Read Online Class Six and the Nits of Doom by Sally Prue - Free Book Online

prowled back to class.
     
    Just about everyone in Class Six was scratching, now. They’d given up trying to hide it. And when they answered Good afterNOON Miss
BrOOM at afternoon registration, there was a definite hollowness to their voices which they were sure Miss Broom must notice. But she didn’t.
    ‘Are you getting a sore throat, darling?’ asked Emily’s mum, at home time.
    ‘No,’ said Emily. ‘I think I’ve caught a special sort of really terrible nit.’
    Emily’s mum laughed.
    ‘Sounds like me when I married your dad,’ she said.
     
    ‘But it can’t really be nits, Slacker,’ said Mrs Punchkin. ‘Nits don’t make your voice sound throaty.’
    Slacker made a great effort. ‘They do if you’ve caught them from a wer-wer-wer-
wombat
.’
    ‘You could well be right, love,’ agreed Mrs Punchkin. ‘But I don’t think we’ve got any wombats round here at the moment, luckily.’
    Slacker clenched his great fists and tried again.
    ‘Miss Broom’s a wreck!’ he said, all in a rush.
    ‘I’m not surprised, having to teach you all day,’ said Mrs Punchkin.

Class Six ran all the way to school the next morning, and it was only partly because they wanted to find out what had happened to Rodney now.
    ‘Can’t wait to get here,’ said the mothers to each other, marvelling. ‘Never seen anything like it.’
    ‘That Miss Broom must be a wonderful teacher,’ said half of them.
    ‘Yes,’ replied the other half, very impressed. ‘Although, tell me. What exactly
is
a woggle?’
    Jack charged into the playground shouting, ‘I’m growing antennae!’
    ‘Cool!’ said Anil. His voice was getting back to normal, so now he just sounded like his dad. ‘Can you pick up Radio Gaga?’
    ‘It’s better than that,’ said Jack. ‘I can pick up League Live Match Updates!’
    ‘Woooh!’ Anil was deeply impressed. ‘I can’t wait for
my
antennae to grow.’
    Winsome came running up. ‘ What are those? ’ she asked, pointing at Jack’s antennae, in a voice like slow gravy.
    ‘They’re digital!’ boasted Jack. ‘I can get about a hundred different stations, just by pushing my teeth in. It’s brilliant!’
    Winsome stared, between fascination and envy.
    ‘Well, I suppose it’ll be all right as long as I wear my hair in an afro,’ she said musingly.
    Emily came trotting across the playground to meet them. ‘Hello,’ she whispered.
    ‘Has your voice gone bellowy?’
    Emily nodded. ‘My mum was going to take me to the doctor, but she couldn’t get an appointment. The receptionist said there’s a lot of it about.’
    Serise flounced crossly through the school gate.
    ‘This is just
so
annoying,’ she said, as she reached them. ‘I wanted to wear my silver sandals today but my toes are such a bright green I had to wear these clumpy old
things instead. Look at them! I mean, they are just
so
last year!’
    ‘Never mind,’ said Winsome, comfortingly. ‘The green only lasts a few hours. I was lucky, it happened overnight to me and it meant I could read in bed by the light of my own
toes. I’ve never been able to do that before.’
    Slacker ambled vastly over to them, munching. His hair was sticking up oddly above his forehead.
    ‘Your antennae are growing, are they?’ asked Jack.
    Slacker smiled, displaying a large wodge of mushed crisp.
    ‘I can get The Foodie Channel,’ he said happily. ‘It’s fantastic. I mean, cooking—it’s so
easy.
Anyone could do it. Even
I
could do it.
I’m going to make a fudge sundae when I get home tonight. Topped with butterscotch popcorn and pecan brittle. And before that a carrot and peach salad with rocket, drizzled with walnut oil
and decorated with nasturtium flowers. Can’t wait!’
    He broke off and frowned.
    ‘Which is a bit odd, really,’ he went on, thoughtfully. ‘Because I don’t usually go in for fruit and stuff. Hey, where’s Rodney? Is he all right?’
    ‘Oh, yeah,’ said Anil carelessly. ‘He just jumped up that oak tree,