stop its tilting â¦â
He whispered the last line with a determined spirit.
ââ¦and save its rotor blades from wilting.â
Badger opened one eye and saw the Wim-Wimâs weather vane whirr weakly.
âCome on!â he urged. â
Please
get better.â
The bottom of the Wim-Wim chugged and chuttered, and its rotor bearings rattled with the vibration.
Badger hopped from paw to paw, swishing his tail.
âIâve done it, Iâve done it, Iâve done it! My spell worked. Wooftastic! Wait till I tell Timmy.â
As Badger was busy dancing around his garden in delight, the Wim-Wim dwindled, the whirring weakened, the rotor bearings rattled no more, and the weather vane wobbled to a stop.
âOh no, without my trusty Wim-Wim, Icanât help Timmy.â
Badger put his head in his paws.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the lane, Timmy, the snotty-nosed cat with the crumpled ear, was facing his own challenge.
The gang had Timmy pinned up against the fence. Pogo Paws held Timmyâs left paw while Pickle gripped his right. Lennie held Timmyâs legs tight. Snif stood in front of him smugly.
âSo, you think
you
â a cat â can join our gang of
dogs
? Why would a sneezy cat with a crumpled ear want to do
that?â
sneered Snif.
Timmy puffed out his chest. âBecause Iâm every bit as good as you, and I donât see why not.â
He tried to wriggle free. Pogo Paws and Pickle held on tighter, but Lennie, who was busy daydreaming, lost his grasp.
âOh no! Iâm in charge of legs. Donât move!â shouted Lennie nervously.
âGet a grip, Lennie,â snarled Snif.
âI donât know why Iâve been given
two
legs, when Pogo Paws and Pickle have only got one paw each,â he moaned.
âZip it, Lennie!â sighed Snif.
âSo, Timmy,â continued the gang leader, âisnât there a mob of manky moggies like yourself that you could be hanging around with?â
âThey probably wonât let him in with that crumpled ear,â barked Pogo Paws.
âHeâs not exactly pretty, is he?â scoffed Pickle.
âI donât think he looks too bad,â said Lennie.
âZip it, Lennie!â shouted the gang altogether.
Lennieâs shoulders hunched and he held on tightly to Timmyâs legs.
âNow, if you really want to join, we need to see if youâre up to being a member of ourgang, so you need to pass our test,â said Snif.
âOkay,â said Timmy eagerly. âWhat do I need to do?â
âCan I let go yet? My paws are sore,â asked Lennie.
Snif ignored Lennie and turned away from Timmy and the gang. He thought for a moment, then spun round.
âGot it! Right, weâd like to do some trampolining. So your mission, should you wish to accept it, is to find us a tyre ⦠a
big
tyre ⦠a
really
big tyre ⦠and bring it back to us here, before dark.â
âHow on earth can I carry a great big tyre?â asked Timmy.
âFind a way!â snarled Snif.
Timmy struggled to get free from the vice-like grip of Pogo Paws, Pickle and a slightly slumped Lennie. Suddenly, he felt a tickling in his nose.
âUh oh,â he winced. âI can feel a sneeze coming. Aaah, aah, aah â¦â
Pogo Paws and Pickle looked up inhorror. Lennie put his paws over his head.
âAaaah, aaah, aaah â¦â
Snif ducked.
âAaaaah, aaaah, aaaah â¦â
The gang waited for the final explosion.
âChoooooooooooooooooooo ooooooo!â
âYuk!â yelled the snot-covered gang, as they ran away in disgust.
Timmy slid down the fence, shookhimself and headed for Badger the Mystical Muttâs garden.
âBadger!â shouted Timmy excitedly. âI can do it. I can join the gang.â
âWowâ said Badger. âHow did you manage that? Iâve been worrying about getting the Wim-Wim to work, so that I could take you
Clara Benson
Melissa Scott
Frederik Pohl
Donsha Hatch
Kathleen Brooks
Lesley Cookman
Therese Fowler
Ed Gorman
Margaret Drabble
Claire C Riley