10/08/2017
Mahatabel and the Hula Hoop (Part One)
Try as she might, Mahatabel could find very few things to enjoy about her school. She could never see the point of it really - all that ridiculous curtseying and it was the one place she knew she couldn’t bring Rudy so was forced to leave him at home, in a cigar box at the back of her knicker drawer and pray every day that he wouldn’t escape and bump into Nanny. But at least when they had gym lessons she was spared from having to wear the revolting white ankle socks and white gloves that were part of her school uniform. Normally gym was bearable. They usually went to the park. Mahatabel couldn’t care less that she was always the last to be picked for rounders and actually quite looked forward to anything that involved climbing or jumping as this meant that she could add to her lovely collection of bruises.
But today it was raining so her class were taken to the reception room and everyone was given a hula hoop. For some reason Mahatabel ended up with the largest one. Mrs Winterbottom, the gym mistress, hadn’t really shown them how to use them, just muttered something about moving their hips. Mahatabel just couldn’t make her hula hoop work. The silly thing just kept falling down her body onto the floor, no matter what she did or how fast she wriggled. Then Mrs Winterbottom announced that they would be having a hula hoop competition the next day. Mahatabel watched the other girls spin their hoops round and around their waists and decided this was the worst day she’d spent so far at her silly school.
When she got home, to Mahatabel’s surprise, her mother popped into the nursery. Nanny had obviously told her there was a problem. Her mother produced a very long piece of copper wire from her pocket. She picked up the hula hoop and wrapped the wire all the way around it.
“You need to be brave,” she said. “Remember we don’t breed wimps in our family. Just suck your tummy in tight and try again. And keep on trying until you work out how to do it.” Mahatabel scowled but picked up the hula hoop as her mother left the room. Narrowing her eyes she placed the hoop around her waist, convinced that it would never work. But she wasn’t going to let a stupid hula hoop defeat her. “I know I can do this. Please. I really need to do this.”
Closing her eyes, Mahatabel spun the hula hoop and frantically started to wriggle her waist, making sure to suck in her tummy as tight as she could.
It went round once, then twice, then a third time. Mahatabel hardly dared breathe as it spun around again and again, building up speed. She was even able to move it up and down her body and it never touched the floor once.
She hula hooped for nearly half an hour then propped the hula hoop up against the side of the sofa. “It’s good I suppose,” she said to herself. “And at least I’m ready for the competition tomorrow. But it’s no good for getting new bruises.”
