Story
Fran's Day

Fran was laughing as she chased her best friend Puti around and around the tree at Kindergarten.

"Can't catch me" called Puti and that made Fran run even faster.

Fran stopped. She was out of breath and very hot indeed. "Take off your jersey" called Kate the teacher, "You'll feel a lot cooler".

Fran shook her head and looked down.

"No, it's ok, I'm cool really I am. I don't want to take off my jersey", and she sat down in the shade under the Kowhai tree. Puti sat down beside her, she'd taken off her sweatshirt and tied it round her middle. Puti looked at Fran's bright red, hot face, "take off your jersey, you'll feel a lot cooler and we can play more.

"No" said Fran, "I won't, just leave me alone".

Puti stood up and ran over to play chase with someone else.

Fran had a secret she didn't want to share so she sat under the tree all by herself.

Kate the teacher came over and sat down.

"Fran, what's wrong, you don't seem happy today, can I help you?"

"No" said Fran, "you can't help me, just leave me alone" and she cried big tears, which rolled, down her face.

Kate found a tissue up her sleeve and wiped up the tears.

"You know it's best if you're worried about something to tell someone you trust. Can you tell me?" said Kate. "If you tell me maybe I can help you".

Fran looked down at the ground, "OK it's a very scary secret".

"Yes" said Kate, "but you should tell if it's scary".

"You know Terry that lives at our house?"

Kate nodded, "Yeah, he comes to get you sometimes".

Fran nodded "well last night, when mum was out, I did something that Terry said made him very angry and he (sob) hit me, lots and lots (sob) and shook me really hard too".

Fan pulled up the sleeves of her jersey and showed Kate the marks and bruises on her arms.

Kate put her arm around Fran "Thank you for telling me".

"He told me not to tell or he'd hurt mum, and that made me scared. He won't hurt mum, will he?"

"No, he won't, don't you worry".

Kate took Fran into the office and phoned her mum.

When Fran's mum arrived, she hugged Fran and they both cried. "I don't want him to hurt me anymore", cried Fran.

"No he won't" sobbed Fran's mum, "because he won't be living at our house anymore. There'll just be you and me and that's the best for the moment" said Fran's mum. "I'm glad you told that secret. It wasn't your fault. You did the right thing by telling and I love you!"

Fran and her mum hugged and hugged and Fran felt so good that she's told and it wasn't her fault and her mum loved her, and she wasn't scared any more.

And that's the end of the story.