Read Online Creeped Out by Z. Fraillon - Free Book Online

flashing before my eyes, Jasper thought. He felt kind of ripped off. If he was going to die, he might as well do it properly.

    A sharp bark broke through Jasper’s thoughts. The Grubbergrind froze, a few centimetres from Jasper’s shaking body. There was another bark, followed by a deep, guttural growl. Jasper didn’t move a muscle.
    The Grubbergrind stepped backwards, whirring its wings angrily as it backed away from the approaching dog.
    Woof had his teeth bared at the monster. He really looked like a ferocious guard dog. Woof pounced, and sank his teeth into the monster’s abdomen. But even a dog as big as Woof was no match for a tank-sized, fanged, winged, taloned spider-monster.
    It is still a monster with monstrous instincts , Stenka had said. Jasper figured it would be pretty happy to eat a dog.
    Woof didn’t stand a chance.
    Feeling panicked, Jasper thought about everything he had in his pack. Paperclips? Useless. Bolt cutters? No good. Chicken? Chocolate bars? No … I think Munchers prefer live bait.
    So much for being prepared.
    And then something in Jasper’s brain clicked. He did have a weapon! He opened the sack.
    â€˜Do this,’ Jasper whispered to the toilet monster, ‘and there’s a whole load more chicken for you.’ He really hoped the monster understood.
    Jasper reached inside and pulled the monster out by its slimy, wart-covered head. The monster didn’t look too pleased, but it didn’t shoot goo at him.
    â€™Get back, Woof!’ Jasper yelled. ‘NOW!’ he shouted, giving the toilet monster a squeeze. The monster obeyed, opening its mouth wide and spraying goo all over the Grubbergrind.
    The Grubbergrind froze. There was complete silence. And then, before everyone’s eyes, it began to shrink, leg by leg, eye by eye, talon by horrible talon, right down to the size of a small spider. Well, a small spider with wings, fangs and talons.
    Before it had a chance to escape, Jasper grabbed a box of matches from their supplies, emptied it out and clapped it over the shrunken monster. Then, he carefully slid the matchbox lid back over the box.
    The Grubbergrind was trapped.
    â€˜Not a spider, not a spider, not a spider,’ Jasper whispered to himself, and shoved it deep into the pocket of his hoodie.
    Then he remembered Saffy and Felix! He ripped the matchbox out again, and put it in his other pocket, then zipped it firmly shut. His friends would definitely be angry now.
    Jasper smiled at the toilet monster and patted its slimy head. ‘Thanks, fella. You’re not so bad after all.’
    Jasper thought the toilet monster looked almost cute. It blobbed at him cheerfully and wound a tentacle lovingly around his hand.
    â€˜Hmm, OK, let’s just put you back …’ Jasper untangled his arm and gently placed the toilet monster back into the sack.
    Woof limped over to Jasper, licking his hand. The Grubbergrind had cut a gash in his leg with a talon but, other than that, he seemed fine.
    Jasper knelt down and hugged the dog. ‘You’re a good boy,’ he said.
    Jasper was pulled back to reality by a voice shouting at him from inside the monster’s lair.
    â€˜Come on, Jasper!’ called one of his classmates. ‘We’re still stuck here, you know!’
    A sudden crack of thunder made the trapped kids yell even more frantically.
    Jasper pulled the bolt cutters from his pack, and cut through the thick strands of sticky white webbing. When he was done, the captured kids burst out of the lair, hugged him, and sprinted back towards the mansion as if it was not such a bad place to be after all.
    Jasper made a mental note to ask them later how they had worked out the clue. He had the feeling that this was one mistake Saffy and Felix wouldn’t let him forget in a hurry.

17
    Jasper stood to attention in front of Stenka’s desk. It was hard to tell exactly how angry she was because she wasn’t yelling –