A Cake for the Driver

Every school morning, Mr Hall drove the same bus through the village. When people heard that Friday was his last day before retirement, they wanted to thank him.

Lily offered to make a cake. Her neighbour wrote a card, and other passengers signed it during the week. They planned to give everything to Mr Hall at the last stop.

On Friday, Lily carried the cake in a large box. The bus turned a corner, and the box moved on her knees. The lid pressed against the words made from soft sugar icing. She quickly held it with both hands.

At the last stop, they opened the box. The cake was safe, but the words on top were not. "Thank you" now looked like a long white line.

Lily felt terrible. Mr Hall laughed gently. "I know what it says."

They cut the cake beside the bus. Mr Hall took the card home. "This will last longer than the cake," he said.