When Nana Was in Hospital
It starts with a little idea…
Bea (child)“Nana’s in hospital in my story. The girl misses her. She’s got a whale, but it’s a toy one. Can she take the sea to Nana? Not actual water. Maybe she draws it.”
Bea misses Nana’s familiar chair and her seaside stories. With a knitted whale and a sheet of paper, she finds something she can take on their next visit.
Back cover, spine and front cover
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The empty chair
Nana’s chair was empty. Usually, she sat there with a cup of tea and told Bea about the sea. Today, her knitting lay in a quiet heap. “Nana’s in hospital,” Mum said. “We can visit her.” Bea hugged the little whale Nana had knitted. She wished she knew something useful to do.
A small visit
Nana’s room had a window and a chair for visitors. But Nana herself looked smaller among the pillows. Bea held her hand. “What shall we talk about?” she asked. “Tell me about the sea,” Nana whispered. Bea began with the waves. Then Nana’s eyes grew heavy. “We’ll let her rest,” Mum said softly. Bea had hardly started.
A sea that could wait
On the way home, Bea watched the clouds. Her whale sat on her lap. It had a soft blue nose and no mouth for telling stories. “Could I take the sea to Nana?” she asked. Mum glanced back. “Perhaps a sea she could look at when she feels like it.” At home, Bea found the biggest sheet of paper in the drawer.
The crooked lighthouse
She drew a lighthouse, a windy beach and the spot where Nana always found striped shells. Her lighthouse leaned sideways. Her waves looked like wiggly worms. Bea rubbed at them until the paper went fuzzy. Then she stopped. Nana had never minded a crooked sandcastle. Bea drew herself beside the whale, setting off along the shore.
A story to unfold
She folded the paper into three parts. On the first, the whale found a shell. On the next, it carried the shell past the lighthouse. On the last, it brought the shell to Nana. Bea wrote one sentence underneath: We saved you a bit of the sea. Mum put it in her bag for the next visit.
The paper on the table
This time, Nana was sleeping when they arrived. Bea set the folded sea on the little table beside her bed. “What if she doesn’t see it?” she whispered. “We can leave it where she’ll find it,” Mum said. Bea touched Nana’s hand, very gently. Then they went home with the whale. The sea stayed behind.
The waiting
All evening, Bea wondered about her paper sea. Had Nana opened it? Had she found the lighthouse? Had the whale reached the last fold? Mum went back to visit after tea. Bea was asleep when she came home. At breakfast, Mum brought a little envelope. “Nana asked me to give you this,” she said. Bea held it carefully. Inside, something rustled.
A wave back
Bea unfolded a small drawing. Nana had drawn a boat beside Bea’s whale. Two little figures sat in it, holding hands. There was a wobbly line of writing: A wave for you, from me. Bea smiled at the crooked boat. Her paper had not made Nana better. But Nana had seen it. And she had sent something back.
One fold at a time
On their next visit, Bea sat close to Nana. “Shall I tell you the whale story?” she asked. Nana nodded. Bea opened the first fold. Outside, the real sea moved towards the shore and back again. Inside, Bea’s voice filled the small, quiet room. They did not have to finish today. The next fold would wait for them.
An illustrated example of the experience we are developing. Talebrix is still in development; this book was not printed by the device.