主播大秀

By Rob John 听

Read by Alice Bullard

It鈥檚 1666.听 A long, long time ago. 听We鈥檙e in Pudding Lane, in London. It鈥檚 the end of the summer. It鈥檚 very hot.

We鈥檙e walking along Pudding Lane. 听The houses and shops are very small and close to each other. 听They鈥檙e made of wood and straw. 听We come to Bartram鈥檚 Pie Shop and look inside. 听Sitting on a chair beside the pie oven is a girl called Mary. 听She鈥檚 stroking a small white cat.

Mary is six years old. 听She鈥檚 a very clever girl. 听Always asking questions:听 鈥淲hy does it get cold in the winter, Father?鈥澨� 鈥淗ow old is the king?鈥澨� 鈥淐an cats swim?鈥� 听

Mary鈥檚 very happy living in the pie shop. 听The oven keeps it warm even in the winter and there are always lovely smells of baking pastry. 听Best of all Mary has her little white cat, Will.听 Mary thinks Will is the best cat in the whole of London.

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Next morning Mary鈥檚 mother wakes her very early.听

鈥淨uick 听Mary! 听We have to get up.听 There鈥檚 a fire in Pudding Lane. 听We have to leave now!鈥�

Mary can smell black smoke. 听She can hear people shouting and running in the street.听

鈥淗ow did the fire start?鈥�

鈥淭hey say it started in Thomas Farriner鈥檚 bakery.鈥�

鈥淏ut that鈥檚 the other end of the street.听 Why do we have to leave?鈥�

鈥淣o more questions,鈥� says Mary鈥檚 mother, 鈥渨e鈥檙e leaving now!鈥�

Mary puts on her best shawl and grabs her favourite doll.听 Downstairs her father is loading things onto a cart. Then, her father picks Mary up and puts her in the cart too.

鈥淲ait!鈥� says Mary. 鈥淲here鈥檚 Will? We can鈥檛 go without Will.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 no time鈥�, says Mary鈥檚 father. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have to go without him.鈥�

鈥淗e鈥檒l be alright鈥�, says Mary鈥檚 mother.听 鈥淐ats are good at looking after themselves.鈥�

As her father pushes the cart down Pudding Lane, Mary cries.听 She wonders if she鈥檒l ever see Will again.

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At first, the family goes to Mary鈥檚 aunt鈥檚 house a few streets away.听 But even here they鈥檙e not safe. 听The fire is spreading, coming closer.

鈥淲hy is it spreading so quickly, father?鈥� Mary asks.

鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 rained all summer. 听Everything鈥檚 so dry. And all the buildings are close together.听 The fire鈥檚 just jumping from one house to the next.鈥�

鈥淲ill they be able to put it out?鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know,鈥� says Mary鈥檚 father. 听鈥淟ondon鈥檚 never seen a fire like this before.鈥�

Over the next two days, Mary sees some amazing things. She sees huge buildings collapsing in heaps of sparks; people running through the streets carrying their belongings; melting lead dripping from the roofs of churches. 听Mary even sees the King who comes on a big white horse to see the damage for himself.

And then Mary hears a huge bang.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e blowing up the houses with gunpowder,鈥� says Mary鈥檚 father.听

鈥淲hy are they doing that?鈥� asks Mary.

鈥淚f some of the houses have gone, then there鈥檒l be big spaces between the buildings. 听When the fire reaches an empty space there鈥檒l be nothing for it to burn, so maybe it won鈥檛 be able to spread.鈥�

But the fire does spread. 听On the third day, it鈥檚 so close to Mary鈥檚 aunt鈥檚 house that the family has to move again. Mary鈥檚 father pays a boatman to row them across the river. 听The flames can never cross the great River Thames so at last, the family is safe. 听

That night as she looks across the water at the burning city, Mary is sad. She can鈥檛 stop thinking about Will, her little white cat.

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It鈥檚 three weeks before it鈥檚 safe for Mary and her family to return to Pudding Lane.听 Their pie shop - their home - has gone.听 听

鈥淒on鈥檛 cry,鈥� says Mary鈥檚 father. 听鈥淓verything will be alright. They鈥檒l build London back up again and this time, it鈥檒l be safer. No more little wooden houses close to each other. It鈥檒l be much better.鈥�

鈥淲ill it?鈥� says Mary.

鈥溾�機ourse it will!鈥� says her father.听 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see. 听Everything will be alright.鈥�

Mary thinks nothing will ever be alright again. 听Then she hears a purring sound. 听She looks down and sees a black cat. 听There鈥檚 something about its face that seems familiar. And then the cat purrs again.听 Mary picks up the cat听and notices a patch of white fur on its back. 听She strokes the cat and some of its black colour comes off on her hand. 听Mary sees that it鈥檚 not a black cat. It鈥檚 a little white cat covered in soot.

鈥淚t鈥檚 alright, Will,鈥� says Mary. 听鈥淲e鈥檙e home now. 听Everything will be alright.鈥�