Agatha Parrot and the Mushroom Boy by Poskitt Kjartan Read Free Book Online

They were laughing so much that Ithought they were going to fall off their bikes.

    â€˜Come back here you two!’screamed James. He tried to run after them.
Ping tinkle dinkle!
went all the lids.
    â€˜Oh no!’ whimpered Ellie clutching my arm. ‘It’s a giant mushroom that chases people! I’ve NEVER been so scared in my WHOLE LIFE!’
    But James had forgotten about the sheet round his legs. Hop hop . . .
plop!
James fell over and landed face-first in the flower bed.
    By this time the other boys had shot off round the corner but we could still hear them laughing. Meanwhile James was struggling so hard to get up he didn’t realise he’d got a flower stuck to his ear. FLASH went the camera. ‘Sorry,’ said the big gnome and all the little girls giggled. ‘I couldn’t resist it, but at least I got your face that time.’
    Even Ellie started to giggle. She went to help him up and said:‘Thank you James. I’ll never be scared of mushrooms again.’
    â€˜Get off me,’ sulked James crossly.
    â€˜Be nice,’ I said to him. ‘And then maybe Ellie can arrange for you to help cut the cake up.’
    James suddenly looked hopeful. ‘Oh yes! Can I?’
    Ellie looked at me as if James had gone potty, so I explained. ‘He loves cutting cakes. It really makes his day, especially if you let him doit in private.’
    So Ellie and the giant mushroom went inside on a cake-cutting mission, Flozzy and the little people danced around the big jolly gnome and Tilly turned me into an elephant. What a lovely happy ending to the story, don’t you think?
    Only it isn’t the end yet.

Who’s Laughing Now?
    L ater on that night, the front door banged open and James stomped in. I was sitting on the sofa and he just threw his sheet and cushion over me. Oooh temper temper!
    â€˜Not going to football, James?’ asked Dad who was in the armchair watching telly again.
    â€˜NO.’
    By now I’d got the sheet off and held it up. It was covered in coloured patches of sauce and icing. It looked rather groovy actually.
    â€˜What’s all that mess?’ asked Dad.
    â€˜Your cake,’ sulked James.
    â€˜Oh!’ said Dad. ‘How was it?’
    â€˜Perfect!’ said James giving me areally filthy look. ‘Absolutely nothing wrong with it at all.’
    â€˜Don’t sound so surprised,’ said Dad. ‘I told you it was one of the all-time greats. Now let’s get that sheet into the washing machine.’
    The telly clicked off, but there was no one near it. James was astonished until he saw that Dad was holding the TV remote. ‘Where did that come from?’ he gasped.
    â€˜It was in the kitchen all thetime,’ said Dad. ‘It had fallen inside the oven glove hanging on the back of the door.’

    Dad took the sheet through and James stared after him looking confused. His little baked-bean brain was trying to work out how he’d managed to throw the remote round to the other side of the door and into an oven glove that he was sure hadn’t even been there before. Ooooh . . . so how DID it get there I wonder? Ha ha! But I had to be careful not to give myself away.
    â€˜At least it’s turned up,’ I saidsounding all cool and casual.
    â€˜Why did you tell me it was in the cake?’ hissed James.
    â€˜Me? I never did,’ I said. ‘It must have all been in your imagination.’
    (Go on, you can turn back and check if you like. I never said anything about it going in the cake until James started it! Ha ha loser.)
    â€˜I hate little sisters!’ he scowled, and went stomping upstairs to get away from everybody and everything.
    It had all been very satisfactory, and what’s more, guess what was just about to start on the telly?
Sing, Wiggle and Shine: The Backstage Special
. I got myself nicely laid out on the sofa just as the music was starting. Ahhhh . . . it was