This tale has now been recorded. Let me read it to you below.

Bridget posted this pic to #LuxvilleTales. Madame Yum returns the favour.

CONFETTI IN THE GRASS.

The room was like a storybook. Two beds, two bookshelves, two toy-boxes, two big posters, one Alice in Wonderland the other the Wizard of Oz. One window with two different coloured curtains on either side.

They sat reading on the unmade bed. Just the two of them. The little girl leaned into her mum, repeating every word she read aloud, an echo. Turning each page with flourish. Until they got to ‘park’.

“Park! Park!” the little girl jumped up and down on the bed until her mum gave in.

“Alright. Alright. You get dressed, I’ll quickly do the dishes, and we’ll go!” She tried to smile, her eyes glassy and red rimmed.

They walked together hand in hand through the gates of the Luxville Botanical Gardens. The little girl ran ahead and sat abruptly beneath the tall Norfolk Pine. The trees here had seen better days. Though grand and aristocratic, and planted by design, their gnarled shrivelled branches whispered of nightmare.

“Connie what are you doing honey?” she asked as the little girl pulled up the legs of her pants which she had tucked into her socks. As she did small pieces of coloured paper appeared around her shoes. She stood up pulled off her gloves and threw them to the ground. More coloured paper appeared from her sleeves.

Connie began to do cart wheels around the huge tree trunk. With each flip of her legs into the air the papers bits flew out like a rainbow arc. She was a spinning top, in slow motion, creating a circle of coloured blur.

Connie’s mum reached down and picked up a tiny ripped up piece of paper. She recognised it as a piece of the book they had read. She looked back towards Connie. She had stopped spinning and was standing mute as a park employee held her by the arm.

“Hey!” Connie’s mum ran towards them. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

“Ma’am I’m sorry, but you’ll both have to leave. Please observe the signage.” He pointed to the sign near the front gate.

“That’s for Ettie.” Connie looked intently at her mum. “See?” she said also pointing at the sign.

The sign read ‘No Confetti Please’ or it would have if it hadn’t been so worn out.

“O Connie, Ettie please!” Connie read aloud. “You used to say that to us, remember? I brought Ettie’s book and now we are both here, always Mum. And we can play! Come on, play with us!”

Connie ran and picked up her confetti and threw it in the air. She reached for more. Her mum did the same.

LUXVILLE TALES with TALE BY Erin McCuskey and IMAGE BY Bridget Lutherborrow (follow her @birtiledge)

ATTN: The #LuxvilleTales are generated from reader contributed images. Post me a pic of faded glory and I will write you a short tale. My most fave pic taker will be gifted the ‘Luxville Dolls’ book, due February 2016. Tag it #Luxville & #LuxvilleTales and tag me too! Love Madame Yum