The Magic House

"What would you like to do today Ben?" his Nanna asked.

"Mr Clown wants to go to the park Nanna." "And I suppose Pug and Spot would like to go too?" (Pug and Spot were two toy dogs, but as real to Ben as humans.)

"Oh yes, and Sammy snake and Biggles," (the teddy bear who was a pilot). All Ben's toys had names, they were his real friends and he loved them all.

"We mustn't forget Fluff," (the bunny rabbit), said his Nanna. It didn't take much for her to enter the world of children for she had always felt young at heart and remembered the wonderful games she played as a child. "Well if we take them all there will be no room for Ben to sit in his pushchair."

"Ben is a big boy now, he's a daddy today and he has to take his children to the park." True to his word, he started getting his toys into the pushchair, there was hardly room for everybody. "Mr Clown will have to go first cos he's the biggest," he said, then he piled the rest on top of him. When this important task was complete it was the turn of the humans to get ready. Hats and coats, biscuits and a drink for break time.

"Can we go to the Magic House please Nanna," pleaded Ben his little eyes alight with anticipation.

First of all, perhaps we should explain to the reader what the Magic House is and the fun you can have there. It is in the playground of the park, it is actually a climbing frame, but to us it is our Magic House because when you go in there, you can be who you want to be and do what you would love to do.

You have to come and see what we do then you will understand. This particular day Ben decided he was going to be a repair man and I, his assistant, so of course the tool box had to go with us.

When we got to the house Ben knocked on the door.

"I've come to repair your window Mrs." he said, in his most grown up voice. "Me too," I said, very seriously. We went in and our imaginary lady took us to the kitchen and showed us the window which had fallen out.

Ben got all his tools out, hammer, spanner, screw driver, saw, etc., and immersed himself completely in what he was doing. I of course, as his assistant had to pass him all the tools he needed. First the hammer to bang out all the bits that were left. Then a new window and frame had to be made, I held the wood in place while Ben banged the nails in. I held the window in place while Ben fixed it in the wall. So busy were we we did not notice a little girl was standing close by watching everything that was going on.

"What are you doing," she asked. I explained all about the Magic House to her and she asked, "Could I come and cook supper for you, my mummy won't allow me to do it at home. She says I mess her kitchen up and what would her friends say if they saw her kitchen in a mess. We were happy to have a new friend in our little house especially when Ben told her his family (The fluffy toys) were getting hungry and there was no one to feed them.

"What will you cook for them?" I asked.

"Well, we'll have Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding today, and for pudding we'll have jelly and ice cream." She entered the world of magic with ease and was soon very busy with her preparations. Very soon another little girl came to help and another little boy. Before long our house was full of boys and girls having fun.

The parents sitting close by were amazed at the scene. They got to find out things about their children that they never knew anything about. Like the little boy who was pretending to play music for his 'family', he was humming the tune as he was playing, he knew every note.

I overheard his mother say, "Perhaps we should buy a piano for Billy maybe he would prefer to be a musician than go into our business. I have never seen him so happy. Maybe we were only thinking what we would like him to be instead of what he would love to do himself.

The children did what they naturally loved doing, with no parents to say "That's not what I want you to do," or "That's a waste of time," or "You cannot possibly do that," or "don't do that you'll get dirty."

When it was time to go home, one little girl came to us. With stars shinning in her beautiful blue eyes she asked most earnestly if she could come back tomorrow because 'Sammy snake,' had to have his stitches out. (She had been a nurse and had been looking after everybody.)

The children had such fun and the parents learned so much about them that all agreed it must be a regular thing. It was arranged that they should all meet at the Magic House every Friday morning.

After some months of meeting together and the parents talking among themselves they began to realise how much their children were changing. They were happier, more confident, - more alive. They wondered what had brought this change about and realised it was the Magic House.

"How do you do it?" They all asked.

"I just open my Magic House inside!!!!!