Tell a Story " Let me tell you  a story ,"  said old nanny "About those old days so gay  ." So we  crowded round her  on the floor one afternoon ,  a warm  day . " Let me tell you  a story , " she piped  voice shrill , then  paused and pondered Not sure where to start  , while We stared  ;  our minds wandered . Poor  nanny  ,she liked  to gesture and her hand  slightly shaking like the last leaf  on a windy day and my heart started aching. Soon sweats rained down her forehead to wrinkled cheeks ,  neck  astray . Outside , stood  blazing sun and  painted trees. The breeze did not blow this way. Now and then , our   nanny  stopped and a sentence floated away  ;  When the wind chime  chimed , clear and  drowned what she tried to  say . Thus we sat   at close proximity Her voice droned on and on and on and   her gray  eyes bored  into ours  . I dozed and tried hard not to  yawn . With a voice falter ,  devoid of emotion , She painted pictures of  days of yore . The past loomed itself before us ; the many characters of her  folklore . In the twilight ,  shadows lenghtened Some lizards squeaked  in the dark  . While  we  sat  huddled in one big heap and  listened  to  tales . Hark! Hark ! A scream rose to my lips but  died there  ! For the ghost came out , yes came out From the past  to the presence in the room ! We saw  Tom  cat  prancing  about . Sometimes dear nanny   stopped for breath Her knitting sat  upon her laps, forgotten . Then her voice droned on and on and on Lost in the stories  so precious  and   golden . By Agatha Lai ©