Bedtime Story (16/11/2016)

Being an exceptionally clumsy human being, I thought I'd write a story for all my fellow butter-fingered folk!  To listen to this story as a podcast, just click here!

Clumsy Cameron

Cameron was very clumsy,

His sister Carly was not.

And though he pretended not to care,

It bothered Cameron a lot.

At breakfast, Cameron spilt his milk,

Whilst Carly's stayed in her cup.

When the pair got up to go and play,

Cameron would slip and trip up.

He was forever breaking things,

Though he really didn't mean it.

And once, he fell into a puddle,

Because he simply hadn't seen it.

Carly's school uniform looked pristine,

She was usually clean and tidy.

But Cameron came home from school a mess,

From Monday through to Friday.

Cameron always had cuts and scrapes,

From his accident-prone running about.

He seemed to trip over his own feet,

Every time he went out!

Of course, Carly had the odd bump, too,

But never as often as Cameron.

Yes, when it came to being clumsy,

He really was the champion.

But one day, Cameron had had enough.

He was worried and it made him feel sad.

If he was forever spilling or breaking things,

Did that mean he was bad?

At breakfast that morning, Cameron sighed.

He poured no milk into his cup at all.

And after eating some toast very carefully,

He tiptoed out to the hall.

There, Cameron sat, cross-legged on the carpet,

Staring straight up at the ceiling.

He wanted to go and play with his sister,

But he couldn't shake this sad feeling.

Cameron sat on the floor for hours that day,

Refusing to move from the spot.

When his parents asked if he was okay,

Cameron nodded...But he was not.

He didn't play with his toys at all,

He was too scared to move.

"If I don't do anything, I can't be clumsy."

Cameron had a point to prove.

He barely touched his lunch that day,

And his dinner was just the same.

He was too scared that he might spill something.

So, he silently sat there in shame.

Eventually, the day came to an end,

And the stars came out in the sky.

But as he climbed into his bed,

Cameron started to cry.

"What's wrong?" His mum asked, as she said goodnight.

"If something's the matter, just say!"

Cameron stuck out his lip. "I'm clumsy," he said.

"And I just wanted to stay clean for one day."

"I wanted not to fall over, 

Or break things or spill stuff," he said.

"I wanted to be good, just like Carly.

Why can't she be clumsy, instead?!"

Mum laughed, as she cuddled Cameron close.

"We all have faults," she insisted.

"We couldn't love you any more,

Even if your clumsiness never existed!"

She looked at Cameron and gave him a smile.

"You're perfect, just as you are.

No matter how much you break, or spill, or fall down,

You'll always be our little star."

"Really?!"  Cameron grinned.  "You don't mind?!" 

His Mum gave him a big hug.

"Nobody is perfect, but you are to us,"

Mum answered, tucking him in nice and snug.

Cameron beamed, finally happy again,

As his Mum kissed him right on the head.

He leaned over to give her a big kiss back...

...And promptly fell out of bed.

THE END