Nonsense
As the days turned into weeks, the book sat on Smudge’s shelf, untouched. But every time another disaster struck, Smudge would glance at the book and think, Maybe later.
There was the time Smudge accidentally glued his hand to the kitchen table while trying to fix a wobbly leg.
‘Blimey,’ he muttered, tugging at his stuck hand. ‘Note to self: superglue dries quickly.’
He glanced at the Chakra Book on the shelf. Maybe later, he thought, once I’m not part of the furniture.
Then there was the time he turned the bathwater bright green by adding a mysterious potion he’d found in the cupboard.
‘Well, that’s not supposed to happen,’ Smudge said, staring at the neon-green water. ‘I wish I’d noticed that before I got in,’ he added, looking down at himself, now also neon green.
He glanced at the Chakra Book. Maybe later.
And then there was the homemade rocket incident. Smudge had spent hours building it out of cardboard, duct tape, and a few other questionable chemicals. The launch was going well—until the rocket veered off course and landed on the trampoline, sending Whiskers the cat flying into the neighbour’s garden.
‘Sorry, Whiskers!’ Smudge called, as the cat glared at him from the fence.
Falling out with Whiskers was the final straw. He went upstairs to his bedroom and took the Chakra Book down from the shelf.
Smudge sat cross-legged on his bed, the book resting on his knees, and flipped to the first page. It was filled with intricate patterns and symbols, but what caught Smudge’s eye again was the title: ‘The Seven Chakras: A Journey to Balance and Harmony.’
‘Chakras, eh?’ Smudge muttered, scratching his head. ‘I’m not sure what to think about that… or them… or those?’
He read on, learning that chakras were energy centres in the body, each one connected to different aspects of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The book explained that balancing these chakras could help with everything from stress to creativity to… well, not accidentally launching cats into the middle of next week.
‘Hmm,’ Smudge said, tapping his chin. ‘Energy centres. Balance. Harmony. Not exactly my strong suit.’
He flipped through the pages, skimming over the colourful diagrams and swirling symbols. It all looked a bit complicated—and maybe a little silly.
‘Chakras,’ Smudge said, closing the book and setting it back on the shelf. ‘Sounds like a load of old nonsense.’
He crossed his arms and declared, ‘That’s it. No more disasters. I promise. I don’t need this silly book. It can stay on the shelf forevermore.’
A mischievous grin spread across his face. ‘I’ll win back Whiskers’ love the old-fashioned way—with sardines!’
Triple-Trouble Circles
Smudge still wasn’t convinced about chakras, but after turning neon green and launching the family cat into orbit, he figured a bit of balance couldn’t hurt. Plus, that first circle was looking lonely.
Let’s try building something a bit bigger—three circles, perfectly spaced, all on the same line.
Draw your extra circles
- Start with the circle from the last activity.
- Place the compass point on the intersection of the horizontal line and one edge of the circle.
- Draw a second circle, the same size as the first.
Then do the same on the other side.
You should now have three equal circles, all touching, all on the same line—like a mini solar system (a chaotic one).
Bonus idea
Give each circle a name or a purpose—maybe one for curiosity, one for calm, and one for cat safety. Or make up your own!