you are, ok?”

“I’m jutht here, Ninja!”

“Yes, [sighs deeply] I know you are.  I’ve got your paw jammed in my ear, apart from anything else!  Look, I was going to introduce these stories to the readers but I think I might as well give up and just let them get on with it!”

“Ok, Ninja.  What’th a reader?”

“Somebody with a lot more patience than me, I hope!  Let’s get out of the way and let them get on with the book”

“Ok, Ninja.  Where are we going?”

“Just over there”

“What, here?”

“No, that’s not far enough away, a bit further”

“How about here?”

“Yes, that’s much better!  Now, as I was saying…”

“I’m back!”

“So I see, what happened?”

“I got lonely over there on my own”

“I give up!  Here are some stories about a year at TURN Education with me, India…”

“And me, Rohan!”

“We hope you enjoy them”