Inside the orange

Text C: an original fiction extract.

Nessa agreed to become the fruit festival's orange because the costume hire included a free lunch. From outside, the orange was a cheerful sphere with green leaves on top. From inside, it smelled of warm foam and offered a view of the world through a mesh rectangle at chest height. The organiser explained three gestures: wave, point towards the tasting stalls, and make a large circle with both arms for the official photograph. Nessa could manage two. Her padded arms could not reach one another.

Her friend Kim was assigned to walk beside her and keep the path clear. At first Nessa disliked having a guide. She could see people's knees perfectly well and believed that knees were enough. Then she turned to greet a child and struck the corner of a display with her rounded side. Nothing fell, but Kim moved between her and the next table. Nessa stopped trying to walk faster than the person who could see.

The youngest visitors did not all agree that she was cheerful. One girl hid behind a shopping bag when the orange waved. Her father encouraged her to come closer for a photograph. Nessa lowered her arms and stepped back. Kim said they could take a picture of just the orange if they wanted. The father thanked her and put his phone away. Through the mesh, Nessa saw the girl's shoes turn towards the next stall. The organiser called that they needed more smiling family pictures.

Later, two older children began asking questions. Was it hot? Could the orange hear them? Did oranges get bored? Nessa had been told that the character should not speak. She nodded, shook her head, then nodded again at the wrong question. The children laughed and tried to design questions which could only have confusing answers. For ten minutes, Nessa was no longer pointing anyone towards fruit. A small audience watched the orange apparently consider whether it preferred being juice.

Kim checked the time and led her to the staff tent for a break. Nessa lifted off the head section and found the two children waiting outside. One looked disappointed. The other asked whether they could try waving with the padded gloves. Kim checked with the organiser, who said the gloves could be used at the table but not carried away. The first child watched Nessa drink water, then asked whether she would remember their questions when she put the orange back on.

At the final photograph, the organiser wanted Nessa to stand in the centre holding a basket. She explained that her view would be blocked. Kim held the basket instead, and they stood together. Nessa never managed the perfect circular gesture. In the photograph, one padded hand was raised towards the children at the edge. Looking at it afterwards, she could not decide whether they had enjoyed the orange more or less because they knew who was inside.

You are Nessa. Write an article for your school magazine about your day as the festival orange.

In your response:

• describe the practical realities behind the cheerful costume
• explore the different ways visitors responded and how you reacted
• consider what makes a good costumed performance and what you would do differently

Base your response on Text C, developing its ideas in your own words. Write about 250 to 300 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 10 marks for writing.