The sentence the parrot kept

Text C: an original fiction extract.

Before Mrs Sen went away, she showed Priya the parrot's written routine and asked her to follow it exactly. Priya lived upstairs and had volunteered to visit after school. She had already heard the bird call Good morning through the open window at half past six. She imagined showing her friends a recording of an intelligent conversation. Mrs Sen wrote her telephone number beneath the instructions and said the bird was not required to provide entertainment.

On Monday, the parrot looked at Priya without saying anything. She completed the jobs on the sheet and sat on the chair Mrs Sen had indicated. The bird turned its head. Priya said Good morning, although it was nearly five. From the kitchen came the tick of a wall clock. She tried another greeting, then took out her phone. On the recording, the parrot resembled an unusually patient photograph.

By Wednesday, Priya had stopped announcing her arrival to the room three times. She checked the sheet, completed the routine and read her school book while keeping the bird in view. As she reached the end of a chapter, a clear voice said, That will do. She looked up, convinced for a moment that Mrs Sen had returned early. The parrot was inspecting the edge of its perch. Priya laughed and reached for the phone. The bird said nothing more.

Her brother came with her on Thursday. She told him about the sentence before they entered. He tried asking questions which might make the answer funny: should they do more homework, should their school day last longer? The bird remained silent until he put his bag on the chair. Then it said That will do with exactly the same emphasis as before. Her brother laughed so loudly that Priya asked him to lower his voice. She could not tell whether the bird had responded to the bag or simply repeated a familiar sound at that moment.

On Friday, she left the phone in her pocket. While she read, the parrot made three small noises and began smoothing its feathers. She noticed that it used the same corner of the perch afterwards. None of this would have impressed a group chat. It did help her recognise the ordinary pattern of the visit. When Mrs Sen telephoned, Priya described the routine first and the sentence afterwards. Mrs Sen said her husband often used those words when he finished watering the plants. She did not offer a theory about what the parrot now meant by them.

When she came home, Mrs Sen thanked Priya and asked whether caring for the bird had been boring. Priya said it had been quieter than she expected. As she put on her coat, the parrot called Good morning. Outside, the landing window had turned dark. Priya told her friends about it later without a recording. They laughed anyway. For once she did not wish the bird had performed the joke at a time convenient to her camera.

You are Priya. A reporter for the school magazine interviews you about caring for the parrot. Write your responses to these three questions only.

In your response:

• What did you expect, and what were the visits actually like?
• What did the repeated sentence make you notice or question?
• How did your view of looking after someone else’s pet change?

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.