ATTENTION LOVERS OF MEANINGLESS FLUFF: four-year-old Gordon has been given a Very Important Job: keep an eye on Baby Alan. Gordon is not taking any nonsense today.

Gordon had been given a Very Important Job.

This is why he was crouched on all fours over the tiny rocking chair with his nose almost touching his baby brother's sleeping face.

Daddy was at work, his older brothers were all at Big School, and so the burden of responsibility had fallen into the lap of the second youngest Tracy.

Mommy had asked him to keep an eye on the baby while she finished the laundry. Gordon had solemnly agreed to carry out this task to the best of his ability, and so if his 7-month old brother thought that he was going to put a single toe out of line on his watch, he was sorely mistaken.

Up close he noticed tiny flecks of milk dried in the corners of the baby's mouth. "Dirty Baby Alan," He announced and, as delicately as he could for a four-year-old, dabbed at it with the tips of his fingers. It didn't do much good, but it did cause Alan's eyes to flicker open.

Gordon wriggled into a sitting position opposite his brother with his legs crossed. "Hello. Mommy says I'm in charge while she does the laundry, so you gotta be good, ok?"

"Aaa," Said Alan.

"Good. Now I'm gonna read you a story, OK?" He grabbed the nearest book he could reach from where he was sitting. It was one of Daddy's boring grown-up books with only one picture – the sun – on the outer cover. It had no inside pictures at all.

Gordon opened the book to the first page. He couldn't read yet (apart from important words like MOMMY and GORDON), but he could probably guess the story. "Once upon a time, there was a teddy bear who went in space to visit the sun…"

He looked up to check that Alan was enjoying it. Unfortunately, the baby had discovered his own foot, and was focused on trying to eat it.

"Concentrate, Alan."

Alan gave a suitably mortified gurgle, although didn't remove the foot from his mouth.

"You kids got no respect," Said Gordon in disgust. "This morning I walked the Big Guys to school with Mommy while you sleeped the whole way, then I was at Kindergarten all morning and Mrs Brown made me drawed two whole pictures, then I helped Mommy fix your blanket and THEN…"

He was interrupted when a phone rang. He recognised the ringtone, it was Mommy's phone. She had left it resting on the table beside the door.

"Mommy!" He called, but she didn't seem to hear him.

He frowned, he had a Very Important Job to do after all: if he went to fetch Mommy's phone, he would have to leave Alan behind. He turned to his brother. "I gotta go get Mommy's phone. Don't escape or break anything." At top speed, he ran to the door, grabbed the phone, and bolted back to Alan's chair. Alan was watching him with interest.

He looked down at the phone. On the screen were the letters J-E-F-F and a picture of Daddy. He pressed the green button and held the phone to his mouth.

"Sorry, Daddy. I am very busy." He pressed the red button and put the phone down again.

There was laughter at the door: Mommy must have heard him shout after all, because she was standing there, her hands clamped over her mouth, and bent over with giggles.

Gordon didn't understand what was funny, but he laughed too.

She walked over, bent down, and gave him a big kiss. "One day you can tell everyone you hung up on the Great Jeff Tracy. Thank you for watching Alan for me."

He gave his Mommy a big smile, happy that he had pleased her but also happy that his Very Important Job was finished: it was already hard enough being four.

THE END