Dreams at Silver Spires (13 page)

I was totally amazed. I couldn't believe my ears. But I had to be quite sure…

“So you're…not exactly…telling me off?” I managed to stutter.

She laughed then. “I'm not telling you off at all, Emily. I'm just checking that you still feel as strongly as you did when you spoke to Miss Gerard…”

It was as though someone had taken a gag off my mouth and I could breathe and I could speak and I was free. “I'll never ever change how I feel, Ms. Carmichael,” I said in a voice that sounded suddenly a bit too loud for the room. “All I care about is nature and the cycle of the seasons and the earth and the way we live. The secret is keeping in tune with nature.”

Ms. Carmichael nodded and blinked several times. It reminded me of how I'd done exactly the same thing after I'd seen Mrs. Pridham, only that was because I'd been trying to stop more tears from spilling out.

“Yes…yes, that's right,” she said quietly. “Now, I've spoken to Tony and also to Stan, and the good news is that Stan is happy to head up the gardening team and to be in charge of the project. I know from what I've seen that you're a hard worker, Emily, and hopefully you'll get lots of help if you restart your gardening club…” She paused and did a few more blinks, then her voice turned brisker. “But of course we've got the holidays to consider, not to mention lessons, so it'll be ideal to have Stan overseeing the plot.”

I felt like giving Ms. Carmichael a big hug, because the words she'd just said were the best words I thought I'd ever, ever heard. But for some unknown reason, even though I was so happy, I actually found myself crying, and then Ms. Carmichael came round to me and patted my shoulder.

“I hope these are tears of happiness?” she said.

And I couldn't even speak for crying but I managed to nod, and she went back round to her own side of the table and spoke into her phone to ask her secretary for two cups of tea. I felt my brain split into three parts then. One part wanted to drink the tea and talk some more about the wonderful new project that was going to happen, one part wanted to run all the way back to Forest Ash and tell Bryony and the others what had happened, and the last part wanted to dance on Ms. Carmichael's table and to scream out, “I did it!”

A few days later it was announced that the production company were going to film one final special assembly before they left. I couldn't help feeling a bit sad. It was just the thought that it was the end of their time with us, and I don't like endings. I prefer things to keep turning round and round in cycles.

As we all filed into the hall, the first thing we noticed was that it looked extra bright with the lights that the film crew had erected. Apart from that, nothing seemed different, because we were so used to seeing cameras around now that we didn't really take much notice of them.

I thought about what a lot had happened since that other special assembly when Ms. Carmichael had made her announcement about the film crew coming to Silver Spires. It seemed such a long time ago. My friends all said it was amazing that I'd been through so much in such a short time. And I was still in shock about the way everything had turned out.

After my meeting with Ms. Carmichael, I'd called a truth talk in the dorm and we'd all piled onto my bed, where I'd told the whole story of my happy ending in big detail. I love thinking back to how my friends had kept gasping, then breaking into cheers and bursting into applause, and Bryony had seemed like the proudest of them all. I'd been really touched, because it turned out she'd even made herself late for her meeting by going to see Stan after all, and giving him my message.

Then the next day I'd raced over to the garden and found him waiting for me, wearing the biggest grin ever. He'd said straight away how pleased he was that he'd got a proper project to get his teeth into, especially as now he didn't have to leave Silver Spires after all, which he'd been dreading after such a long time working here. We'd sat down on the little wall just inside the hedge and talked and talked about all the things we planned on growing in the garden and how we were going to try getting lots of other girls interested in the club.

And thinking about that now, coming into the hall, made tears prick the backs of my eyes again. But then I got a shock, because sitting next to Miss Gerard, in a suit and tie and shiny shoes, was Stan himself. He must have been looking out for me, because our eyes met and he gave me a massive smile. And straight after that I got another shock, because right beside him was Emily Peters. She actually stood up and gave me a little wave when she saw me, which made me feel so happy.

When everyone was seated, Ms. Carmichael began to talk. “It hardly seems a minute since we were all gathered in here for me to tell you the important news about the film crew, and now they're about to leave us. But before they go we're in for a treat, because we're actually going to see an extract or two from the footage right now!”

There was a big wave of gasps and a few “Oh no”s spoken in cringing voices, and one big “Yes!”

That was Juliet, and because her voice had stood out, quite a few people turned to look at her, including me, and I noticed she went a bit red. Personally, I was thinking it might be quite interesting to see some bits of film, as long as there wasn't any of me, which there wouldn't be, as I'd hardly been filmed at all.

“So now I'm going to hand over to Mark from the crew,” went on Ms. Carmichael. She started off the clapping as the man called Mark went up to the platform at the front, and I saw that he was the same cameraman who'd been there that awful time when I'd been scooping up the cups and plates from Juliet's party.

“Thank you, everyone,” Mark began. “It should be me clapping you lot, because you've done well to put up with cameras popping up all over the place for the last couple of weeks. As you know, we're doing a programme about your school – its past, its present and its future – and we've certainly found it tremendously interesting here at Silver Spires. As soon as we know the date that the programme will be aired I'll let Ms. Carmichael know, but it won't be in the next couple of months.” A big groan of disappointment went round the hall when he said that and then we all laughed at ourselves, which made Mark laugh too.

“We don't normally give anyone sneak previews of what we've filmed, but the reason we're making an exception today is because Ms. Carmichael specially requested it, so I'm handing back to you, Ms. Carmichael.”

Mark left the platform and Ms. Carmichael went back to the centre. “I wanted to show you, girls,” she began in a serious voice, “how if you really believe in something from the bottom of your heart and you feel strongly enough about it to want to do something, you
can
make a difference. Each and every one of you can. And we have someone here at Silver Spires who has done just that. One of our youngest students has helped convince the staff and myself that it's time we went back to a greener way of life.” My heart lurched and I found myself blushing and wishing Ms. Carmichael would stop now. But she was carrying on and it was only bearable because Bryony had reached for my hand and was holding it tight. “Now you might think there's a lot of loose talk about being green. And so there is, which is why Miss Gerard, our domestic bursar, didn't pay much attention to this student at first. But actually putting that talk into action is a different matter. Now at this point, I'd like to introduce Emily Peters, who came to Silver Spires fifty years ago as a student.”

Everyone clapped politely as Emily walked briskly onto the stage.

“I'm not going to say very much at all, girls, because I know you want to get on with watching the film extracts. But let me tell you this. The girl on the film has impressed me more than any other girl I know, past or present. And it makes my heart sing to think that this school might once again return to its old values.”

Emily nodded firmly and Stan began a new wave of clapping as she went back to her seat beside him.

Ms. Carmichael stood up again. “You've all heard the saying ‘actions speak louder than words'. Well, now we're going to see an example of that.” Then she nodded at Mark and moved to one side as an enlargement of Stan's old photo of his tall green garden was projected onto the wall at the front. After a few seconds it was gone, and in its place was the garden as it looks now.

I heard a few gasps and then there was silence and the camera angle slowly moved, and the next gasp came out of my mouth, because there was me, digging the soil. I thought I'd be embarrassed to see myself, and I don't know whether it was because of the stillness in the hall, but it seemed as though everyone was taking it seriously, which was a big relief. I felt Bryony's fingers squeezing my own tight as I watched myself working away.

Suddenly the shot changed to one of me bending down and scooping up those paper plates and plastic cups. Then we heard Mark's voice on the film.

“Someone had a party?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh, right. And what are you doing with the rubbish?”

“Taking it to be recycled… When I've cleaned the plates.”

“So how come you're the only one doing the work?”

“Dunno… I think it's…quite important…you know…to recycle stuff.”

I glanced sideways and noticed Juliet's embarrassed eyes, then looked back at the film. The next thing we saw was me walking right into the distance with the bin liners, on and on and on, with not a sound. And there wasn't a sound in the hall either, but Bryony was still squeezing my hand tight, thank goodness. And then the film suddenly stopped and Ms. Carmichael was back in the middle of the platform again.

“Emily, would you like to come up, please?” she said quietly.

And my heart banged against my ribs as I slowly got up. Then, as I began to walk to the front, the whole hall burst into applause, which made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

“I won't ask you to make a speech or anything,” said Ms. Carmichael, which was a big relief, because there was no way I'd be able to speak to the whole school. I was far too nervous. “But Mrs. Pridham has something to say, I think.”

And then Mrs. Pridham came out to the front and stood beside me. “I've actually got something to show you. You have Miss Gerard to thank for this. After I mentioned your original plan for the money raised at your clothes sale, she persuaded me that this was just what the school needs.” Mrs. Pridham gave a little chuckle as she lifted pieces of cardboard off some sort of box that had been on the platform all the time, but which I hadn't really paid any attention to. And there, right before my eyes, was a huge wormery.

“Oh, thank you! It's amazing, Mrs. Pridham! I can't believe it!”

Mrs. Pridham looked as happy as I felt, but lots of people were calling out to ask what it was.

“You explain, Emily,” whispered Mrs. Pridham.

So I did.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming to our clothes sale,” I began. “With the money that we raised we've bought this wormery. There are about five hundred composting worms in here…” One or two people made disgusted noises, but I just ignored them and carried on. “The way it works is that you throw in apple cores or banana peel, and even things like the hair from your hairbrushes, and newspaper and stuff, and the worms will make the best ever compost, which will help the new vegetables to grow in the garden, and the peelings will be recycled into compost too, and so it will go…on and on. Everything in nature works in cycles like this and the secret is to keep in tune with nature's plan. And Silver Spires will be helping that cycle. It will be truly…recycling.”

I stopped and looked at Mrs. Pridham to see if that was all right and she broke into a big beaming smile, and then someone was clapping, and I looked across to see Stan standing up and clapping his hands right out in front of him, as though he was trying to reach all the way to me. The next minute, everyone was joining in. I tried to find Bryony's face in the sea of faces in front of me, but all I could see was Juliet. I noticed her cheeks were very red as her eyes met mine.

“Can I go?” I asked Mrs. Pridham, which made her laugh for some reason.

Ms. Carmichael then raised her hand for silence and asked for a show of hands, so she could get a rough idea of how many people would be interested in joining me in my gardening club. “There will be a sheet on the noticeboard in the main reception hall for everyone who is interested to sign their name.”

Immediately, it seemed like at least half the school raised their hands, even the teachers. And that was when I saw that one of the other cameramen was filming away, and I realized that he had been recording all through the whole assembly.

As I made my way back to my friends, loads of people kept patting me on the back and congratulating me as I passed.

“This is mad! I feel like a film star or something,” I whispered to Bryony when I was finally back beside her and everyone had sat down again.

“You
are
,” was all she said. My best friend never says loads of words when two will do.

This time I squeezed
her
hand. And inside my shaky self, my heart squeezed with happiness as I thought about Mum and Dad watching the film.

From little seeds grow big results.

Yes! I'd actually made it happen.

Growing your own veg is just one way of helping to protect our fab planet. Here are my top ten tips for being a gorgeously green girl!

* Invest in a cool canvas shopping bag and say goodbye to nasty non-biodegradable plastic.

* Don't throw your old clothes out to rot in landfill sites. Donate them to charity shops, or swap them with your friends for a fun – and free – new look!