The visitor from the fjord

On Monday morning, a strange wooden boat bumped gently against the riverbank beside Alderbrook School. A boy stepped out. He wore a woollen tunic, leather boots and a round bronze brooch. His name was Leif, and he had travelled from a Viking settlement many centuries ago. At first, the pupils stared. Leif clutched a small carved whale. “I have never seen a building so tall,” he whispered. Rhys, the class helper, smiled and showed him the way to the classroom. During the first lesson, Leif found writing with a quill difficult. The ink splattered across his page. When Rhys showed him how to steady his hand, he wrote his name carefully. At break, the football bounced towards him. Leif caught it neatly and explained that he practised throwing wooden rings back home. Soon, a crowd gathered to learn the game. At home time, Leif gave Rhys the carved whale as a thank-you. “I thought I would feel lost,” he said, “but today I found a crew.” Rhys grinned. Tomorrow, she planned to ask him to teach the class his ring game.