MayDay Flash - 'May Day' by Stella Turner

“May Day, May Day, “shouts my Granddad.

My Nanna looks up from her knitting. Her forehead all crinkly, she’s frowning like she tells me not to. She's always saying "If the wind changes Charlie you’ll stay like it".

“Yes Granddad” I nod knowingly in his direction. “It’s May day today “  I know this because each day in writing practise we have to write the date and today my teacher Miss Woods was telling us all about  the may pole and how years ago people danced around it on May Day and she’d show us pictures tomorrow.

My Granddad starts taping one of his fingers on the arm of his chair in a pattern. He looks really upset and my Nanna puts her knitting down and goes over to him. She lays her hand over his tapping finger and says “its okay Seaman Brooks, the ships are on their way”.  Granddad stops tapping and Nanna smiles.

Tomorrow I’ll ask Miss Woods what ships have to do with May Day.