Chapter One<br > ther people s grandmothers are soft and powdery<br > and gentle and kind. Like Tom and Rosie s grand-<br >mother. But my Granny is a Pag.<br > ll.osie is my best friend and Tom is her brother. Their<br >grandmother lives in a house not far from our school<br >and we usually stop there on our way to the station<br >before we catch the train home. There is always a vase<br >of flowers in the exact middle of their grandmother s<br >window and when she opens the door she always says，<br > Oh， what a lovely surprise， as if this is the first time<br >she s seen us for about nine hundred years. Perhaps it s<br >silly of her to pretend she wasn t expecting us when she<br >has a tray with three mugs and a plate of biscuits ready<br >and waiting， but it feels nice， all the same.<br > Granny the Pag never comes to the door. 1 have my<br >own house key and as 1 come in she just shouts from<br >wherever she is， Who goes there! And when I answer，<br >she says， Pass， friend. If R.osie and Tom are with me<br >and 1 ask if we can have a coke， instead of saying， as<br >their grandmother would， Darling， don t you think<br >milk would be nicer， or fresh lemonade? the Pag says，<br > Go ahead， rot your teeth， see ill care. <br >