The bus trip, took quite some time, so she did not arrive home until 10am.

 

School had started more than an hour ago, and her mother had already left for work.

 

What was she going to tell her mother?

 

Bellasini knew she would be thinking the worst, and had probably already called the police, believing her to have been kidnapped, during the night.

 

“What am I to do?” thought Bellasini.

 

“If I ring my mum, and she grounds me, I won’t be able to complete my plan. What do I do?”

 

“Call your mother,” came the voice of the Wizard of Wisdom, in her head. “You must let her know you are safe. That is the most important thing.”

 

“How do I know that you are not the ‘MoM,’ advising me to do the wrong thing?” thought Bellasini.

 

“I told you never follow advice, which you know to be wrong, for it is sure to be given by the MoM,” continued the voice in her head. “You must decide if this advice is right, or wrong. Then you will know who I am.”

 

Bellasini knew she had to call her mum, so it had to be the Wizard. “Thanks Wiz!”

 

“Hi mum, how’s work?” tentatively asked Bellasini, as her mother answered the phone.

 

“Bellasini, next time you leave early to visit Gran on the way to school, can you please let me know first,” anxiously replied her mother. “I was very worried about you this morning, until I rang Gran. She told me, you were at her house, doing some homework, you had planned together last night. Pumpkin, why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

 

Bellasini was momentarily lost for words. “Ummm, I am sorry mum, I guess I just didn’t think. I have been so worried about Gran lately, that I just wanted to make sure she was ok, before going to school today. So last night, I told her, I would pop over early, and finish my homework there.” Bellasini paused for a second before continuing. “In fact I am still here.”

 

“What do you mean you are still there? You are supposed to be at school.”

 

“Well you see, Gran is not very well, so I thought I would stay with her a bit longer,” replied Bellasini. “Could you please ring the school, and let them know that I will be in late today? Please mum,” pleaded Bellasini.

 

“This is most unusual,” replied her mother. “Maybe I should come home, and look after Gran myself.”

 

“No! That’s not necessary,” quickly responded Bellasini. “Gran is just about to lie down, so I will be heading to school soon.”

 

“Alright then,” replied her mother. “But ring me if Gran needs anything. Ok!”

 

“I will.. Bye.” Bellasini hung up the phone, and breathed a sigh of relief, as she packed her things, and headed to Gran’s.

 

“Gran! Gran! I did it!” shouted Bellasini, bursting through the door.

 

‘What Princess, what did you do?”

 

Bellasini held up the Glitch doll, and pulled the cord that was attached to it.

 

A scratchy recorded voice spoke. “Your computer has a glitch. If the problem persists, please contact your vendor.”

 

“It sounds like Glitch, is the one with the glitch now,” laughed Gran.

 

However, she could not sustain the laughter for very long, before she needed to sit in her favorite old chair.

 

“Gran, Gran, are you ok?” asked Bellasini, quickly moving to assist her.

 

“Don’t fuss over me Princess,” replied Gran, in a frail voice. “You still have much to do.”