Caravan OF LOVE

It should have been a special time for Ellen and her girls-if only it would stop raining

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This must be how a sardine feels.' Ellen gave her eldest daughter a hopeful smile.

'Y'mean, cosy?'

Rosie rolled her eyes as only a 16-year-old could. 'Yeah, Mum, people always say fish in tins look cosy.' 'Is it going to stop soon?' Lucy asked.

Ellen recognised that tone in her younger daughter's voice. It was a sure sign her nine-year-old was seconds away from a tantrum. She looked out of the caravan window. Pouring was too weak a word for what the rain was doing.

'Any minute now, love.' Rosie snorted.

Ellen looked around for inspiration in the caravan that was to be their holiday home for the next two weeks. It didn't take long. It was a very small caravan. 'How about a game?' she said with forced cheeriness.

'Like I Spy?' Rosie suggested. 'I spy with my little eye something beginning with R.

I know rain. I spy with my little eye -something beginning with L.

I know - lots of rain.' 'No.' Ellen clung to her positivity. 'If I remember right, the caravan owners always keep some boxed games for guests to use.*

'I spy with my little eye something beginning with M,' Rosie chanted as her mother rummaged in an overhead cupboard.

Lucy pouted. 'More rain!' 'Success!' Ellen held up a battered cardboard box.

Lucy wrinkled her nose. 'What's Monopoly?' 'Boredom in a box!' Rosie groaned.

'Monopoly's fun,' Ellen insisted. 'Your dad and I used to play this all the time.' Rosie lifted the lid. "There's only one token, and it's the battleship.'

'We can make tokens out of buttons.' 'Most of the money's missing.' 'We can use pennies.' 'And there's no dice.' 'We could guess the numbers?' Even Ellen couldn't make that sound convincing.

There was a knock at the door. They just about heard it over the pounding of the rain on the caravan's thin roof. 'Chemical toilet!" shouted a cheerful voice.