The Diary of Tom by Adam Rutter

Bishops Castle

My name is Tom. I am 13 ¾. I live near a town called Bishop’s Castle on the border between Shropshire, (which is in England) and Powys, in Wales. I am in Powys. At least, that’s where my house is. There is a farm shed opposite where Mum and Dad keep the sheep. I woke up early one morning with pains in my legs. Mum said it’s part of growing up. After I got out of bed, I put a blue cap on because I was going to ride on my bike. I opened the window in my room. I pop my head out. I looked up and saw a pigeon perched on the gutter. It did a whoopsie on my cap. It was my favourite cap too. I went downstairs for breakfast. I had muesli. I prefer sugar puffs. But Mum always makes me eat muesli because she said it is good for you. After I had eaten my breakfast, I cycled along a narrow road as far as the border until I was stopped by two police officers in masks. They asked me what my name was. Where I lived. Where I was going. Who I was going with, and, why I was going to Bishop’s Castle. I told them that I was going to the shop to buy a jar of marmite. The two officers looked at each other. The policewoman gave me a nod, so that I could keep going. I put my left foot on the peddle, and then the policeman asked me if I got a mask.

I said “yes.”

“Could you put it on, please?”

I covered my face with my mask, and kept peddling. I rode my bike freely down Bishop’s Castle High Street because I liked to feel the air blowing in my face and through my hair. I went down all the way to the churchyard to meet my mates. The story that I told the police officers about the jar of marmite was a lie. I came to Bishop’s Castle because I wanted to see my mates. I hadn’t seen them since March. I went there to see them after the lockdown was lifted. We rode our bikes up the High Street to see who got to the top first. There were four of us. Me, Jake, Will and Dan. Dan always got to the top first. I was always last. We played a card game. Snap. When I heard the church bell strike at one o' clock, it was time to go home. I had to get back as fast as I could, or else Mum and Dad would’ve told me off for staying out too long, which I must not do during the pandemic.