For all the Luke Walker chapters clickĀ hereĀ š
Chapter 16 continues from yesterday:
Mum opened the bedroom door.
āLuke, donāt you want to help decorate the tree?ā
āerm, no thanks,ā he said without looking at her.
āAre you okay?ā
āYeah.ā
āAre you sure?Ā You havenāt been yourself since we went to the Maybury Centre.ā
Luke didnāt say anything.Ā Mum tried again.
āWhat happened to upset you?Ā I thought youād like it there.ā
Luke let go of his trains, sat back and looked at her.
āIām fed up.ā
āWhy?ā
āCoz Iām fed up of grown ups not doinā what they say.ā
Mrs Walker waited for more.
āMaybury is a animal sanctry wot says it teaches people to be kind to animals.Ā A man from Maybury even came to give a talk at school to tell us not to keep animals in small cages, or let them have puppies.ā
āOkay,ā
āSo why do people whose whole job is lookinā after animals and teachinā other people to look after āem propāly, still let animals be killed for food?Ā Why donāt they care about them animals?Ā Why do they onāy care about some animals?ā
āWhat makes you think ā¦ā
āThey sell dead animals in their cafe.ā
āReally?Ā That does surprise me.ā
āIf I canāt trust people whose job is lookinā after animals then I canāt trust nobody.Ā ācept myself!ā
āOoh, thatās hard.Ā No wonder youāre fed up,ā said Mum sympathetically.
āAnd Joe,ā he admitted.
āWell, thatās something.Ā But you know Luke, you shouldnāt give up.Ā You should tell them how you feel.Ā You should tell them you are offended by their decision to sell meat in their cafe.ā
āI did tell āem.ā
āGood.Ā And what did they say?ā
āNothinā sensible.Ā Jusā said it was okay cozĀ it was ranginā and stainable.Ā Rubbish!ā
āTell them again.Ā Write them a letter.ā
āWhatās the point?Ā They wonāt take no notice oā me.ā
Mrs Walker was sorry her son felt so discouraged.Ā It was a terrible thing to lose your faith in humanity at such a young age.
āThe thing is,ā she told him, āyou never know when someone might listen.Ā The only thing you can be sure of is that if you donāt say anything, they definitely wonāt get the message.ā
Luke looked at her and didnāt say anything.
āCome with me, come and help decorate the tree,ā she said.
When they got to the living room Jared and Dad already had things well underway.Ā The tree was gleaming with glittery gold and silver tinsel and different coloured shiny baubles.
āMm, pretty good,ā said Mum, ābut itās missing something.ā
āThe star for the top,ā said Jared, āIām just about to do it.ā
āSomething else,ā said Mum and she left the room.
A moment later she was back with a small box from the kitchen.Ā She handed it to Luke.
āNo Christmas tree is complete without a few sweet treats,ā she said, smiling.
Luke looked in the box.Ā It was full of chocolate Santas.Ā On the wrappers were the words:
Moo Free Organic Chocolate,
DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN
Lukeās jaw dropped and his eyes lit up.
āAre these for me?āĀ he asked.
āNo, greedy boy, theyāre for all of us!Ā Why donāt you hang them on the tree?ā
āBut, ⦠how come ā¦?ā
āI found your leaflets,ā Mum explained.
āWhat leaflets?ā
āThe ones stuffed in the back pocket of your black cords; the black cords you shoved under the bed and forgot about I donāt know how long ago.ā
āOh, I wondered where they were.ā
āWell I found them and I checked the pockets before putting them in the wash, and there were these leaflets.Ā One with a picture of a cow on the front entitled āThe Dark Side of Dairyā and one with a cute little brown and white piglet on the front entitled āThink Before You Eatā.ā
āAnd you read them?ā
āAnd I read them.ā
āAnd thatās why ā¦?ā
āYes it is,ā she paused for a moment, searching for the right words.Ā āLuke,ā she went on, āyou have good instincts.Ā When you started this crusade for animals you did it on instinct.Ā You hadnāt been told any of the shocking facts and figures that are in those leaflets, you just knew it wasnāt right.Ā And you did something about it.Ā You spoke out bravely and you acted.Ā You broke the rules when you felt you had to and you endured punishments, but you never wavered; you never stopped fighting.ā
Luke nodded.Ā He wasnāt sure why his mum was explaining something that she must have known he already knew, but he waited.Ā It would become clear eventually.Ā She continued.
āSo I donāt want you to give up hope now.Ā I want you to know that if you keep trying, you will make a difference.Ā You have already made a difference for Curly and Little Squirt and the rabb.., er, the damsons, but even more than that, youāre a good influence on other people.ā
Now, those were words Luke never thought heād hear from his mother.
āYou have been a good influence on us.ā
At this point she took his hand, led him into the kitchen and opened the freezer.
āWhat dāyou fancy for Christmas dinner?ā she asked.
Luke looked in the freezer.Ā It was full ā Mum always did a big shop for the Christmas holidays ā and there were quite a few unfamiliar boxes and cartons.Ā He lifted them out one at a time to read the descriptions:
Cauldron Wholefood Burgers
Made with Chickpeas, Cauliflower, Aduki Beans, Broad Beans, Spinach, Onions, Garlic & Potatoes
Cauldron Wholefood Sausages
Made with Grilled Vegetables (Peppers, Courgette, Onion), Beans & Wheat
Cauldron Aduki Bean Melt
āThe combination of aduki beans, spinach and mushrooms deliciously filled with mango chutney and carefully coated in breadcrumbs gives a satisfyingly moreish taste.ā
Biona Red Lentil Sun Seed Burger
A flavoursome vegan burger made with red lentils, pumpkin and sunflower seeds with a subtle hint of spice. Made using all natural, organic ingredients and free from artificial colours or flavours. Perfect loaded with your favourite burger toppings, added to salads or dipped in sweet chilli sauce as a tasty and nutritious snack.
Can be eaten hot or cold.
Deeās 6 Leek & Onion Vegan Sausages
The perfect partner to velvety mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, our Leek and Onion Sausages will become anĀ instant family favourite on your weekly menu.
Dragonfly Organic Bubble & Squeak Tatty
Our Tatty is a vegetarian burger that has a real bubble & squeak feel about it, made using locally sourced cabbage and onions
Linda McCartney Vegetarian Country Pies
Vegetarian pie made from a shortcrust pastry base, filled with rehydrated textured soya protein in a rich onion and beef-style gravy, topped with a puff pastry lid.
Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
Vegetarian Cumberland sausage-style filling wrapped in puff pastry.
And there were three flavours of luxury organic vegan ice cream:

Booja BoojaĀ Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle,Ā Booja BoojaĀ Raspberry Ripple andĀ Booja BoojaĀ Caramel Pecan Praline.
Luke was no longer fed up.Ā He smiled broadly at his mum.
āAre these for all of us?ā
āYes they are.Ā For all of us,ā she said happily, āand I got them from Bescoās.Ā They sell them in mainstream supermarkets Luke and that just shows how much progress youāre making.Ā Thatās what happens when you speak out and you keep speaking out.ā
Mrs Walker was treated to a rare hug which lasted a good half minute, and then Luke ran from the kitchen.
āWhere are you going?ā she called after him.
āIāve got some letters to write!ā he said.

Happy Christmas everybody!
We hope you have a good one!
⤠⤠We’ll see you in the New Year! š ⤠ā¤
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vegan, vegetarian, vegan children, veggie kids, animals, animal sanctuary, Christmas, childrenās story, vegan childrenās story, childrenās book, vegan childrenās book, juvenile fiction, hope
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