After the field trip Joshua decided to go to the park before he went home
He spent an enjoyable afternoon playing alone on the playground equipment there
When he got home that evening, he told a ghost story to Cosmo
Seeing Joshua talking to thin air while she ate her dinner worried Jo, Joshua didn't seem to have any real friends, playing alone or with this imaginary friend...
She went to bed worrying about it
While Joshua happily dreamed of aliens and monsters
Next morning he ate some leftovers and did the washing up
While Jo read in bed
In the kitchen he told Cosmo how he worried about his mother and how stifled and shut in he felt at school - he didn't know anyone there and didn't feel like he fit in
Cosmo suggested that he skip school if he hated it that much, so Joshua pretended he was leaving for the school bus but instead went exploring, he found a moth at the corner of the road by their house
But decided that was too close to home and he was too likely to be seen, so he wandered off to explore the fields and woods instead
After a while he found an old abandoned house, with no modern amenities, but a wonderful garden and a fish pond out the back, Joshua decided he wanted to learn to garden when he grew up, it seemed like such a peaceful occupation and he wouldn't have to deal with other people
He spent the rest of the morning fishing and, although he struggled at first, enjoyed himself
He even caught several frogs
Meanwhile Jo had eaten breakfast, still in her dressing gown
And spent the day reading as it was her day off
After a while, Joshua grew bored of fishing and decided to do some more exploring
After a while he found himself at another pond where, after some frustration, he caught some goldfish
When he got home, Jo was waiting for him
"I had a phone call from the school Joshua, where were you all day?"
"I felt so shut in at school and Cosmo suggested I skip for the day so I did, I needed time and space to think and you don't get that at school"
"Oh Joshua, you need to go to school, you can't just run off and do what you want, I was so worried about you"
As Jo pretended to read (but really worried about Joshua, blaming herself for everything), Joshua disposed of the old newspaper
Cleaned the dishes (again)
And scrubbed the toilet
When he was finished with that, he dressed up as an astronaut and acted out his dreams from the previous night before Jo read him to sleep
Next morning Joshua talked things over with Cosmo, he needed to go to school but his mother needed looking after, she hadn't done anything yesterday and she'd still been in her dressing gown when he got home!
Eventually they agreed he should leave Jo with a note...
"Dear Mummy, I've gone to school today like you said I should, there's no food left in the fridge (I hope that means you cleared it out last night cos it was going off) so you need to make some more. You also need to shower and dress and get out the house for a bit. Lots of Love, Joshua"
So Jo did what Joshua had told her, making some autumn salad and putting it in the fridge (she hadn't cleaned it out last night - she'd eaten the last of the pancakes despite them having gone off....)
And she went down to the Consignment Store and bought a couple of new toys for Joshua
After school, Joshua played on the swings in the park
When he got home he asked his mother how her day had been
And they ate dinner together
After which Joshua did the dishes
And cleaned the sink
Before playing with his new dollshouse while Jo curled up on her bed
