Theresa Fell Down The Stairs
Boone's mum works every day. Boone's mum gets Boone a babysitter. Theresa is his favourite. Other babysitters are bossy, but not Theresa. She's fun. Theresa plays games with Boone, she lets him run around the house and play hide-and-seek and pull out all his toys, as long as they are packed up before mum gets home.
Theresa calls Boone through the intercom. She lets Boone call her too. Mum gets angry when Boone plays with the intercom, but Theresa knows it's a game. She tries to guess what room he is in.
Boone has a big staircase in his house. Its bigger than any other staircase he's seen. Grandma and Grandpa don't like the stairs; they say the stairs make their legs hurt. Boone thinks Grandma and Grandpa are too old.
Sometimes Boone likes to wait for Theresa at the top of the stairs. She always comes and picks him up, swinging him around and carrying him down the stairs. Boone likes the stairs, but he likes getting carried down them too. Mum doesn't carry Boone anymore. She thinks he's too big.
"Theresa. Theresa. Theresa," Boone calls through the intercom. Today Boone waits in his bedroom upstairs. Theresa will come, he knows it. He can already hear her feet on the floorboards downstairs. The board at the bottom of the stairs creaks. That's why mum always knows when Boone is sneaking out of his room at night.
"Theresa," Boone repeats. He hears her shoe land on the stair. Boone is getting excited. She always pops her head though the door and yells out his name, making his scream.
"Theresa." She reaches the second stairs.
"Theresa, Theresa, Theresa!"
Theresa has reached the fifth stair, and Boone knows there's only ten left.
"Theresa!" he shouts. He can hear his voice echo out of the intercoms everywhere in the house. Only Theresa lets him yell like that. He can hear her feet getting closer, and he wonders if he should hide behind the door… trick her…
Theresa's feet stop, and Boone thinks maybe she is going to trick him instead. He jumps off the bed and scampers across the room, poking his head out the door to sneak and peek. He can't see Theresa, but there are no more footsteps. There is a bang though.
Theresa hasn't made that sound before. Boone doesn't know this game. He comes out of his room and creeps towards the edge of the stairs, incase she is hiding. Theresa is on the floor, and her head is twisted funny. She looks like she is lying down in black paint. Boone didn't know mum had black paint.
"Theresa! Theresa! Theresa!" he shouts again, waiting for her to lift her head and make him squeal. She still doesn't move so Boone jumps down each step, one at a time, until he is at the bottom. Theresa doesn't jump up like she normally does. The paint doesn't look so black from here either. Boone pokes her stomach to see if she is ticklish. He pokes her again. Boone has never seen Theresa fall asleep. Maybe he can wake her up.
"Theresa, Theresa, THERESA!"