(THE ALPHABET SERIES) IZZY GETS BIZZY

Ever since I was younger, I have always sculpted. It doesn’t matter what it is, if someone gives me a lump of clay and something to copy, I’ll sculpt it. My mum and dad have loads of my sculptures sitting around the house. There are sculptures of horses, trains, dancing pixies and even baby rabbits sitting at school-like desks.
I have younger twin sisters named Irene and Inky - a nickname - and they are extremely jealous of my talent. I have caught them several times trying to sabotage my sculptures. I’ll see their hands reach out and squash a train or a smiling Homer Simpson, and I’ll scream out. At which point they’ll squeal and run away.
Anyway, it was the day before my mum’s birthday, and I had just entered a cash problem. I counted out my money from my piggy bank, and I didn’t have enough to buy a present for Mum. There was only one thing for it - I would have to sculpt something. I had some clay and paints hidden in my drawer.
The big question was - What? What do I sculpt? What would Mum like. This was her birthday, so it would have to be something special, not the usual junk like trains or horses. Then I remembered. Mum was forty but she was still into Disney in a big way. That was it. I would sculpt a Disney character for her. But which one? It would have to be her favourite.
“Mum,” I said at dinner that evening. “What’s your favourite Disney film?”
“Well, let’s see. My favourite ever?”
“Your favourite ever.”
“Well, that would have to be... ‘Beauty And The Beast‘. Because it’s so romantic.”
“Okay,” I answered, ignoring the vomit noises my stupid siblings were making. “What’s your favourite character from that film.”
“Well, that would be either Belle or Cogsworth the clock. Why?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just this silly questionnaire I’m doing for school.”
After dinner, I raced up to my room, and banged my door shut, so no-one could get in. Then I set to work making the sculpture for Mum’s birthday. I decided on Belle in the end. Belle wearing her yellow ball gown, because I had no blue for Belle‘s village dress, and the only brown I had was just about enough for Belle’s hair; hardly enough for Cogsworth.
I worked all evening on the sculpture. I didn’t stop for a rest for even a minute. After three hours of sculpting, I had finally finished. I set it down and stood back to admire my masterpiece. When I decided it was perfect, I went to bed.
I woke the next morning, feeling happy; it was a blue-sky morning, the birds were tweeting, and it was Mum’s birthday; I didn’t have to worry about her present anymore.
I looked over to my bedside dresser, where Belle stood. And I screamed.
The night before, Belle had stood there, posed as if she were about to dance with the Beast, but now all she was, was a messy mass of yellow. As I screamed, Mum, Dad and the twins came running in.
“What is it, Iz?” Asked Dad. “Have you hurt yourself?”
I pointed to the spot where poor Belle had once stood. “That was Belle,” I said. “I sculpted her last night. For Mum’s birthday. Now it’s ruined!”
I glared at the twins. It was obvious it was one of them, or both of them. They were the jealous ones, and I’ve always caught them trying to squash a sculpture of mine before.
“What are you looking at us for?” Inky said, glaring back. “It wasn’t us.”
I never did find out who squashed my present for Mum. All I know is, I never sculpted again.

Watch out for the ‘J’ story - “Jackie Gets Some Jam” - in the near future...