The following scene takes place on the #96 tram up Bourke Street, between Queen and Russell Streets, Melbourne, on a Monday afternoon.
Two young girls in school uniform board the tram with their mother. The girls hurry aboard and find three seats together. The first seat is next to a window. The second seat is alongside the first. And the third seat is opposite the second seat, on the aisle. The girls look to be about 7- and 5-years-old. They look to be sisters. This is their interaction.
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Older sister: You always choose the window seat.
Younger sister: Yeah.
OS: Why do always want to sit near the window?
YS: I like to look at things out the window.
OS: There are things inside, too, you know.
YS: But not as many.
OS: OK. What do you want to do?
YS: Play “I spy.”
OS: Nah. That’s boring.
YS: Then what do YOU want to do?
OS: Remember the tens game?
YS: Oh, that’s complicated.
OS: It’s not complicated. It’s counting.
YS: It’s complicated.
OS: You just need to do it properly. Then it’s not complicated.
YS: Well.
OS: Well, what.
YS: Well, I don’t want to play that.
OS: You asked me what I want to do. That’s what I want to do.
YS: You asked me and then I asked you.
OS: So, what are you going to do?
YS: I’m going to look out the window like this, see?
OS: That’s boring.
YS: It’s not boring at all.
OS: Don’t you want to DO anything?
YS: I am doing something. Look.
Mother: Come on girls. This is our stop.
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That was Sproutings #153. Thanks for reading.
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