Lyra, Ellie and the Crocodile

Lyra and Ellie went to the park,

In search of some fun and some games,

Like a turn on the swings,

Or a trip down the slide,

Or a go on the big climbing frames.

 

But when they arrived,

There was nobody there,

The park was completely deserted.

Empty of children and parents as well,

But the girls didn’t feel disconcerted.

 

Not for a moment,

Did they stop to think,

Why was there no one to play?

 

They skipped merrily in,

And were making a din,

Until something green made them blink.

 

“Look over there” said Lyra to Ellie

Hardly believing her eyes.

For down in the shadows,

Right by the swings,

Was a crocodile, giant in size.

 

He was cucumber green,

With mean yellow eyes,

And a tail as long as the slide.

As the girls looked at him,

And he looked at the girls,

They got funny feelings inside.

 

They quivered with fear,

With the croc quite so near,

Worried he’d eat them for lunch.

They looked at each other,

One slowly backed off,

The other went in for a punch.

 

Just as her fist bopped the crocodile’s nose,

Ellie was in for a shock.

The croc looked at her

And his growly voice said:

“Or we could be friends I suppose?”

 

Unsure what to say

As it’s not every day,

That a crocodile wants to be friends,

Ellie and Lyra conferred for a while,

Then said “Yes – we would love to be friends!”

 

“Oh thank you, oh thank you!”

He said, overjoyed

As he’d not had a friend in a while.

“The others ran screaming before they found out

I’m an amicable crocodile.”

 

He’d been ever so lonely

For ever so long,

But at last he had found some true friends

In Lyra and Ellie who loved him a lot

And that’s about where this tale ends.

 

It’s suffice to say,

That the croc learnt to play

Lots of games with his friends in the park.

But to stop all the screams,

And the angst and the fuss,

These games were just played after dark.

 

If you go to Stoke Park

In the dead of the night

And wait for a moment, you’ll see

Lyra and Ellie and their friendly croc

Swinging and sliding with glee.

Ellie, Lyra and their crocodile friend