“Hullo Jake, don’t be afraid.”

Jake rubbed his eyes. There on the end of the bed, exactly where the numbers had been, perched a peculiar little man.

“Who are you?” Jake asked.

The little man’s eyes twinkled and he bowed a deep bow.

“Let me introduce myself,” he said, and his musical voice tickled Jake’s ears again.

“I’m Numero Uno, the guardian angel of all the numbers in the world. You can just call me Numero. I’m an expert at conquering stubborn pencils that refuse to write numbers correctly.”

“Wow!” Jake grinned. “I’ve never heard of a guardian angel for numbers.”

He imagined rows of numbers, all the right way round, lining up in wonderful orderly rows, listening obediently to his new friend Numero.

“But where did you come from? And how did you know I have a stubborn pencil?”

Had Mr Jones told everyone about his problem?

“It’s my job to know,” Numero said. “Every night I search the world for clever mathematicians who are victims of stubborn pencils. Tonight my path led to you.”

Jake bounced up and down on his bed.

“Oh, wow! I’m so pleased you found me,” he said. “My pencil is the most stubborn pencil in the whole world. Can you really help me write my numbers the right way round?”

The Number Minder smiled.

Tell me, tell me! How will you conquer my stubborn pencil?”

“Not me, you!” the little man said. “You’ll be conquering your own pencil.  At Maths time tomorrow I’ll be sitting on your shoulder. You won’t see me or feel me but I’ll be there. Every time you write a number in your Maths book, think of me. Say to yourself, ‘I can do it. Numero will help me’.”

With that the little man double-flipped off the bed, whizzed once around Jake’s head and darted out the window towards the shining stars in the sky. The room seemed very still. Jake sat alone in his bed.

Jake half skipped, half ran to school next day. Did Numero really visit him last night?  He rushed into his classroom looking for signs of Numero. But everything looked exactly the same – the Maths books were there in neat piles waiting to be given out, the pencils leaned against each other in the jar.

At Maths time Jake crossed his fingers and waited. Would Numero keep his word? He touched his shoulders several times, but nothing was there. He took a deep breath and picked up his pencil.

Jake started to write a 4. The stubborn pencil tried writing it the wrong way. But Jake remembered Numero.

I can do it, Jake thought. Numero will help me. He concentrated with all his might. Today he would show his pencil he was in charge.

Jake stared at the clean white page. He had written a perfect 4.He quickly wrote another 4 and another. He tried some 3’s and some 5’s. They were all the right way round! He filled his page with perfect numbers.

Mr Jones looked on in amazement.

“Wow! Look at that! I knew you could do it, Jake. What’s your secret?”

Jake smiled at his teacher. He wasn’t going to share his secret with anyone. He had shown his pencil who was boss.

“Thank you Numero,” he whispered.

What has happened to Numero now that he doesn’t need to sit on Jake’s shoulder any more? He still roams the world every night, searching for another mathematician to help.

Are you the victim of a stubborn pencil? Maybe tonight Numero will find you.