Little Miss Shy
by Roger Hargreaves
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Little Miss Shy.
00:06By Roger Hagreeves.
00:09Little Miss Shy just couldn't help it.
00:12Being shy that is.
00:14She was terribly desperately shy.
00:17She was so shy it hurt.
00:20Which is what they call painfully shy.
00:23If any time at all anyone at all said anything at all to her.
00:27She blushed like a beetroot.
00:30She lived all alone in a little house quite a long way from where you live.
00:35In fact, quite a long way from where anybody lives.
00:40Thimble Cottage.
00:42Little Miss Shy was so shy she just couldn't bring herself to leave her little cottage.
00:48She never went shopping.
00:50The thought of walking into a shop and asking for something was absolutely terrifying.
00:56So, she grew her own food in the garden of Thimble Cottage and lived a very quiet life.
01:02Very, very, very, very quiet indeed.
01:07Bang bang bang.
01:09Little Miss Shy who was having breakfast in the kitchen of Thimble Cottage dived under
01:14the table in terror.
01:16But it was only the postman knocking at the door.
01:19Anybody home, he called.
01:22Little Miss Shy under the table, put her hands over her ears and shut her eyes.
01:28She must be out thought the postman to himself and pushed the letter he was carrying under
01:33the door and walked away.
01:35Little Miss Shy waited, and waited, and waited until the sound of his footsteps had died
01:41away.
01:42And then she waited some more.
01:45In fact she spent most of that day under her kitchen table.
01:49It was dark by the time Little Miss Shy dared to come out.
01:54There it on the doormat.
01:56The very first letter she'd had in the whole of her life.
02:00She opened it cautiously.
02:03It was from Mr. Funny.
02:05You are invited.
02:07Said the letter.
02:09To a party.
02:11It went on.
02:12On Saturday.
02:14It said.
02:15At three o'clock.
02:17It added.
02:19It's going to be fun.
02:21Fun.
02:23Fun.
02:24Little Miss Shy was horrified.
02:27She looked at the letter again.
02:29I can't go, she thought.
02:32I can't.
02:34There'll be people there.
02:36People.
02:37In the whole wide world there was absolutely nothing that frightened Little Miss Shy as
02:42much as the thought of people.
02:45She worried about it all night long.
02:48But, the following morning, she made a decision.
02:52I'll have to go, she thought.
02:54It wouldn't be polite not to.
02:57But, five minutes later she changed her mind.
03:01And, five minutes later she changed her mind back again.
03:06But, five minutes later, guess what happened?
03:11That's right.
03:12She didn't sleep that night at all.
03:15The following day was Friday, and that Friday Little Miss Shy changed her mind 144 times.
03:24That's how many five minutes there are in a day.
03:27She was going to the party.
03:30She wasn't going to the party.
03:33She was going to the party.
03:35She wasn't.
03:37She was.
03:38She wasn't.
03:40She was.
03:41It was a long day.
03:43That Friday night was even worse than Thursday night had been.
03:48She didn't sleep a wink.
03:50Not even half a wink.
03:53Saturday morning came.
03:55And went.
03:57Saturday lunchtime came.
04:00And went.
04:01Little Miss Shy just couldn't eat a thing.
04:05One o'clock in the afternoon came and went.
04:08Two o'clock in the afternoon came and went.
04:12And then three o'clock, the party time came.
04:16And went.
04:17But poor Little Miss Shy didn't.
04:20She couldn't.
04:22She just sat there.
04:24A tear rolled down her cheek.
04:26Oh I do so wish I wasn't so shy she sobbed.
04:31Four o'clock came.
04:33There was a loud knock at the door.
04:36Little Miss Shy hid behind her chair.
04:39The door opened.
04:41And in walked Mr. Funny.
04:43I knew you wouldn't come he laughed looking at her behind the chair.
04:48So he went on.
04:49I've come to take you.
04:52Little Miss Shy blushed and blushed and blushed.
04:56Come on cried Mr. Funny, seizing her by the hand.
05:00You'll enjoy it once you're there.
05:03And he marched the blushing little lady off to his party.
05:07Everybody was there.
05:09Poor Miss Shy didn't feel very well.
05:12But, everybody talked to her and everybody was very nice and gradually, the longer the
05:17party lasted bit by bit, little by little eventually guess what happened.
05:23She stopped blushing.
05:26And actually started to enjoy herself.
05:29Told you so laughed Mr. Funny.
05:32Little Miss Shy nodded, and giggled.
05:36She was having the time of her life.
05:38And only blushing a bit.
05:41And do you know who she met at the party?
05:44Mr. Quiet.
05:46I used to be shy like you he said.
05:49Little Miss Shy looked at him.
05:52I don't believe you she giggled, and then she thought.
05:56Would you like to come to Thimble Cottage for tea tomorrow, she said.
06:01Mr. Quiet looked at her.
06:03Me, he said blushing like a beetroot.
06:07Tea, he said blushing like two beetroots.
06:11Tomorrow, he said blushing like a whole sack full of beetroots.
06:16And then he fainted.
06:18The End.